Yes — an annexe or granny flat can have its own EV charger, and the work is much like charging at any small home. The questions that decide the job are not about the charger. They are about where the annexe’s power comes from, whose meter the charging runs on, and who has agreed what if somebody else lives there.
Key Takeaways
- An annexe charger is a normal installation — the unusual parts are supply, metering and agreements.
- Most annexes are fed from the main house panel; a separate utility supply is a bigger project.
- Sharing one meter is fine for family use; renting the annexe out makes formal metering and written terms matter.
- Plan the charger while an annexe is being built, and use a licensed electrician.
Start With the Supply: One Panel or a Supply of Its Own
Most annexes are fed from the main house: the building already takes its power from the house panel, sometimes through a subpanel of its own. In that arrangement the charger is simply one more circuit, and the first check is the same as for any home — whether the panel has capacity, the subject of our guide to what size charger your panel can support. A completely separate utility supply is the bigger project: the utility’s decision, with its own process and timescale, and rarely needed just for charging.
Either way, the charger gets a dedicated circuit sized as a continuous load — under the National Electrical Code the breaker is 125% of the charger’s current: a 32 A charger on a 40 A breaker, a 48 A charger on a 60 A breaker.
| Arrangement | How the annexe charger is fed | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| From the main house panel | A new dedicated circuit, possibly via an annexe subpanel | Most annexes; family use; one account |
| Its own utility supply | A separate service and meter, arranged with the utility | An annexe already separately supplied, or made fully independent |
| No fixed charger yet | A portable charger on an existing suitable outlet | Trying the arrangement before committing |
Whose Meter Does the Charging Run On?
If the annexe shares the house meter, every charge lands on the one household bill. Within a family that is often the end of the matter. It stops being simple when the annexe is rented out, or might be sold or billed separately: then the charging needs a formal way to be measured. Utilities can advise on the separate metering they offer; some owners instead fit a private sub-meter and settle by reading it. Agree the route before the charger goes in — in writing, if money changes hands.
If Somebody Else Lives in the Annexe
A relative living in the annexe raises few formalities. A tenant changes your position: you are the landlord, and the charger becomes part of what you provide. The pattern is the same one our guide to chargers in rentals and condos describes from the tenant’s side, reversed: put in writing who pays for the electricity, who owns the charger, who maintains it, and what happens at the end of the tenancy. RFID or app control helps too — access can be limited to the annexe’s occupant.
The Installation Itself
The annexe is usually detached, so expect the cable run to cross the garden or yard — often the largest part of the job, and the part a site visit prices properly. The charger should be outdoor-rated on an outside wall; our guide to installing a home charger outside covers that. Use a licensed electrician, and check local permit rules first — a second dwelling can be treated differently.
For a permanent annexe installation, a wallbox such as the EVDANCE EV-ACT3204PE 22 kW wallbox — Type 2, with RFID and app control — suits a building with its own regular driver. If the arrangement is still being tested, the EV-ACS3210E 32A Type 2 portable charger needs no installation where a suitable outlet exists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an annexe charger need its own electricity meter?
No. A charger needs a circuit, not a meter. A separate meter is only worth discussing when the annexe’s electricity has to be billed separately — for a tenant, or a building that may be sold on its own.
Can one home panel run chargers for both the house and the annexe?
Sometimes. It depends on panel capacity and what else runs at the same time — what an electrician’s load calculation answers. Where capacity is tight, load management can share what is available.
We are building the annexe now. When should the charger be planned?
With the annexe’s other electrical work. Fixing the charger’s position while the building goes up lets the cable route and panel space be allowed for once, not dug and drilled twice.
Related Reading
- Can I Have an Electric Car Charger at Home? Houses, Rentals and Condos
- What Size EV Charger Can I Have at Home? Panel Capacity Explained
- Can a Home EV Charger Be Installed Outside?
- Apartment and Condo EV Charging: Solutions for Shared Parking
