EV Charging Glossary (Ireland)
Plain-English definitions of the terms you'll encounter when researching a home EV charger install in Ireland.
- MPRN (Meter Point Reference Number)
- An 11-digit number starting with "10" that uniquely identifies your electricity meter. Found on the top of your electricity bill. SEAI uses it to ensure only one EV charger grant is paid per home.
- Eircode
- Ireland's seven-character postcode (e.g. D02 X285). Required by SEAI for grant applications and used to confirm your installation address.
- SEAI Smart Charger Register
- A list of EV chargers approved for the SEAI home charger grant. Only chargers on this register qualify for the €300 refund. Every charger in the Volt Éire range is on the register; the property, application and completed claim must also qualify.
- Safe Electric
- Ireland's regulatory body for electrical safety, run by RECI/ECSSA. All EV charger installations must be performed by a Safe Electric registered electrician — both a legal requirement and a SEAI grant condition.
- ESB Networks
- Ireland's electricity distribution system operator. Owns and maintains the network that delivers power from generation to your home, including your meter and main fuse (cut-out). ESB Networks must be consulted for some EV charger installs.
- Type 2 connector
- The standard 7-pin AC charging connector used by all EVs sold in Europe and Ireland since 2014 (also called Mennekes). Every charger we install uses Type 2 — tethered (cable attached) or socketed, depending on the unit you choose.
- Tethered charger
- An EV charger with a permanently attached charging cable. Cable lengths vary by model and configuration. Volt Éire offers tethered and socketed chargers.
- Untethered (socket) charger
- An EV charger with a socket instead of a permanently attached cable. You plug in a separate Type 2 cable each time. Volt Éire supplies a Type 2 charging cable with every socketed package.
- kW (kilowatt)
- A unit of power. A 7.4 kW charger means it can deliver 7.4 kW of electricity at any moment. Higher kW = faster charging.
- kWh (kilowatt-hour)
- A unit of energy — the amount of electricity used over time. Your electricity bill is measured in kWh. A typical EV battery holds 50-80 kWh.
- 7.4 kW charger
- The standard home EV charger size in Ireland — runs on a single-phase supply (which most Irish homes have) and fully charges most EVs in 2-4 hours overnight.
- 11 kW / 22 kW charger
- Faster three-phase EV chargers. Most Irish homes do not have a three-phase supply, so these are rare for residential use. They require a separate ESB Networks application.
- Single-phase / Three-phase supply
- Single-phase is the standard Irish residential supply (one live conductor at 230V). Three-phase (three live conductors) is mostly used in commercial premises and supports faster EV chargers, but requires an ESB Networks upgrade if not already present.
- Fuseboard (Consumer Unit)
- The board in your home that distributes electricity to circuits and protects them with breakers. EV chargers connect back to a dedicated breaker on the consumer unit (or a separate sub-board).
- RCBO (Residual Current Breaker with Overload)
- A safety device that combines overload protection and earth-leakage protection in one unit. EV charger circuits in Ireland need appropriate protective devices under current I.S. 10101 wiring rules and the charger manufacturer's instructions.
- MCB (Miniature Circuit Breaker)
- A circuit breaker that trips when a circuit draws too much current. EV charger circuits use either a dedicated MCB+RCD pair or a single combined RCBO.
- Earth rod
- A rod installed in the ground as an earth electrode. The installer verifies the existing electrode and earthing arrangement and specifies any necessary work. A satisfactory existing electrode does not automatically need replacement or duplication. A missing photo, a modern supply or advertised PEN protection does not establish an exemption.
- Bonding
- A green/yellow safety cable attached to a metal pipe with a metal clamp. Keep the gas meter overview separate from the bonding photo. For bonding photos, start underneath the gas boiler for gas bonding and on the pipes beside the immersion tank (hot-water cylinder) in your hot press for water bonding. Locations vary; a connection may also be near the gas meter or incoming water stopcock. The installer checks whether the required main protective bonding is satisfactory before certifying the EV circuit.
- Looped service
- An ESB supply where two homes share a single feed from the network. ESB Networks does not allow extra EV load on a looped service — it must be split first.
- MIC (Maximum Import Capacity)
- The maximum power your home can draw from the grid, set by ESB Networks. A 7.4 kW EV charger plus a heat pump or electric shower can stress lower-MIC supplies — load management or an MIC upgrade may be needed.
- Load management / Dynamic load balancing
- Smart charger technology that throttles EV charging when other appliances draw heavy current, preventing the main fuse from blowing. Included with every Volt Éire charger installation; the compatible sensor or meter depends on the selected model.
- IP65
- An ingress protection rating meaning fully dust-tight and protected against low-pressure water jets — protection ratings vary by model, so check the chosen charger's specifications.
- Standard Installation (Volt Éire)
- The agreed scope of a straightforward home EV charger installation. You choose the charger and configuration; each has its own fixed package price, from €1,599 all-in. Photos support the scope assessment; the installer inspects and tests the installation. See /standard-installation for the checks.
- Pre-approval visit
- When your photos do not let us confirm Standard Installation eligibility, we send a Safe Electric registered electrician to inspect in person and quote any extras transparently before you commit.
- Letter of Offer (SEAI)
- The formal SEAI grant offer issued after your application is approved. Valid for 6 months — the installation and grant claim must be completed within that window.
- Net cost
- The amount an EV charger installation costs you after the SEAI grant is refunded. Your net cost is your confirmed package price less the approved €300 SEAI grant. Packages start from €1,599 upfront, from €1,299 after an approved grant. Each charger and configuration has its own fixed price.
Got the jargon? Now get charging.
Volt Éire handles the SEAI paperwork, the install, and the certification. A smart charger at home from €1,299 net.