Installing a charging station: how it works, step by step

The charging station itself usually hangs on the wall within an hour. Whether the installation goes smoothly depends mainly on what happens beforehand: your meter cupboard, the location of the charging station, and the cable route. Below you can read how it goes from start to finish, what you can arrange yourself beforehand, and where delays occur in practice.

We install ourselves in North and Central Netherlands. But even if another installer does it, it is useful to know what happens.

Table of Contents

• Step 1: look in your meter cupboard
• Step 2: choose the location
• Step 3: quote and planning
• Step 4: the installation day
• Step 5: after the installation
• Does your connection need to be upgraded first?
• No driveway: charging via the sidewalk
• Can you install a charging station yourself?
• Frequently asked questions

Step 1: look in your meter cupboard

You don't have to be an electrician to check a few things yourself. It saves time later, and it prevents surprises.

• 1-phase or 3-phase? If it says 3x230/400V on your kWh meter, then you have 3-phase. Your connection value, such as 1x35A or 3x25A, is often also on your energy bill or on the website of your grid operator. If in doubt, take a photo; an installer will see it immediately.
• Is there room for an extra circuit? A charging station always gets its own circuit. If your circuit board is full, it must be expanded.
• Do you have a smart meter with a P1 port? You need that for load balancing and for charging on solar surplus. Almost all smart meters have one. For Alfen, it must be a meter with DSMR 4.0 or higher.

Step 2: choose the location

• Close to the meter cupboard is cheaper. The shorter the cable, the less work. If the meter cupboard is in the hallway at the front and you park in front of the house, then a charging station on the front facade is often the simplest solution.
• Where is your charging flap? Look how you normally park. If the charging flap is on the other side than the charging station or at the back, then choose a longer cable of 7.5 meters or another location.
• Wall or pole? On a wall is the easiest. If the car is on a driveway without a wall nearby, then the charging station goes on a mounting pole with a base, and digging is required.
• Outside is no problem. A charging station that hangs outside must be at least IP54. Common home chargers from A-brands meet that.
• Wifi range. Walk with your phone to the location of the charging station and see if your wifi still reaches there. If not, choose a model with 4G or have a network cable laid to it.

Step 3: quote and planning

With your photos, an estimate of the distance between meter cupboard and charging station and an idea of the cable route, an installer can make a good price. Compare your quotes, then look at what is and is not included:

• the charging station, and optionally a mounting pole;
• the new circuit with installation breaker and RCD protection;
• the cable, including the number of meters;
• digging work and penetrations through walls;
• load balancing (P1 dongle or energy meter) and its setting;
• the adjustment and testing with your car.

If you order a charging station with installation from us, then we first contact you about your situation: the distance to the meter cupboard, the cable route and any special circumstances. We discuss extra work beforehand, so that you are not faced with a surprise afterwards. After that, we schedule the appointment.

Step 4: the installation day

A standard installation usually takes a few hours. With digging work or a mounting pole, it will be a longer day. Keep in mind that the power in the house goes out for a while. Not a good moment for an important online meeting.

The installer works approximately in this order:

1. A new circuit in the circuit board. The charging station gets its own circuit with an installation breaker and RCD protection. That is mandatory according to NEN 1010.
2. Pulling the cable. From the meter cupboard to the charging station: through the crawl space, along the facade in a pipe or under the ground.
3. Mounting the charging station. On the wall, or on a mounting pole with a base.
4. Connecting and linking load balancing. Via a P1 dongle, a cable to the P1 port or an energy meter with CT clamps in the meter cupboard.
5. Setting. The maximum charging current is adjusted to your connection, and the charging station is connected to wifi or 4G and with the app.
6. Testing and explanation. With your own car, a charging session is started, so that you are sure everything works, and you get an explanation about the use.

Step 5: after the installation

• App and access. Create an account in the app or web interface of your charging station, and set whether an RFID card is needed to charge.
• Check the first charging sessions. Does the car charge with the power you expect? If not, that is often a setting. Look in our article about a charging station that does not (properly) charge.
• Do you drive a lease? Connect a charging station with a MID meter to the back office of your employer or leasing company, so that your charging current is reimbursed.
• ERE compensation. Do you have a MID meter and are you the contract holder of the connection, then you can get money back for home charging. Do the free ERE check or read how ERE works.
• Keep the documentation of your installation. An annual inspection is not mandatory, but the ANWB recommends having the installation checked occasionally. Also look at what your home insurance says about this.

Does your connection need to be upgraded first?

Usually not. With a 3x25A connection you charge perfectly with 11 kW, especially with load balancing. Also on 1-phase you can charge at home: with about 3.7 kW you charge over 200 kilometers in a night of ten hours.

If you still want to upgrade, then it goes like this:

1. The installer makes your circuit board suitable for 3-phase.
2. You request the upgrade at your grid operator, via mijnaansluiting.nl.
3. The grid operator adjusts the main connection. Only the grid operator may do that.

Until July 1, 2026, every household received an upgrade as a matter of course. Since that date, households no longer get priority: where the power grid is full, you get on a waiting list, and that can take months or even years. Grid operators therefore advise to first look at what is possible within your existing connection. That is exactly what load balancing is intended for. What an upgrade costs, you can read in our article about the costs of a charging station.

No driveway: charging via the sidewalk

If you park on the street in front of your house, then in many municipalities you can request a waiver to lay your charging cable from a charging station on your facade over the sidewalk. The rules differ per municipality. Common conditions according to the ANWB: the charging station is on your own property, the parking spot borders directly on the sidewalk, the cable lies at most 10 meters over the sidewalk under a cable mat, and you cannot reserve the parking spot for yourself.

Some municipalities only allow a cable duct in the sidewalk, others keep it at 5 meters, and not every municipality allows it. So ask the waiver before you order a charging station.

Can you install a charging station yourself?

Yes, that is possible. If you are technically savvy and have experience with electricity, then you may connect a charging station yourself. However, the installation must meet NEN 1010, the standard for safe electrical installations.

Do not underestimate it. A charging station draws a lot of power for hours. A cable that is too thin, a loose connection or the wrong protection you do not notice immediately, but it can lead to overheating. Therefore, pay close attention to the cable thickness, the correct RCD protection and whether your meter cupboard can handle the extra load.

Also read the manual of your charging station. Some manufacturers set a professional installer as a condition for the warranty. And check your property insurance, because in case of damage your insurer may ask who did the installation.

In doubt? Then have the connection done by an electrician, either your own or through us.

Frequently asked questions about the installation

Sources

• Milieu Centraal – Home charging and your power connection
• NEN – NEN 1010, the standard for low-voltage installations
• ANWB – Safe home charging
• ANWB – Charging cable over the sidewalk: is that allowed?
• VNG – Waiting list for small consumers from July 1, 2026
• Techniek Nederland – Making existing connections more sustainable