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In WA, an EV charger has to be wired in by a licensed electrical contractor. It has to fit within Western Power's limits for your connection, and you get an electrical safety certificate within 28 days of the work.
The short version: a licensed electrician installs it, and Western Power's connection limits decide how big it can be. The main switch has to be a circuit breaker, and you get a safety certificate at the end.
The same rules apply to a home in Joondalup and a car park in Canning Vale.
Who Can Install an EV Charger in WA
The WA Government's advice is simple: if you need a new power point or a dedicated home charger, you need a licensed electrician. Its guide to having electrical work done says all electrical work must be done by someone with the right licence. It's illegal for anyone unlicensed to work on fixed wiring, the wiring built into your home.
An electrical contractor's licence number starts with EC, and the business holding it must employ licensed electricians, whose own numbers start with EW.
You can check either one on the State's online licence search before you book anyone.
Western Power's Connection Limits
Homes and small businesses in Perth and the South West connect to Western Power's network. Its page on installing EV charging stations puts the electrical contractor in charge of keeping the site within what its connection can carry.
A standard connection is one of these:
- 63 amps on single-phase power (240 volts), where one supply line comes into the property
- 32 amps on each line of three-phase power (415 volts), where three supply lines come in
Western Power permits a 7kW single-phase charger on a standard connection, on either a single-phase or a three-phase site. Your electrician has to check the site's maximum demand, the most power it draws at once, still fits within those limits. On a three-phase site, the load also has to be spread evenly across the three lines.
If Your Connection Is Too Small
When the charger would push the site past its limit, Western Power gives the electrician two options:
- Apply to Western Power for a bigger connection.
- Fit a smart charger that limits how much power the site pulls from the grid, so the total stays inside the connection.
The second option is a type of load management. Our post on how load management works explains it. Our post on having enough power for a 7kW charger works through the numbers for a typical Perth house.
The Main Switch and Your Switchboard
Western Power requires the main switch to be upgraded to a circuit breaker for EV charging connections.
The main switch turns off power to the whole property. A circuit breaker is a switch that trips off by itself if too much power flows. If yours is a plain switch, the change goes in your quote.
The charger also needs its own space in the switchboard for its circuit protection. A full board can sometimes be reorganised instead of replaced. At a Hamilton Hill home we reorganised the existing breakers to free up three spaces side by side for a three-phase charger circuit.
The switchboard from our Hamilton Hill solar EV charger job, before and after.The Paperwork You Should Get
Two documents come out of a compliant install, according to the State's technical guidance for electrical licence holders:
- A notice of completion. For notifiable work, the kinds of electrical work the network operator must be told about, the contractor sends it to the network operator, such as Western Power, within 3 days of finishing.
- An electrical safety certificate. The contractor gives it to you within 28 days. It's a legal document that says the work has been checked and tested, meets the rules and is safe to connect.
Keep the certificate with your house papers. If you don't receive one, the WA Government says to ask your electrical contractor first, then your network operator, usually Western Power or Horizon Power. Every ChargingWA customer gets one.
The Standards Behind the Rules
Western Power points electricians to three documents for EV charger work:
- The WA Service and Installation Requirements, which cover how a property connects to the network
- The WA Electrical Requirements, the State's own rules for electrical work, which sit alongside the national wiring rules
- AS/NZS 3000, the national wiring rules every Australian electrician works to
These are why your electrician asks about your connection, your switchboard and your other big appliances before quoting.
What Changes for a Business
A workplace, car park or apartment block follows the same rules, with more chargers sharing one connection. Load management shares the site's power between the chargers so the supply isn't overloaded.
Grants can add conditions of their own. Some EV charger grants require a licensed electrician, a smart or networked charger and set technical requirements, so check before you buy. Our EV charger rebates and grants page lists the current programs.
In a strata building, ask your strata manager what approval you need first. Our Dalkeith apartment install needed strata approval and a way to bill each resident's charging back to the strata company.
A Quick Checklist Before You Book
- Check the contractor's EC licence number on the State's licence search.
- Ask whether your home is single-phase or three-phase, and what size charger the connection allows.
- Ask whether your main switch is already a circuit breaker.
- Ask whether your switchboard has space for the charger's circuit.
- Ask whether the quote includes any switchboard or connection work.
- Make sure you'll receive the electrical safety certificate.
We check all of this before we quote for home EV charger installation and commercial EV charger installation. Any upgrade goes in the quote.
Common Questions
Can I install an EV charger myself in WA?
Only a licensed electrician can wire in a wall charger, because it connects to your home's fixed wiring. You can still plug the car's own portable cable into a standard power point.
Do I need Western Power's approval for a home EV charger?
Western Power permits a 7kW single-phase charger on a standard connection, as long as the site's total load stays within the connection limits. If it wouldn't, your electrician applies for a bigger connection or fits a smart charger that limits what the site draws.
Can I put a single-phase charger on a three-phase home?
Yes. Western Power allows a 7kW single-phase charger on single-phase and three-phase sites. On a three-phase home, the electrician also checks the load stays balanced across the three lines.
What certificate should I get after the install?
An electrical safety certificate, within 28 days of the work. It confirms the work was checked, tested and meets the rules. Keep it with your house papers.
