myenergi Zappi GLO vs Simpson & Partners Home 7: Solar Champ vs Built-to-Last

The Solar Specialist vs the Premium Underdog

These two chargers represent a genuinely interesting choice: a market-leading solar diverter from one of the UK's best-known EV charging brands, versus a premium-built newcomer offering the longest warranty on the market. Both are British-made, both support 7kW single-phase and 22kW three-phase charging, and both come in under £800. But they take very different approaches to earning your money.

The myenergi Zappi GLO is the go-to charger for anyone with solar panels on their roof. Its Eco and Eco+ modes are unmatched, letting you charge your Tesla entirely from surplus solar energy. The Simpson & Partners Home 7, meanwhile, is a design-forward charger built from anodised aluminium with a remarkable 10-year enclosure warranty — the longest of any UK home charger. If you're after something that will look good and last a decade on your driveway wall, it's a compelling proposition.

In a nutshell:

• myenergi Zappi GLO (£779): The undisputed king of solar EV charging, with three diversion modes and a whole-home energy ecosystem.
• Simpson & Partners Home 7 (£649): A premium-built British charger with a 10-year enclosure warranty and attractive design options at a lower price.

Spec Comparison

Solar Diversion: No Contest

If you have solar panels, this comparison is essentially over. The Zappi GLO's solar diversion is best-in-class, offering three distinct modes. Fast mode draws full power from the grid for the quickest charge. Eco mode blends solar surplus with grid power to keep charging steadily. And Eco+ mode charges exclusively from surplus solar — meaning genuinely free miles when the sun is shining.

As electriccarguide.co.uk notes in their review, the Zappi's dynamic solar charging is one of its most impressive features, and it integrates with the wider myenergi ecosystem including the eddi hot water diverter and libbi home battery. This means you can build a complete home energy management system over time — solar tops up your car first, then heats your water, then stores the rest.

The Simpson & Partners Home 7 is listed as "solar compatible," which typically means it can be scheduled to charge during peak solar generation hours, but it lacks the dynamic, real-time surplus diversion that makes the Zappi special. If you've invested £6,000–£10,000 in a solar PV system, the Zappi's ability to automatically redirect every spare watt into your car is worth the £130 premium on its own. According to evergy.co.uk, the Zappi GLO also boasts 35% lower embodied carbon than its predecessor, which matters if sustainability is your priority.

Smart Tariff Integration

Both chargers support smart tariff scheduling, which is essential for maximising savings on time-of-use tariffs. On Octopus Go (7.5p/kWh between 00:30 and 04:30), charging a Tesla Model 3's 60kWh battery costs roughly £4.50 instead of £15+ at peak rates — savings that add up to hundreds of pounds annually.

The Zappi GLO is confirmed as Intelligent Octopus Go compatible, which means Octopus can directly control your charging sessions to find the cheapest half-hour slots overnight. This is a step beyond simple timer-based scheduling — the energy company optimises everything for you.

The Simpson & Partners Home 7 supports Octopus Go, OVO Anytime, and EDF GoElectric, which covers the major UK smart tariffs. However, the data doesn't confirm direct Intelligent Octopus integration, which may mean you're relying on manual scheduling through the S&P app rather than automated optimisation. For most drivers, setting a simple timer to charge during off-peak hours works perfectly well, but the Zappi's deeper integration is a nice-to-have.

Build Quality and Design

This is where the Simpson & Partners Home 7 fights back convincingly. Its anodised aluminium construction is genuinely premium, and the 10-year enclosure warranty is extraordinary — most competitors offer 3 years (the Zappi included). It's worth noting that this warranty covers the enclosure specifically rather than all internal electronics, but given that the housing is what takes the brunt of British weather, it's still a significant confidence booster.

The Home 7 is also noticeably more compact at 350 × 200 × 110mm compared to the Zappi GLO's 439 × 282 × 130mm. Multiple finish options including Accoya wood and distinctive colours give it a design edge that will appeal to homeowners who care about kerb appeal. The Zappi GLO comes in black or white — perfectly fine, but not exactly bespoke.

On weatherproofing, the Zappi GLO has the edge with its IP65 rating (protected against water jets from any direction) versus the Home 7's IP54 (protected against splashing water). Both are perfectly adequate for UK outdoor installation, but IP65 gives extra peace of mind if your charger is fully exposed to driving rain.

App and Connectivity

Neither charger is going to win app-of-the-year awards. The myenergi app lets you monitor power consumption, set schedules, track usage, and control the solar diversion modes. It also supports RFID access for up to 126 users — a genuinely useful feature if you share a driveway or run a small business. The Zappi GLO connects via both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, giving you a local connection option if your Wi-Fi signal is patchy near the charger.

The Simpson & Partners app covers the basics — scheduled charging, energy monitoring, and smart tariff support — but is described as functional rather than refined. It connects via Wi-Fi only, so you'll want to ensure decent signal strength at your installation point. Neither charger offers built-in 4G as a fallback, which chargers like the Ohme Home Pro provide.

Price and Value

The £130 price difference is meaningful but not dramatic. If you have solar panels, the Zappi GLO pays for that premium many times over through free solar charging — even a modest 4kW solar array can deliver 1,500–2,000 kWh of surplus energy annually, worth £100+ in avoided electricity costs. Over the Zappi's 3-year warranty period, that's £300+ in savings from solar alone.

If you don't have solar, the value equation shifts firmly towards the Simpson & Partners Home 7. You get a lower purchase price, premium aluminium construction, and a warranty that's more than three times longer. For a grid-only household charging overnight on Octopus Go, the Home 7 does everything you need for £130 less.

Who Should Buy Which?

Buy the myenergi Zappi GLO if:

• You have solar panels — the Eco and Eco+ modes are unmatched for solar diversion
• You want to build a whole-home energy ecosystem with eddi and libbi
• You need RFID access for multiple users on a shared driveway
• You want Intelligent Octopus Go integration for automated smart charging
• You prefer a longer 6.5-metre tethered cable for flexible parking positions

Buy the Simpson & Partners Home 7 if:

• You don't have solar panels and want the best value for grid-only charging
• A long warranty matters to you — 10 years on the enclosure is unbeatable
• You want premium build quality with distinctive design options
• You're happy to save £130 and put it towards installation costs
• You prefer a more compact unit that takes up less wall space

Our recommendation: For the majority of UK Tesla owners without solar panels, the Simpson & Partners Home 7 offers better value — you get premium construction, a vastly longer warranty, and smart tariff support for £130 less. It's an impressive charger from a smaller brand that deserves more recognition. However, if you have solar panels (or plan to install them), the myenergi Zappi GLO is the only sensible choice. Its solar diversion technology is genuinely class-leading, and no amount of warranty length or aluminium finishing can replicate what Eco+ mode does for your electricity bills.

Read our full myenergi Zappi GLO review or Simpson & Partners Home 7 review.

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