Dominion Power Smart Meter

RVAtom

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So Dominion power recently swapped out our old spinning disc style meter with a smart meter (Centron Itron maybe?). I know there are a couple Dominion employees I've seen around here, so they may understand the following better than I can.

1) I think I have a good read on how to read kWh from the meter, but on the screen labeled kW, it seems to always display the same number when I look. Is this maybe a peak demand during some time period?
2) Is there a way to look at my instantaneous demand? I haven't figured out anything similar to the "how fast is my disc spinning" test.
3) Will this smarter meter currently/eventually be advantageous for me as a BEV owner maybe based on time of day charging or anything like that?
3a) When I have a circuit installed for my EV charger(s) is there anything I could/should to to better take advantage of any programs offered by Dominon?

The dominion website is a bit overwhelming for some of these things to an outsider. I found rate schedules from what I believe to be a since discontinued pilot program for time of day charging rates for BEVs, but not much current.
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I can't offer a ton of info, but I do know you're correct that Dominion had a pilot/test program for EV time-of-day charging.

I have Appalachian Power, who just recently started offering time-of-day rates for EV charging. It requires a separate meter to be installed and inspected for the EV circuit (on top of the already installed main smart meter, which they swapped people to a few years back).

Depending on your electrical panel/wiring/etc, it may be advantageous to install your EVSE circuit in a manner that would allow adding a new meter on that line easier, if Dominion were to require one for time-of-day billing.

Having a separate meter allows them to split out the EV charging usage on your bill and give you the better rates.
 

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So Dominion power recently swapped out our old spinning disc style meter with a smart meter (Centron Itron maybe?). I know there are a couple Dominion employees I've seen around here, so they may understand the following better than I can.

1) I think I have a good read on how to read kWh from the meter, but on the screen labeled kW, it seems to always display the same number when I look. Is this maybe a peak demand during some time period?
2) Is there a way to look at my instantaneous demand? I haven't figured out anything similar to the "how fast is my disc spinning" test.
3) Will this smarter meter currently/eventually be advantageous for me as a BEV owner maybe based on time of day charging or anything like that?
3a) When I have a circuit installed for my EV charger(s) is there anything I could/should to to better take advantage of any programs offered by Dominon?

The dominion website is a bit overwhelming for some of these things to an outsider. I found rate schedules from what I believe to be a since discontinued pilot program for time of day charging rates for BEVs, but not much current.
A few things (I work for Dominion):
1) We just got approval for a time-of-use offering, more to come on that when it rolls out.
2) I believe you have an a Dominion online account log in, you can view your usage now that you have a smart meter
3) We are in the process of upgrading our customer information platform to give customers much deeper and improved understanding and control over their energy usage, more to come.
4) nothing to do to prepare for an EV from a meter standpoint.
5) I am still trying to understand if Dominion offers any other incentives for EV owners, we are constantly receiving approvals for electrification, EV roll out, energy efficiency, etc - so more to come here as well.

We just launched a new redesign website today, so maybe it will be a bit more user friendly for you (us).

Greg
 

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So Dominion power recently swapped out our old spinning disc style meter with a smart meter (Centron Itron maybe?). I know there are a couple Dominion employees I've seen around here, so they may understand the following better than I can.

1) I think I have a good read on how to read kWh from the meter, but on the screen labeled kW, it seems to always display the same number when I look. Is this maybe a peak demand during some time period?
2) Is there a way to look at my instantaneous demand? I haven't figured out anything similar to the "how fast is my disc spinning" test.
3) Will this smarter meter currently/eventually be advantageous for me as a BEV owner maybe based on time of day charging or anything like that?
3a) When I have a circuit installed for my EV charger(s) is there anything I could/should to to better take advantage of any programs offered by Dominon?

The dominion website is a bit overwhelming for some of these things to an outsider. I found rate schedules from what I believe to be a since discontinued pilot program for time of day charging rates for BEVs, but not much current.
Smart meters were installed on my house and I was able to find the manuals online with a Google search. You may be able to do the same.
 

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A few things (I work for Dominion):
1) We just got approval for a time-of-use offering, more to come on that when it rolls out.
2) I believe you have an a Dominion online account log in, you can view your usage now that you have a smart meter
3) We are in the process of upgrading our customer information platform to give customers much deeper and improved understanding and control over their energy usage, more to come.
4) nothing to do to prepare for an EV from a meter standpoint.
5) I am still trying to understand if Dominion offers any other incentives for EV owners, we are constantly receiving approvals for electrification, EV roll out, energy efficiency, etc - so more to come here as well.

We just launched a new redesign website today, so maybe it will be a bit more user friendly for you (us).

Greg
Clearly Greg knows more than the Dominion account manager I talked to on the phone today. She told me they did away with the special EV charge rate. She provided the off-peak hours, and then added Dominion has no rebates for installing EVSE (only for installing certain lights). Not very helpful.
 


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Clearly Greg knows more than the Dominion account manager I talked to on the phone today. She told me they did away with the special EV charge rate. She provided the off-peak hours, and then added Dominion has no rebates for installing EVSE (only for installing certain lights). Not very helpful.
We did have a special EV rate that was a pilot program that did in fact close - but we are bringing a lot of those concepts back. Especially with smart meters, it makes it turn key to manage. However, the SCC (the agency that regulates us) has been stiffing us on rolling out smart meters en masse - they think the cost is not worth the benefits - but they don't understand how much the customer can actually control, and the flexible rates we can put in place with smart meters...oh well
 

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For those in Dominion Energy service territory, and have a smart meter - get on the off-peak plan. I just signed up, and the rate is almost cut in half to use electricity in either the off peak or super off peak hours - the website has a clear chart to show you how to schedule things - I just changed my car charging schedule and how my HVAC runs (have no clue if this will effect things, but I am trying) - but certainly charging and using my dishwasher from 12am - 5am will save me some dollars! and weekends are always either off peak or super off peak...
 

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For those in Dominion Energy service territory, and have a smart meter - get on the off-peak plan. I just signed up, and the rate is almost cut in half to use electricity in either the off peak or super off peak hours - the website has a clear chart to show you how to schedule things - I just changed my car charging schedule and how my HVAC runs (have no clue if this will effect things, but I am trying) - but certainly charging and using my dishwasher from 12am - 5am will save me some dollars! and weekends are always either off peak or super off peak...
Greg, how can I get more info on how to get a smart meter so I can take advantage of the off peak rates? I am in Fairfax County. Thanks!
 
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For those in Dominion Energy service territory, and have a smart meter - get on the off-peak plan. I just signed up, and the rate is almost cut in half to use electricity in either the off peak or super off peak hours - the website has a clear chart to show you how to schedule things - I just changed my car charging schedule and how my HVAC runs (have no clue if this will effect things, but I am trying) - but certainly charging and using my dishwasher from 12am - 5am will save me some dollars! and weekends are always either off peak or super off peak...
Thanks Greg. I have signed up to capture hourly energy usage some time back. I think I am going to spend some time in excel calculating some weekly energy bills to see how this would effect me, but it is good to see that Dominion is offering this now. I know the last time I looked, our biggest chunk of power usage is during the dinner time hours that are definitely on peak. Once I get my car, I will have to see if the power used for charging in the super off peak times helps offset that.
 

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Thanks Greg. I have signed up to capture hourly energy usage some time back. I think I am going to spend some time in excel calculating some weekly energy bills to see how this would effect me, but it is good to see that Dominion is offering this now. I know the last time I looked, our biggest chunk of power usage is during the dinner time hours that are definitely on peak. Once I get my car, I will have to see if the power used for charging in the super off peak times helps offset that.
It certainly is a change - run the dishwasher at midnight, if we do laundry during the week, start it at 8pm and I charge the car between 12-5am...also use the off peak hours to heat the house and then during peak, maintain a bit lower temp...not sure if I am doing it correctly, but it makes me feel good. Certainly using power during peak time is not good at all. On the plus side, the whole weekend is either off peak or super off peak
 

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OK, I know this is an old thread but I'll chime in with my question. In addition to getting an MME and a home level 2 charger recently, we also had solar panels installed on the backside of our roof., along with two external batteries for power storage. Today, Dominion Energy came out and installed the 'smart' meter (Centron / Itron). I'm seeking info from all parties, including. Dominion, about how best to use my home charger, TOU options, web or smartphone app to monitor real-time usage? I'm trying to get more "dialed in" on my home electricity, solar panels, external storage batteries and my MME. I have an Enphase app and account, but our solar hasn't been activated yet so I don't have any experience with that yet.
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