If you are a British Gas customer and you are thinking about purchasing an electric car, such as the BMW i3 or the Volkswagen e-Golf, the good news is that British Gas can install a car charging point outside your home or place of work to dramatically increase charging convenience. But, are these charging points safe?

Below, we have listed all of the safety measures that charging points have, to reassure you that there’s no danger to having one installed by British Gas.

Related: My British Gas pay-as-you-go card is lost or stolen, what should I do?

Earthing

This is a method that is designed to prevent against hazards that stem from an electricity current. This is designed to make sure that the electricity supply will not be connected if fault conditions arise. This means that the current will instead be redirected to eth earth.

Electricians working for British Columbia that provide this work are skilled and understand all aspects of earthing. There is certain equipment that is used to make sure that the impact underground is not severe. It is possible to speak with a British gas worker for more information about this safety method.

Bonding

This is another safety option that also exists. When charging an electrical vehicle, this is a safety measure that offers protection to a home or workplace where an electrical fault lies. There is a green and yellow cable that might already exist in your home that is designed to be used for this safety method. It is connected to the entry point of your building  to the terminal in the earth.

Isolation Switch

The final safety measure is an isolation switch that is designed to isolate the circuit and those circuits that are connected to it. It is not usually a switch that can be used to turn of or on, which means that it does not function in the way that a typical light switch does. The switch will most likely choose circuits that are powered at all times.

It is possible for an isolation switch to be provided if you do not already have one available. This is a designed safety measure and it is recommended that one is installed at the charging point to ensure safety. It is possible for you to call and arrange for an isolation switch to be installed. However, it is important to note that a fee will be assessed for this service to be performed.

In order to make sure that safety is always maintained when your charging point is installed, it is essential that one or all of these safety methods be used. To find more information about these safety measures, it is possible to go online to the British Gas site and choose from any one of these safety options.

To find out more about charging point safety measures, use our British Gas number to call British Gas on 0843 770 5045.