An electric vehicle is only as convenient and low-cost to run as how it is charged. For most Perth households, the smartest place to charge is at home. You can charge overnight or during the day on power that costs a few cents or comes straight from the roof. A dedicated home EV charger makes that possible. Choosing the right one is less about the badge on the wall. It is more about matching the charger to your home, electricity plan and solar system.
This guide walks through how home charging works. It shows how fast different chargers go. It explains why a smart charger matters so much in Perth. It covers what installation involves. It lists the specific chargers Positive Energy Solutions supplies and installs.
Why a Dedicated Charger Beats the Cable in the Boot
Almost every new electric vehicle comes with a portable cable. It plugs into an ordinary power point. It works, but it is slow. A standard socket delivers only around 1.8 to 2.4 kilowatts. This adds roughly 10 kilometres of range for every hour on charge. Topping up a daily commute that way can take most of the night. Running a high current through an old power point for hours on end is not something to rely on long term.
A dedicated wall charger is hard-wired into the switchboard on its own circuit. It charges far faster. It is built for daily use in the weather. Just as importantly, a smart wall charger can talk to the solar system. The car can be told to wait for sunshine or for the lowest-cost part of the tariff. This stops it from pulling expensive grid power the moment it is plugged in.
How Fast Do You Need to Charge?
Charging speed depends on the charger. It depends on the home’s electricity supply. It depends on the car’s own onboard limits. The table below shows the practical difference.
Charging method Typical power Range added per hour
Standard power point (portable cable) 1.8 to 2.4 kW Around 10 km
Wall charger, single phase Up to 7 kW Around 40 km
Wall charger, three phase Up to 22 kW Up to around 130 km
Public DC fast charger Up to 350 kW Up to 350 km in about 10 min
For the great majority of Perth homes, a 7 kilowatt single-phase charger is the sweet spot. It adds around 40 kilometres of range an hour. A car plugged in overnight starts every morning full on any electric vehicle sold in Australia today. A faster 22 kilowatt charger only makes sense where the home already has three-phase power. It makes sense when there is a genuine need for rapid top-ups. An example is two electric vehicles sharing one charger. Around nine in ten Australian homes are single phase. Upgrading to three phase purely for charging is usually an expense that is hard to justify.
Smart Charging: The Feature That Matters Most in Perth
A state with abundant sunshine has low feed-in rates. It has a time-of-use tariff. In Perth, the intelligence of a charger matters more than its top speed. A basic charger simply delivers power whenever the car is plugged in. A smart charger decides when and how to charge. This is where the savings live.
- Solar surplus charging. The charger watches the home’s live solar production. It diverts spare energy into the car instead of exporting it to the grid. Under the DEBS feed-in tariff, exported energy earns just 2 cents per kilowatt hour off-peak. Charging the car with that surplus is close to nothing.
- Tariff scheduling. The charger can be set to run only in the lowest-cost window. An example is the Midday Saver super off-peak hours or the overnight EV Add-On rate. It can pause during the expensive evening peak.
- Load balancing. A smart charger can throttle its draw. It never overloads the home’s supply. Some can share a circuit across more than one vehicle.
- App control and open standards. The better chargers are controlled from a phone app. They support open communication standards. They can slot into a wider home energy system. This avoids locking the household into one brand.
The Cost of Charging: Solar, Midday Saver and the EV Add-On
Home charging is so compelling in Perth because of the gap between grid power costs. The gap is between costs at different times and what solar costs. An electric vehicle uses roughly 15 to 18 kilowatt hours to travel 100 kilometres. The price per kilowatt hour translates directly into cents per kilometre.
- From solar surplus: close to nothing. That energy would otherwise export for 2 cents per kilowatt hour.
- Midday Saver super off-peak (9am to 3pm): 8.8520 cents per kilowatt hour. This is roughly $1.40 to $1.60 to add 100 kilometres of range.
- EV Add-On overnight (11pm to 6am): 19.9172 cents per kilowatt hour. This is useful when the car is not home during the solar day.
- Peak (3pm to 9pm): 55.3253 cents per kilowatt hour. This is the window a smart charger is set to avoid entirely.
Home charging on solar or off-peak power is dramatically lower-cost per kilometre than petrol. The role of the charger is to make sure the car always draws from the low-cost end of that range. It must never draw from the expensive end. Any post comparing these figures should be read as indicative. Real consumption varies by vehicle and driving.
The EV Chargers Positive Energy Solutions Installs
Positive Energy Solutions supplies and installs a considered range of smart chargers. The best charger is usually the one that fits the system a home already runs. It can be the one the home is building towards. The car, the solar, the battery and the app speak the same language. The current range covers every major ecosystem. It includes a growing set of bidirectional chargers that can send energy back from the car to the home.
Charger Best suited to Standout capability
Zappi (MyEnergi) Any home wanting a system-agnostic charger; often paired with Sungrow Works with any solar, with strong solar-surplus control
SigEnergy AC charger Homes running a SigEnergy SigenStor system Native integration with the SigenStor ecosystem
SigEnergy DC charger SigEnergy homes wanting the most efficient solar charging Charges the car directly from DC solar; bidirectional-ready
iStore EV charger Homes building an iStore solar, battery and hot water ecosystem Integrates across the whole iStore ecosystem
Fronius Wattpilot Go Homes with a Fronius system wanting a portable charger Transportable, with Eco and Next Trip modes
Fronius Wattpilot Flex Fronius homes wanting a bidirectional-ready charger Bidirectional-ready for future vehicle-to-home
Tesla Wall Connector Tesla drivers, especially with a Powerwall Integrates with the Tesla app and Powerwall ecosystem
The pattern is straightforward. A Fronius home suits a Fronius Wattpilot. A SigEnergy home suits a SigEnergy charger. An iStore home suits the iStore charger. A Tesla household suits the Tesla Wall Connector. The Zappi is the flexible all-rounder for any system. It is often paired with Sungrow. Positive Energy Solutions is a Fronius Solutions Partner Plus. It is a SigEnergy Gold Installer. It is an iStore Elite Partner and Tesla Certified Installer. It installs and supports each of these directly.
The SigEnergy DC charger deserves a special mention. It charges the car directly from the solar system’s DC power. It does not convert it to AC and back. It captures energy with fewer losses. This matters most for solar the home cannot use itself. That solar would otherwise be exported at the low DEBS feed-in rate of 2 cents per kilowatt hour. On systems that are export-limited under WA’s connection rules, it is capped as low as 1.5 kilowatts depending on the inverter size. Sending that surplus straight into the car turns power that would have been given away. It turns power that would never have been generated at all into kilometres of driving.
Two chargers in the range are built for bidirectional charging. They are the SigEnergy DC charger and the Fronius Wattpilot Flex. The car feeds stored energy back to help power the home. It is worth being clear that true vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid charging is not yet available in practice in Western Australia. The hardware is ready. The standards and network approvals are still catching up. A bidirectional-ready charger is a capability to be prepared for rather than to rely on today. It will pair naturally with a home battery when it arrives.
What Installation Involves
A home charger is a fixed piece of electrical equipment. It is installed by a licensed electrician on a dedicated circuit. During a site visit, the team looks at a handful of things. These determine the job:
- Switchboard capacity. The board needs a spare way. It needs enough headroom for the new circuit. Older boards sometimes need a minor upgrade. The charger can be set to load balance.
- Cable run. The distance from the switchboard to the parking spot affects cabling and cost. A charger near the board and the car is ideal.
- Single or three phase. Most homes charge happily at 7 kilowatts on single phase. Upgrading a single-phase home to three phase purely for faster charging is usually a significant extra cost. It is rarely necessary.
- Placement and weather. The charger is mounted where the cable reaches the car comfortably. It is ideally out of direct weather. It uses a unit rated for outdoor use.
- Protection and compliance. The circuit is fitted with the correct safety protection. It is installed to the current Australian wiring rules and Western Power requirements.
Charging From Your Solar and Battery
A home EV charger works best as part of a whole system. It should not be a bolt-on. Paired with solar, the car becomes a way to store the midday surplus. That surplus would otherwise export for 2 cents. Paired with a battery as well, a household can run the home on stored sunshine through the evening peak. It can still charge the car overnight on the lowest-cost rate. This keeps almost every kilowatt hour inside the home. This is the same thinking behind sizing a solar system for a high-energy home. The panels, the battery and the car are planned together. They reinforce one another.
Every Positive Energy Solutions installation is completed by our accredited installers and signed off to Positive Energy’s completion standards. It is backed by a 10-year installation workmanship warranty and Positive Energy Protection, powered by Omnidian. The solar and battery feeding the charger are monitored for performance from day one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a three-phase supply to charge at home?
No. A 7 kilowatt single-phase charger fully recharges a typical daily drive overnight. It suits the large majority of Perth homes. Three phase only helps where much faster charging is genuinely needed.
Can the charger use only my solar power?
Yes. A smart charger can be set to charge only from surplus solar. The car soaks up energy that would otherwise export at a low feed-in rate. Most also offer a faster mode for when the car is needed sooner.
Will a home charger work with any electric vehicle?
The chargers Positive Energy Solutions installs are compatible with all electric vehicles sold in Australia. They use a standard Type 2 connector for AC charging.
Can my electric vehicle power my house?
Some chargers in the range are built with bidirectional hardware. They include the SigEnergy DC charger and the Fronius Wattpilot Flex. They will let a car send energy back to the home. In practice, vehicle-to-home charging is not yet available in Western Australia. The standards and network approvals are still being finalised. Choosing a bidirectional-ready charger now is a way to be prepared for it.
What about charging on the road?
Home charging covers everyday driving. For longer trips, public DC fast chargers are available. They are across Perth and the regional network, including the RAC Electric Highway. They top a car up far faster than any home charger. They are for the occasional long journey.
Charge Smarter From Home
A home EV charger turns an electric vehicle into the lowest-cost car on the street to run. This is especially true when it draws from solar or off-peak power. The right charger depends on the home. It depends on the inverter and the electricity plan. A Positive Energy Solutions consultation is designed to match it.
Talk to the local team about a home EV charger for your Perth home:
About the Author
Jason Wiktorowicz
Sales Manager, Positive Energy Solutions | Perth, WA
Jason has been at the centre of Western Australia’s energy transition for over a decade. He was Orchestration Lead on Project Symphony. That is WA’s largest virtual power plant pilot. He was Stream Lead on Project Encore. He worked directly with AEMO, Western Power and Energy Policy WA. He shaped how distributed energy resources connect and operate on the SWIS. He contributed to the development and rollout of both CSIP-AUS. That is the inverter communications standard now mandatory under WA’s May 2026 grid rules. He contributed to REBAR. That is the WA Residential Battery Rebate scheme.
His earlier career spanned Synergy, Infinite Energy and Curtin University’s Sustainability Policy Institute. He co-authored peer-reviewed research on net zero urban precincts. He researched solar integration and peer-to-peer energy trading. It was published in the journal Urban Planning in 2018.
At Positive Energy Solutions, Jason leads sales with a focus on system design accuracy. He focuses on long-term performance. Positive Energy Solutions installs solar and battery systems. It installs EV chargers and heat pumps. It maintains strong partner accreditations with Fronius, SigEnergy, iStore and SunPower.
10-year installation workmanship warranty. Positive Energy Protection, powered by Omnidian, performance monitoring included on all systems.
