Approved Document S (EV Charging): What Homeowners Need to Know

Part S sets out two levels of requirement for EV charging infrastructure:

• Active provision (charge point) — a fully installed EV charge point connected to the electricity supply, with a minimum output of 7kW (a standard Mode 3 charge point on a dedicated circuit)
• Passive provision (cable routes) — where an active charge point is not required, the building must include a dedicated cable route from the parking space to the electrical distribution board, sized and positioned to allow a charge point to be added in the future without structural work

The distinction between active and passive provision depends on the type of project. For new dwellings with associated parking, an active charge point is generally required. Passive provision is specified where parking is provided but the parking space is not directly associated with a single dwelling — for example, in some multi-occupancy scenarios.

Part S applies to the following categories of project where parking is associated with the building:

• New residential buildings — any new house, flat, or other dwelling. If the building has associated parking (a garage, driveway, or allocated parking space), an active 7kW charge point is required for each parking space associated with a dwelling
• Residential buildings undergoing a major renovation — where more than 25% of the building envelope is being altered and the building has more than 10 parking spaces
• Buildings undergoing a material change of use to residential — where the conversion creates a new dwelling with associated parking

Part S does not apply to:

• Standard extensions or loft conversions (unless they create new parking spaces that would not otherwise be required)
• Existing dwellings not undergoing a qualifying major renovation
• New parking spaces added to existing dwellings — though this is a grey area worth clarifying with building control

A parking space is "associated" with a dwelling if it is provided as part of the development and is intended for use by the occupants of that dwelling. This includes:

• An integral or attached garage
• A detached garage within the curtilage of the property
• A driveway or hardstanding forming part of the residential plot
• An allocated parking space in a development (such as a numbered space in a block of flats car park)

Where parking is not allocated to individual dwellings — for example, unallocated visitor parking in a housing development — different rules apply, typically requiring passive cable routes rather than active charge points for a proportion of spaces.

A garden or patio area that could theoretically be used for parking but is not designed or intended as a parking space does not qualify as associated parking for the purposes of Part S.

A 7kW charge point (sometimes written as 7.4kW) is a Mode 3 EV charger — the standard type used for home charging via a dedicated circuit with a Type 2 socket. It requires:

• A dedicated 32A circuit from the consumer unit (distribution board)
• An earthing arrangement suitable for EV charging (typically a PME earth with a specific earthing conductor, or a TT earthing system)
• A charge point unit with appropriate weather protection for external installation

At 7kW, a typical EV with a 60-75kWh battery can be charged from near-empty to full in approximately 8-10 hours overnight. For most homeowners this is entirely adequate for day-to-day use.

The charge point must comply with the relevant product standard (BS EN IEC 62196) and the installation must be carried out by a competent electrician. From December 2022, charge points installed in homes in England must also be smart charge points — they must be capable of receiving demand-side response signals and must have the ability to be set to default off-peak charging.

Under the Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021, which came into force in December 2022, all new charge points installed in homes and workplaces in England must be smart charge points. This is a separate legal requirement from Part S but applies alongside it.

A smart charge point must:

• Be capable of receiving and responding to off-peak signals from the grid or the energy supplier
• Default to charging only during pre-set off-peak periods unless the user overrides this
• Meet minimum cyber-security standards
• Be capable of remote software updates

In practice, virtually all commercially available home charge points from reputable manufacturers already meet these requirements. Older or non-smart charge points (sometimes called "dumb chargers") should not be installed in new homes where Part S applies.

Where Part S requires passive provision rather than an active charge point, the builder or developer must install:

• A dedicated cable route from the parking space to the distribution board — this is a conduit or trunking that allows a cable to be drawn through without opening walls or floors
• The cable route must be sized to accommodate a minimum 7kW charge circuit (at least a 32A cable route)
• The end at the distribution board should include a blanked-off connection point or a suitably sized cable gland to allow future connection

Passive provision is cheaper to install than a full charge point but adds cost and disruption if a charge point is later added, because the cable itself still needs to be pulled through and connected. Nevertheless, the saving versus no provision at all is significant — retrofitting conduit through a finished building is expensive.

For a new house built with associated parking, the developer must provide an active 7kW charge point for each parking space associated with a dwelling. For a single new house with a single driveway space and an integral garage, this means two charge points — or one charge point and one passive cable route if the second space is a garage where immediate installation is impractical.

Building control will inspect and certify Part S compliance as part of the completion certificate process. For self-build projects and custom builds, the same requirements apply as for developer-built homes — the obligation sits with whoever is carrying out the building work.

Housebuilders must also provide documentation to the building control body showing the number of parking spaces, the number of charge points installed, and the specification of each charge point.