Sixty amps is the number SSEN works from. On its EV Connections page, read on 19 October 2026, the network operator for Reading says that where a property’s total demand is 60 amps or less and there are no safety concerns, an installer does not need to apply before fitting a charger. Above that, or where the property fails any other test, the installer must apply and wait for approval. Which side of that line your house falls on shapes the timetable more than anything else.
This guide takes the supply side on its own. The rest, from Reading’s subsidised pavement gullies to renters’ grants, is on our Reading EV charger installation page.
Why the supply matters for a charger
A 7 kW home charger draws 32 A, and it draws it continuously, for hours, usually overnight. Domestic main fuses are commonly 60 A, 80 A or 100 A. On a 100 A supply, a charger is a large but manageable share. On a 60 A supply, a charger alongside an electric shower or an oven leaves little room. That is the arithmetic SSEN’s process exists to check.
Connect and Notify, or a Load Check first
SSEN offers two routes. Under Connect and Notify, where total demand is 60 amps or less and nothing raises a safety concern, the installer fits the charger and then notifies SSEN, which it says should happen within 28 days of installation. Under a Load Check, also called Apply to Connect, the installer applies first and waits for approval. That route applies where total demand is more than 60 amps or the property does not qualify on any other criterion. SSEN adds that if its assessment shows the supply needs an upgrade, the upgrade must be completed before the charger is installed.
The installer uses one of three routes for either: SSEN’s website, the Energy Networks Association form emailed to SSEN, or the Connect Direct portal. You do not file anything yourself.
Looped supplies in older terraces
A looped service is where two neighbouring properties share a single electricity service cable. SSEN says such connections are no longer installed but that many older terraced and semi-detached homes still have one. With 28.2% of Reading households in a terrace and 25.9% in a semi at the 2021 Census, that is a real question for a lot of the town.
SSEN’s rule is clear: if the property is looped, a Load Check must be submitted before installation to decide whether unlooping is needed. Unlooping is network work. SSEN says that for a typical household supply, up to 100 A per phase with a meter, it is usually done without charge, though charges may apply for extra work. It also says your electricity will usually be off for half a day or more, depending on the digging, and that if a neighbour will not agree to the work, its project manager will help explore alternatives. Because the work touches the house next door, it is worth raising with your neighbour early.
Fuse upgrades
In its answers on changing a supply, SSEN says older properties often have 30 A or 60 A fuses and that it can upgrade these to an 80 A or 100 A fuse without charge. It also notes that your electrician is not accredited to work on its network, so cannot change its equipment; the electrician’s work starts from the meter onwards, including the connection to the consumer unit. The fuse and cut-out belong to SSEN.
Load management, before any upgrade
A bigger fuse is not always the answer. Load management fits a sensor on the incoming supply that turns the charger down while the house is busy and lets it back up when demand falls. On many 60 A or 80 A supplies that keeps the house within its limit without network work. It does not replace SSEN’s assessment, but it often changes what the assessment needs to find. For a fuller explanation, see our guide to whether your fuse will take a 7 kW EV charger.
Checking your own supply before a survey
SSEN publishes a supply checker. You enter your postcode and choose your address, and it says whether your supply looks ready for devices such as EV chargers and heat pumps. It flags a potential problem where the main fuse is below 80 amps or the service cable is shared with a neighbour. Where SSEN does not have full details, it estimates from similar nearby properties and labels the result as an estimate; you can confirm it by sending a photo of your main fuse. It is a sensible thing to run before a survey, so that nobody is surprised.
If panels or a battery are planned too
Generation follows its own rules. Panels or a battery up to 16 A per phase (3.68 kW) are notified to SSEN under G98, before commissioning or within 28 days of it; anything larger needs a G99 application approved before work starts. If you are weighing battery storage in Reading alongside a charger, say so at the survey, so the charger notification and any battery application are planned together.
Who does what
You let the installer see the meter, main fuse and consumer unit, and agree any network work with your neighbour if the supply is looped. The installer checks the fuse rating, earthing and consumer unit, chooses the SSEN route and submits it. SSEN decides on any fuse upgrade or unlooping and carries it out. The charger we fit is EnSmart’s SmartBee-M, a 7 kW smart unit, and our EV charger installation cost guide shows where supply work sits on a quote. Grants are a separate question; our guide to who qualifies for the EV chargepoint grant covers renters, flat owners and landlords, and claims must be made through an OZEV-authorised installer; tell us your situation at the quote stage.
Sources: SSEN, EV Connections (ssen.co.uk/our-services/new-supplies/ev-connections), Looped Service (ssen.co.uk/our-services/existing-electricity-supplies/looped-service), Increase or decrease your electricity supply: FAQs, and Check your property’s electricity supply, all read 19 October 2026; SSEN, Who we are; NESO GB DNO licence areas (May 2024); ONS Census 2021, TS044 Accommodation type, via Nomis (read 19 October 2026); Energy Networks Association, EREC G98 Issue 2 (10 March 2025).