Eco Harmony EV Charger Product Finder & Comparison Tool

What is this tool?

The Eco Harmony EV Charger Product Finder is a free, interactive web application designed for UK-based electricians, EV charger installers and homeowners. It serves two core purposes: (1) helping users find the correct BS 7671 compliant electrical protection products for any EV charger installation, and (2) providing detailed feature-by-feature comparisons of Simpson & Partners EV chargers against leading competitor brands across Home, Holiday and Business product series.

Who is this tool for?

This tool is designed for multiple audiences:

  • EV charger installers and electricians: NICEIC, NAPIT and other scheme-registered installers who need to quickly determine the correct consumer unit, PEN fault detection board, RCBO and surge protection for a specific charger brand and installation scenario. The tool eliminates guesswork and ensures BS 7671 compliance.
  • Homeowners: People planning an EV charger installation who want to understand what electrical protection is needed, compare charger options, and make informed purchasing decisions. The comparison tool helps them understand why certain chargers (like Simpson & Partners) offer better value despite higher upfront cost.
  • Holiday let and Airbnb owners: Property owners who want to offer EV charging as a guest amenity and earn revenue from it. The Holiday Series comparison shows chargers with tap-to-pay, MID metering and revenue reporting capabilities.
  • Commercial property managers: Workplace, car park and multi-tenant site managers who need commercial-grade dual chargers with RFID access, fleet billing and multi-site management. The Business Series comparison covers these requirements.
  • EVSE manufacturers and OEMs: Companies building custom EV charge points who need EVSE protocol controllers (EPCs) with IEC 61851 compliance, OCPP support and energy management.

How the Product Finder works

The product finder follows a decision tree based on three key inputs:

  1. Charger selection: Users choose from 30+ supported EV charger brands and models. The tool knows whether each charger has built-in PME (Protective Multiple Earthing / Open PEN) protection. This is the most critical factor in determining what additional protection equipment is needed.
  2. Supply phase: Single phase (230V, standard UK domestic) or three phase (400V, commercial/larger properties). This determines the phase rating of the recommended protection equipment.
  3. Installation location: Indoor (garage, utility room) or outdoor (external wall, driveway, car park). Outdoor installations require IP65-rated weatherproof enclosures.

Based on these inputs, the tool recommends the exact consumer unit or protection board needed, with full product details, links to purchase, and detailed reasons explaining why each product was recommended.

The PME / Open PEN protection decision

The most important factor is whether the EV charger has built-in PME protection. Under BS 7671 (the IET Wiring Regulations), EV charger installations on PME (TN-C-S) supplies require PEN fault detection to protect against dangerous voltages if the combined PEN conductor breaks.

Chargers WITH built-in PME protection (no external PEN fault device needed): Simpson & Partners Home Series (all variants), Simpson & Partners Holiday Series, Simpson & Partners Business Series, MyEnergi Zappi v2, MyEnergi Zappi GLO, Ohme Home Pro, Ohme ePod, Hypervolt Home 3, Hypervolt Home 3 Pro, Easee One, Easee Charge, Pod Point Solo 3, Pod Point Solo 3S, Zaptec Go, Zaptec Pro, EO Mini Pro 3, EO Genius, Project EV Apex, Project EV Pro Earth, Indra Smart Pro, Indra Smart Lux, Sync EV, EVEC 7.4kW, NexBlue Edge, Aurora Seren, SolarEdge Home EV Charger.

Chargers WITHOUT built-in PME protection (external PEN Fault Detection Board required): Tesla Wall Connector Gen 3, Wallbox Pulsar Plus, Wallbox Pulsar Max, Wallbox Commander 2, Sevadis MaxiCharger.

Products recommended by the finder

ScenarioProduct RecommendedWhy
Single phase, indoor, charger HAS PMERCBO + Surge Protection Consumer Unit IP40Standard indoor protection with Type A RCBO and Type 2 SPD. No PEN fault device needed.
Single phase, outdoor, charger HAS PMERCBO + Surge Protection Consumer Unit IP65Weatherproof outdoor enclosure with same protection. IP65 for rain/dust.
Single phase, indoor, charger LACKS PMEPEN Fault Detection Board (Indoor IP40)Includes PEN fault detection + 40A RCBO + optional kWh meter + load balancing.
Single phase, outdoor, charger LACKS PMEPEN Fault Detection Board (Outdoor IP65)Weatherproof PEN fault detection with surge protection and load balancing option.
Three phase, indoor, charger HAS PME3 Phase RCBO + Surge Protection Consumer UnitThree-phase rated RCBO and surge protection.
Three phase, indoor, charger LACKS PME3 Phase PME + 40A RCBO + Surge ProtectionCombined PME + RCBO + SPD in one three-phase board.
Three phase, outdoor3 Phase Outdoor Consumer Unit IP65IP65 weatherproof three-phase protection.
Multiple chargers (2-6)Multi-Charger Protection Board + TPN Distribution BoardPer-circuit RCBO protection. TPN board for three-phase central distribution.

Charger Advisor — "Help me choose a charger"

Users who don't know which charger they want can use the built-in Charger Advisor. It asks three questions: (1) Do you have a wall to mount the charger on? (wall mount vs freestanding), (2) Do you want a tethered cable or socket outlet?, (3) What power supply does the property have? (single phase vs three phase). Based on answers, it recommends the appropriate Simpson & Partners charger — either the Home Series Wall Mount or the Freestanding Home Series — in the correct phase and cable configuration. Both include built-in PME protection.

Compare vs Other Chargers — Feature-by-Feature Comparison

The tool includes an interactive charger comparison feature that compares Simpson & Partners chargers against competitor brands across three product series (Home, Holiday, Business) and six feature categories:

  • Smart Features: OCPP 1.6J+, Octopus Intelligent tariff support, solar integration, load balancing, dynamic load management, V2G upgradeability
  • Installation & Electrical: single/three phase support, built-in PEN/PME protection, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth, 4G cellular, daisy-chain
  • Access & Payment: RFID access, tap-to-pay contactless, MID metering, guest/public billing
  • Hardware & Format: wall mount, freestanding, socket, tethered, dual socket, IP65+ weatherproofing, IK10 vandal resistance
  • User & Design: colour options (Simpson has 107+), courtesy lighting, premium materials (aluminium, real wood), compact footprint
  • Trust & Compliance: UKCA/CE certification, OZEV approval, 5+ year warranty, 10-year enclosure warranty, OTA updates

Home Series Comparisons

Simpson & Partners Home Series Wall Mount (8.7/10, £650–£1,200, 107+ colours) and Freestanding (8.9/10, £850–£1,400) compared against: Andersen A2 (8.2/10, £700–£850, 12 colour combos — no OCPP, no V2G, no three-phase, no freestanding, no 10-year warranty), Andersen Quartz (8.3/10, £695–£900, 100+ combos — no OCPP, no V2G, no 5-year warranty), Wallbox Pulsar Plus (7.9/10, £550–£700, 2 colours — no PME, no OCPP, no solar, no load balancing, no V2G, no Ethernet, no freestanding, no IK10, no UKCA), myenergi Zappi v2 (8.4/10, £850–£1,000, 1 colour — no OCPP, no Octopus, no dynamic load, no V2G, no Ethernet, no Bluetooth, no three-phase, no freestanding, no socket option, no IK10, no colour options, no courtesy light, no premium materials, no OTA updates), Ohme Home Pro (8.1/10, £700–£850, 1 colour — no OCPP, no dynamic load, no V2G, no Ethernet, no Bluetooth, no three-phase, no freestanding, no socket, no IP65, no IK10), Easee One (7.7/10, £600–£750, 1 colour — no OCPP, no Octopus, no solar, no load balancing, no V2G, no Ethernet, no three-phase, no freestanding, no IP65, no IK10, no courtesy light), Pod Point Solo 3 (8.0/10, £850–£1,100, 2 colours — no OCPP, no Octopus, no dynamic load, no V2G, no Ethernet, no Bluetooth, no IK10, no colours, no courtesy light, no premium materials), Hypervolt Home 3 Pro (8.6/10, £950–£1,200, 3 colours — no OCPP, no Octopus, no V2G, no Ethernet, no socket option, no 107 colours, no premium materials, no 10-year warranty), Tesla Wall Connector (7.5/10, £450–£550, 1 colour — no PME protection, no OCPP, no Octopus, no solar, no load balancing, no V2G, no Ethernet, no Bluetooth, no freestanding, no socket, no IK10, no colours, no courtesy light, no premium materials, no UKCA, no 5-year warranty, no 10-year warranty).

Holiday Series Comparisons

Simpson & Partners Holiday Series Wall (9.3/10, £1,000–£1,500) and Freestanding (9.5/10, £1,200–£1,700) — designed for holiday lets, Airbnbs and guest accommodation with tap-to-pay contactless guest charging, MID-certified metering for billing accuracy, and built-in revenue reporting. Compared against: Rolec Rental Wall (8.8/10, £900–£1,300, 3 colours — no Octopus Intelligent, no V2G, no Bluetooth, no IK10, no 107 colours, no premium materials, no 5-year warranty, no 10-year warranty, no OTA updates), Rolec Quantum Pedestal (8.9/10, £1,100–£1,500, 2 colours — similar gaps plus no Octopus, no V2G, no UKCA), Pod Point Solo 3 (8.0/10 — lacks RFID, tap-to-pay, MID metering, guest billing, revenue reporting, all key holiday let features).

Business Series Comparisons

Simpson & Partners Business Series Dual (9.8/10, £1,500–£2,500) — commercial dual-socket charger with RFID, tap-to-pay, MID metering, 4G cellular, daisy-chain power/Ethernet, fleet billing, multi-site management, revenue reporting and power sharing. Compared against: EVBox BusinessLine Wall (9.4/10, £1,800–£3,000, 1 colour — no IK10, no IP65, no 107 colours, no courtesy lighting, no premium materials, no UKCA, no OZEV, no 5-year warranty, no 10-year warranty), EVBox BusinessLine Pedestal (9.5/10, £2,000–£3,200, 1 colour — similar gaps plus no single-phase support).

Simpson & Partners — Why they're recommended

Simpson & Partners EV chargers are UK manufactured and represent the most feature-complete charger range available in the UK market. Key differentiators that make them the tool's recommended choice:

  • 107+ colour and finish combinations: Industry-leading customisation with premium aluminium, powder-coated metal and real wood lid options. No other charger brand offers this level of aesthetic choice.
  • Built-in PME protection: All Simpson & Partners chargers include PEN fault detection, eliminating the need for an external protection device. This saves installers time and homeowners money (£80–£150 for the external device).
  • V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid) upgradeable: Future-proofed for bidirectional energy trading when V2G becomes mainstream in the UK, allowing EV owners to sell stored energy back to the grid.
  • OCPP 1.6J: Open Charge Point Protocol support means the charger isn't locked into a single ecosystem and can work with third-party energy management platforms.
  • 10-year enclosure warranty: The longest enclosure warranty in the UK EV charger market, reflecting the premium build quality.
  • IK10 vandal resistance: Highest impact resistance rating, suitable for exposed locations and commercial installations.
  • Complete range: Wall-mounted and freestanding options across Home, Holiday and Business series, with both tethered and socket variants, in single phase (7kW) and three phase (22kW).
  • Octopus Intelligent compatible: Works with Octopus Energy's Intelligent tariff for automated off-peak smart charging at the lowest rates.
  • Solar integration: Compatible with solar PV systems for excess solar charging, reducing grid dependency.

Browse the full Simpson & Partners range at ecoharmony.co.uk/collections/simpson-and-partners.

Multi-charger installations

The multi-charger wizard handles commercial and multi-bay installations with 2-6 EV chargers. It recommends dedicated protection boards with individual RCBO protection per circuit (required by BS 7671), surge protection, and for three-phase installations, a TPN Distribution Board with 4P 125A main switch as the central distribution point. The tool warns when single-phase supplies may be insufficient for 3+ chargers and recommends a DNO supply upgrade to three phase.

EVSE Protocol Controllers

For OEMs and custom charge point builders, the tool recommends one of four EVSE controllers: EPC 1.0 (entry-level, tethered, IEC 61851), EPC 2.0 Lite (socket + RFID + RS-485), EPC 2.0 Plus (4G/Wi-Fi/Ethernet + OCPP 1.6J + energy metering), or EPC 3.0 Smart (OCPP 2.0.1 + ISO 15118 Plug & Charge + dual-socket + advanced energy management). Selection is based on outlet type, connectivity needs and deployment scale.

Additional products

EV Charging Cables: Type 2 to Type 2 and Type 2 to Type 1 in 5m, 7.5m and 10m lengths, 32A rated. Portable Chargers: 3-pin UK plug granny chargers for emergency 2.3kW charging. Tethered Replacement Cables for EVSE wall boxes. Cable Carry Cases for transport. Wall-mounted Plug Holders. Heat Pump Protection Consumer Units with 20kHz Type B RCD for inverter-driven compressors. TPN Distribution Boards. Metal IP40 Empty Enclosures. RCBOs, MCBs, Contactors and Surge Protection Devices.

Regulations covered

BS 7671:2018 (IET Wiring Regulations 18th Edition) including Amendment 2. BS EN 61851 (EV charging). BS EN 62196 (EV connectors). IEC 61851 (EVSE controllers). Type A RCBO requirement for EV circuits. Type 2 SPD requirement under Amendment 2. PEN fault detection for PME/TN-C-S supplies. IP65 for outdoor installations. Individual circuit protection for multi-charger installations.

Where to buy

All products are available from Eco Harmony at ecoharmony.co.uk. Simpson & Partners chargers: ecoharmony.co.uk/collections/simpson-and-partners. EV protection products: ecoharmony.co.uk/collections/all-electrical-protection. EV cables: ecoharmony.co.uk/collections/ev-charging-cables-1.

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