Delmarva Time of Use

[mpellerito]

I was wondering for anyone gets their electricity from Delmarva if it was worth it to change to their time of use rates? I understand the basics where if you charge/use electricity on non-peak times you should save money. My current rate is 9 cents per kWh (3 cents for distribution and 6 cents for electric), so I have a hard time believing it would be much lower during non-peak and with my current setup I can plug in anytime I would prefer which is convenient. So I was wondering if there is a significant difference `between peak/non-peak?

Sponsored

 

[RickMachE]

This should be easily accessible via the utility's website.

The answer should be that the cost differential is quite large - as a percentage. Whether that translates into enough savings to be worth changing depends on usage. Many utilities charge a much lower power cost, but the other components can make the total cost much closer.

I did an analysis before getting our PHEV in 2018. Our utility allows us to download electrical usage by hour. Very simple to compare the rates and usage both ways then. We determined that BEFORE getting the PHEV, it made sense to switch. Our peak is only 8 hours 5 days a week (11AM - 7PM), so the only usage that matters that we cannot move outside those hours is cooling (AC in the summer) and cooking (electric oven). We moved laundry, dishwasher, and of course car charging.

I'd suggest you start on their website.

 

[mpellerito]

This should be easily accessible via the utility's website.

The answer should be that the cost differential is quite large - as a percentage. Whether that translates into enough savings to be worth changing depends on usage. Many utilities charge a much lower power cost, but the other components can make the total cost much closer.

I did an analysis before getting our PHEV in 2018. Our utility allows us to download electrical usage by hour. Very simple to compare the rates and usage both ways then. We determined that BEFORE getting the PHEV, it made sense to switch. Our peak is only 8 hours 5 days a week (11AM - 7PM), so the only usage that matters that we cannot move outside those hours is cooling (AC in the summer) and cooking (electric oven). We moved laundry, dishwasher, and of course car charging.

I'd suggest you start on their website.

I did start with the utilities website, but was having trouble finding the actual rate differences. They do a nice job of explaining TOU, what the timing of peak vs non-peak are, upgrade costs for a new meter to capture TOU, etc. So I tried to dig a bit more with the help of google and found a PDF which must be buried somewhere on their site with the actual rate comparison (link for anyone interested - https://www.delmarva.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/SmartEnergy/Delmarva_MD_Whole_House_TOU.pdf).

Thanks for sharing your experience with the decision process. Unfortunately with my utility I can only see electricity usage by day and would need to get a new meter to show TOU. So ultimately the comparison isn't quite as simple and would need a bit more assumptions/guessing.

 

[RickMachE]

You can still do some analysis. For example, it shows the peak rate from noon to 8PM M-F, and the rate is a significant difference over the standard rate. Clearly you could charge the car from 8PM - Noon the next day. Can you run the dishwasher after 8PM? Not do laundry between noon and 8PM?

Now look at your total usage by month (pick say February and August) and make some assumptions, like 75% of your usage is off-peak. Now add in charging the EV X times a week. See what the numbers look like.

Or, more simply - assume charging the EV X times a week at your current cost, and see how much that adds to your bill, and that will tell you if it's worth further study.

 

[BalsaDust]

Unfortunately that TOU offer is only for Maryland since they get a subsidy from the state. here in Delaware I am only able to get a second dedicated meter and line installed for an EVSE. Delmarva does not offer anything else special for Delaware users. After requesting a quote for the new line installed I decided it wasnt worth the expense even though we have two EV's to charge. For the cost of the install and the lower rate, it would take over fifteen years to see a return on our investment.

Tony

Sponsored