Mr. Graham Brennan:

There are a number of human factors here that we need to think about. Electricians are being asked to go to homes and they have it in their heads that the installation of a charger is a fixed piece of work costing €1,200. When they go to a house, they are supposed to check the wiring that is there. If they find the wiring to be undersized, according to the rules, they are supposed to upgrade the wiring. Is that always happening? Is the electrician saying that it is fine because it has done the homeowner for the past eight years? There is an opportunity with the roll-out of smart meters. While ESB Networks are changing the meters, there is a chance to figure out how many places need upgrading. The rule of thumb is that if a house was built before 1996, there is a risk that the wiring is low in that regard. I have not seen that become a major issue, but we are starting to see it because we are inquiring about it. We are hearing of more cases where wiring is being upgraded with ESB Networks and Safe Electric.

On the point about the hardest cases for people who live in urban areas, such as Rathmines, being to get supply across a footpath, there are two solutions we are looking at. One solution is to place a gully in the ground, and the other is to have an overhanging arm. People are trying these solutions but everybody is afraid of the liability and questioning if it is within planning laws. If we could get those questions answered, we would include them in the grant scheme and, thereby, widen our net.

The forecourt guys have a very small footprint, so they are worried about the size of all the charging equipment. Planning on whether the equipment will be put underground and electrical regulations are needed to make that happen.