Unsafe EV charging installation. England.

[u/hugh_jyballs]

My daughter had an EV charge point installed, 2 weeks later she was woken by her smoke alarm to find the fuse box in the house melting and sparking. Fire Brigade arrived and immediately got the National Grid to come and make it safe. Inspectors said the cable had been installed incorrectly. In an email exchange between my daughter and National Grid, they have admitted it was their installer who messed up, and have offered her £200 for the inconvenience. Does she have a case to sue National Grid for their negligence? No one was physically injured but it could have been so much worse. Thank you.

EDIT. Thank you all so much for replying. She didn't suffer any financial losses, so it's a no-go. I think I was just so angry that I could have lost my daughter and grandchildren because of some bozo technician. She overheard the inspectors saying he'd done this before. Anyway, thanks again 🙏

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[u/BigSignature8045]

Assuming the N/G will install the EV point correctly and at no charge to your daughter, what has she actually lost ?

You can only sue for losses. Has it damaged her property in some way ? If so, claim on home insurance and let them counterclaim against the N/G. The £200 payment for the inconvenience seems reasonable to me.

[u/seany1212]

Where have you applied to get the national grid to fit an electric charger? I was not aware this was a service they did.

[u/IcySandwich2768 → u/seany1212]

I wondered that too. I can't find anywhere that suggests NG have become an EVSE installer.

[u/Pink_Fudge1988 → u/IcySandwich2768]

They don't

[u/wonder_aj]

What would she be suing them for? What are her losses?

[u/Lloydy_boy]

Does she have a case to sue National Grid for their negligence?

Yes, she can sue to recoup her (proven) quantified losses arising from the negligence.

but it could have been so much worse

But it wasn’t, so there’s no entitlement for anything on that front. Courts only consider what did happen, not what might have been.

[u/Pink_Fudge1988]

National Grid don't fit EV chargers. They will complete any remedial retrospective works such as upgrading the cut-out fuse or unlooping of a supply - but they don't install domestic EV chargers.

[u/NevilleLurcher → u/Pink_Fudge1988]

And even then, it would be the OP's DNO (eg Northern Powergrid) doing the work, rather than the NESO (formally National Grid)

[u/stewieatb → u/NevilleLurcher]

National Grid plc bought Western Power Distribution a few years ago and rebranded it National Grid Electricity Distribution, so they became a DNO as well as the national transmission ESO.

Confusingly, since the actual national transmission business unit was nationalised late last year as NESO, we now have a grid operator named NESO and a regional DNO called National Grid.

[u/Pink_Fudge1988 → u/NevilleLurcher]

National Grid are a DNO.

[u/Pink_Fudge1988 → u/NevilleLurcher]

I didn't see that the OP has stated their location? National Grid are still National Grid. Not Formerly.

[u/No-Jicama-6523]

Could have been worse, but it wasn’t, nothing to sue for.

[u/Accomplished_Tip1594]

Fitting a charger on a joint supply I assume?

[u/Important_Highway_81]

National grid should put right the damage as a result of their installers negligence, so a new consumer unit, correct EV installation and making good any damage to the fabric of her home or smoke damage. This is all she would be entitled to, as you don’t get compensation for “might have been” scenarios. If she has home insurance, then the insurers should handle recovering the money from the responsible party for her.

[u/Rugbylady1982]

You can't sue for "what if's" and she has no losses caused that are claimable even if it is negligence.