Home charging - Off-peak electricity rate

[circle11]

Just found out that my electric service company (FPL Florida) offers on-peak/off-peak rates. Thought this might be a good idea since home charging adds up lots of kilowatts. Called the company, they would not tell me right away what the rates would be, offered a callback in about a week for the "rate analysis". They did however say that on-peak hours right now are 12pm thru 9pm which I thought would be pretty convenient. Questions:

1. Does anyone use off-peak rate for charging? Is there potentially a tangible savings? Not looking to do this to save 10 bucks a month. Obviously, it could also help with smaller chores like scheduling dishwasher/washer/dryer for off-peak hours.

2. Does anyone know what those on-peak/off-peak costs per kW are?

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[Dave-O]

Just found out that my electric service company (FPL Florida) offers on-peak/off-peak rates. Thought this might be a good idea since home charging adds up lots of kilowatts. Called the company, they would not tell me right away what the rates would be, offered a callback in about a week for the "rate analysis". They did however say that on-peak hours right now are 12pm thru 9pm which I thought would be pretty convenient. Questions:

1. Does anyone use off-peak rate for charging? Is there potentially a tangible savings? Not looking to do this to save 10 bucks a month. Obviously, it could also help with smaller chores like scheduling dishwasher/washer/dryer for off-peak hours.

2. Does anyone know what those on-peak/off-peak costs per kW are?

Should be able to google it or look at past bills. Depending on the utility, it could be a very significant difference in price. Figure that with how easy it is to schedule charging, why not just charge off peak hours unless you have to?

 

[JCHLi]

I'm surprised your utility doesn't have the rates posted.

I'm actually on a "super off peak" rate, so there are 3 tiers.

Roughly $0.21 a kW on peak, $0.17 off peak and $0.13 super off peak (I think it's 11pm until 6am). Plus I get $10 a month if I don't exceed 3 times charging a month during peak hours.. So it works for me.

*Edit, updated rates because I forgot to include "distribution" fees

 

[Malacandra]

Yes, I've been using off-peak rates for years, whenever I can. Where I live, rates get complicated fast, because the rates are tiered by usage, so the more you use, the more expensive the rates become past certain kWh trigger points.

 

[lonndog]

In the Ford Pass app in Vehicle/Charging/Charge Settings, where you can select your utility company for the charging location you've entered (your home, typically, but you can enter others) and pick which rate schedule you want to use. It will set your charging times to be the best times for that plan (if there is more than one rate). You can override that, too.

Works for me, anyway; if they don't have the data for your utility, then not so handy! Also, you need to know what rate plan you're on.

 

[StillWaitingForMachE]

Once I get my car I will be charging off peak. My power company (Indiana Michigan Power) has a pilot-program for EV charging that I signed up for where charging your EV during off peak hours will get me a 33% reduced rate. It required me to get a submeter, but I had to have a bunch of electrical done to get a 50A plug in the garage so it didn't cost me much more to tack the submeter on top of the new sub panel and 50A outlet.

 

[Neil4Real]

In the Ford Pass app in Vehicle/Charging/Charge Settings, where you can select your utility company for the charging location you've entered (your home, typically, but you can enter others) and pick which rate schedule you want to use. It will set your charging times to be the best times for that plan (if there is more than one rate). You can override that, too.

Works for me, anyway; if they don't have the data for your utility, then not so handy! Also, you need to know what rate plan you're on.

Definitely need to verify yourself though. They had my utility company and plan but the hours were wrong for what they said was off-peak.

 

[RickMachE]

There are utility companies that refuse to be open. We inquired about rates from a cooperative electric company in SC and they responded "we only divulge rates to members". Divulge...

My off-peak rate is $0.00948 as compared to my peak rate of $0.093410. Yes, that's 1/10th the rate.

HOWEVER, now add in the capacity charge, the cost recovery, the distribution charge, the recovery charges,... and it's 12.5 cents off-peak and 21.5 cents peak. Or, I can pay 16 cents all the time. It's cheaper for me to have the peak and off-peak rates. Off-peak is 7PM - 11AM Mon-Fri and weekends.

Always compute the LOADED cost.

Also note that some utility companies require or suggest a separate meter for EVs. They may not be necessary and they may come with a monthly meter cost that destroys savings.

 

[fpasta]

Bay Area is expensive. Where I live I got it down to .24 cents per kWh off peak for the ev rates. Was doing .37 off .39 on.

 

[Woeo]

There are utility companies that refuse to be open. We inquired about rates from a cooperative electric company in SC and they responded "we only divulge rates to members". Divulge...

My off-peak rate is $0.00948 as compared to my peak rate of $0.093410. Yes, that's 1/10th the rate.

HOWEVER, now add in the capacity charge, the cost recovery, the distribution charge, the recovery charges,... and it's 12.5 cents off-peak and 21.5 cents peak. Or, I can pay 16 cents all the time. It's cheaper for me to have the peak and off-peak rates. Off-peak is 7PM - 11AM Mon-Fri and weekends.

Always compute the LOADED cost.

Also note that some utility companies require or suggest a separate meter for EVs. They may not be necessary and they may come with a monthly meter cost that destroys savings.

Trade off was similar here with PEPCO—a much higher peak rate in combination with the lower off peak. Savings on charging the EV would be overwhelmed by the higher charge on everything else.

 

[Accord07]

I had been paying a flat rate to PECO, the utility in my area, until I bought a MME. Before I switched the company provided a comparison between what I had paid under the flat rate plan against what I would have paid under the TOU plan, for the previous 12 months. The difference was minimal, TOU plan would have cost only $10 more for the entire year, even without an EV or shifting some appliance use (clothes dryer, for example) out of the 2pm-6pm weekday peak rate window. Now that we charge the MME nightly, the TOU plan will save us at least $400 a year over the flat rate plan.

 

[alexgorod]

Savings on charging the EV would be overwhelmed by the higher charge on everything else.

I came to pretty much the same conclusion. If I was driving and charging much more, maybe the saving would be noticeable, but not now.

But the utility company offered $20 if I agree not to charge my car when the system is overloaded, and I agreed

 

[circle11]

I have not been able to find the TOU rates anywhere, maybe I am not that good at googling.

So sounds like this is not a black and white situation, especially given I don't drive that much and tend to use my second gas car for longer trips. Maybe that will change over time - I am only two months into being an EV owner. I guess I will talk to that rate analysis person once they call and take it from there. Thanks so much for your insights!

 

[jotay21]

Love living in small town SC. I pay a flat $.105 per kWh, regardless of the time or amount I use each month.

 

[rcechinel]

Just found out that my electric service company (FPL Florida) offers on-peak/off-peak rates. Thought this might be a good idea since home charging adds up lots of kilowatts. Called the company, they would not tell me right away what the rates would be, offered a callback in about a week for the "rate analysis". They did however say that on-peak hours right now are 12pm thru 9pm which I thought would be pretty convenient. Questions:

1. Does anyone use off-peak rate for charging? Is there potentially a tangible savings? Not looking to do this to save 10 bucks a month. Obviously, it could also help with smaller chores like scheduling dishwasher/washer/dryer for off-peak hours.

2. Does anyone know what those on-peak/off-peak costs per kW are?

I did this analysis for Georgia Power. The super off-peak period is 11PM to 7AM and the rate is $1c/kwh. Sounds great, but the caveat is that the rate for the other periods (prak, off-prak, and super off-peak) are higher than my current plan (flat rate per consumption band level, i.e. 650 kwh, 1,000, above 1,000). So I did the math and, with my low mileage driving habits and considering my previous bills, I would pay an average of $830 more per year if I switched to the EV plan (time based rate). In order for the switch to make sense, I would have to drive more than 150 miles per day and I would have to not work from home, two things that won't happen at this time.
So you have to do the math for your situation. In states where electricity is cheaper (FL and GA are the case), it might not make sense to go to a time-based "EV" plan.

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