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EV Charging - Special Rates

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by rogerv, Feb 16, 2012.

  1. rogerv

    rogerv Senior Member

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    My apologies is this is covered elsewhere; I couldn't find it.
    I live in the So Calif Edison service area, and discovered that they have special EV rates. But after having an electrician check my home out, and after having a conversation with an "EV Specialist" at SCE, I determined that the best thing for me is to basically do nothing. The electrician found an isolated outlet in my garage with only a .1 amp draw for a sprinkler timer, so nothing additional is needed to charge my PiP.
    The SCE "EV Plan" calls for a separate meter with low rates from 9 pm until 12 noon. But this means you need an electrician to install a new panel capable of holding the two meters. With the subsequent wall repair and re-plastering, this could run into big bucks.
    The "Home and EV Plan" gives you a low rate at night for the EV, but can have a costly effect on your peak rates, which would double once you go over the baseline rate.
    So it seems that staying with my current residential rate plan will be the least expensive way for me to go.
    As always, Y$MV, but it pays to investigate!
     
    #1 rogerv, Feb 16, 2012
  2. Tracksyde

    Tracksyde Member

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    I'm with SCE too and I came to the same conclusion. I thought about the Home+EV plan but without more concrete usage data, I wouldnt feel comfortable going with that plan. I think if I were getting a Leaf or Volt, it would be more of a consideration, but since the PiP only needs relatively little electricity, it may not be worth it.
     
    #2 Tracksyde, Feb 16, 2012
  3. essaunders

    essaunders Member

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    my utility has a residential time of use rate. However, the energy cost is not time of use - just the distribution/transmission. The fixed customer charge is more than double. If ALL my electrical usage from last month was charged as the off peak rate I'd save a grand total of $10. It didn't take much daytime usage to make the TOU rate more expensive. So, I'm sticking with the regular residential rate.
     
    #3 essaunders, Feb 16, 2012
  4. ryogajyc

    ryogajyc Active Member

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    Plug-in Advanced
    Are you sure that is how it works? My understanding is the panel holds the circuit breakers/ fuses and meters are separate from the panel. SCE installs the meters for free, which I assume would include wiring to your panel, but not from the panel to the charger outlet. You only need a new panel if there is not space for the EVSE circuit breaker/fuse. The cost of wiring the EVSE outlet from the panel would depend on the distance from the panel.

    Anyhow, I'm not a fan of SCE. They use to have frequent brown/blackouts.

    Hm, I could not find a SCE home charger rebate like LADWP offers. That's unfortunate.
     
    #4 ryogajyc, Feb 16, 2012
  5. rogerv

    rogerv Senior Member

    Joined:
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    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    I've never had service with the LA DWP, so can't speak to issues with them. But having had SCE for over 46 years, I can say that I have rarely experienced power outages.
    As to the info I provided in the first post, I got it straight from the electrician, and confirmed by the SCE rep. The panel has to be ready for SCE to plug in the second meter, and that is all they do. The prep is on you and your electrician. In my case, the "panel" is actually comprised of two covers, one lifts up to expose the breakers, the other half holds the meter, and is locked by SCE with a seal.
    Here's a link: www.sce.com/pev or phone them 1-800 4EV-INFO
     
    #5 rogerv, Feb 16, 2012
  6. tomstodola

    tomstodola Member

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    Prime Advanced
    Get solar panels! you can get a solar lease for nothing down. Install a system that eliminates any tier 3 (24.5 cents), tier 4 (29 cents) and tier 5 (31.5 cents) plus the expected consumption of your PIP. I estimate that a 4kW PIP being charged fully every day (365 days) is 1,460kW, or 121kW more per month. Since all rebates from SCE (not very high now - just 65 cents per watt) require at least a 1kW system (will produce, on average 1,750 kW per year (in So. Calif), which is just over the need. The system is too small at that size to be cost effective for any installer, so covering your higher tier usage plus PIP use is the best route.
    A 20 year lease with zero down or a one-time upfront payment are the only ways to go!

    As far as LADWP - these guys are just terrible with it comes to solar. their rates are lower that SCE, but they kill you with fees.
     
    #6 tomstodola, Feb 17, 2012
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