Western Power's charger rules, in plain English
7 kW on a standard connection
Allowed on single phase with two conditions: the total household load stays within the supply limit, and the main switch is a circuit breaker.
The supply limit itself
63 amps on single phase, or 32 amps per phase on three phase, since April 2023. If the charger and everything else would go over, the contractor applies for an upgraded supply.
Bidirectional chargers are different
A charger that only draws from the grid is ordinary load. One that can send power back into the home is treated like a solar system, so it must meet the embedded generation rules and AS/NZS 4777.
No home rebate we can find
WA's Charge Up grants were for not-for-profits, small to medium businesses and local governments, and Round 3 closed on 30 June 2025. We haven't found a current WA program for home chargers.
If there are solar panels on your roof
Western Power's 2026 rules cap what a home solar system can send to the grid at 1.5 kW, unless you have an agreement with your retailer that lifts it to 5 kW. Power you can't export is power the car can soak up in the middle of the day.
The WA Government suggests timing charging with your solar, and says an electrician can tell you whether a charger will work with your panels or a home battery. A smart charger can also be scheduled for low-demand periods if you're on a time-of-use tariff.
Older suburbs, new estates and apartments
In a post-war or ranch-era home, the board is usually the first question. An original board may have no room for another breaker, no safety switch for the new circuit, or a fuse where Western Power now wants a circuit breaker main switch. Switchboard upgrades in Perth covers that part.
Out in the northern growth corridor, where the City of Wanneroo added almost 110,000 people between 2001 and 2016, the houses are newer and the job is more often about picking the charger and the cable route to the garage.
Apartments are their own job. Flats and apartments made up 27.4% of occupied homes in Fremantle at the 2021 Census, and 23.6% in Joondalup. We haven't confirmed WA's strata rules for chargers, so talk to your strata company before booking, and ask the electrician to look at the building's supply and the run to your bay.
How much charging do you actually need?
By the WA Government's estimates, a standard 10 amp point gives roughly 10 to 15 km of range an hour, a 15 amp socket roughly 15 to 20 km, and a 7 kW charger about 30 to 40 km. Your car's own onboard charger, the weather and the battery level all change those numbers.
Work out your usual daily kilometres before you buy anything. The EV charging time calculator does the sums for your car.
What to ask a Perth charger installer
- Will the house stay inside Western Power's supply limit with the charger running?
- Is my main switch already a circuit breaker, or does that need changing first?
- Can this charger follow my solar, or be scheduled for off-peak times?
- If I want a bidirectional charger later, what extra approval would it need?
- When will I get the Electrical Safety Certificate for the work?
Our take for Perth
We'd start with the board, not the charger. Find out whether your main switch is a circuit breaker and how close the house runs to its 63 amp supply, then pick a charger that fits. For plenty of single-car homes on one phase, that's a 7 kW unit, ideally one that can follow your solar. And we'd book the electrician before the car arrives, so it isn't living on an extension of the laundry power point for a month.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.