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Sorting out SCE TOU + EV + Net Metering options
Hi, all. Hope I have stumbled onto a community that has lots of answers. I have a few factors floating around my brain as I am trying to make a good decision re: my new plug in hybrid (Ford Fusion Energi - 20 mi EV range), SCE Time Of Use (TOU) rates, and an EVSE installation rebate offer.
TOU Rate issue: I am currently in the older domestic tiered plan. My annual SCE Net Metering (NEM) bill has been between $450-$500 over the past few years. SCE advises me to switch to TOU-D-A, suggesting that I can save another $350. Wife and I are both teachers, so the whole family is home by 4. We are home for good chunks of summer, too. So, during hot spells, we were running A/C for a good chunk of the peak period ($.47/kWh) July & August, it is often on from 11-6 or so. Ouch. I am not clear if SCEs TOU calculator tool takes our summer schedule into account or if it just looks at our annual kWh consumption. Once we switch to TOU, WHEN we use the power is suddenly very important. Obviously, I will be generating solar power at the same time, so I will not pay an effective .47. I have read elsewhere in this forum that TOU-D-A is a good match for solar folks, but I dont know if my schedule makes me an exception to that idea.
--Are my concerns valid re: peak hour A/C usage killing my NEM totals if I go TOU-D-A?
--Or, in other words, is a SoCal teacher whose family is at home during the warm summer and likes the thermostat set to 78-79 degrees a good TOU-D-A candidate?
EV Charger issue: I am a borderline candidate for a quick charge/240v charging unit. I have 2 options:
I can have a 240v outlet added in my garage for $200-$300.
Or, I can have a second, EV-dedicated panel/meter installed. This will cost me $350-$500 because SCE has a $1500 rebate to subsidize installation costs. The catch is that you MUST put that meter on the TOU-EV-1 rate plan:
9pm to 12pm: .13 per kWh
12pm to 9pm: .37 per kWh
This puts me in a bit of a Catch-22. The main reason I want a quick charger (Level 2) is so I can charge up after work for later-in-the-day errands. However, that peak rate will cost more than the gas equivalent (I realize there are green benefits beyond the raw cost). If I am only going to charge overnight at the off-peak rate, I might as well just stick with the slow Level 1 charger. I like the idea of upgrading my home with a second meter for this car (and maybe longer range cars in the future). And I love rebates. But to take advantage of the rebate, my daytime charging price will go up. So maybe I just go with the straight outlet addition (sans new meter, sans rebate). The downside is that simpler/cheaper job is only for a 20 amp circuit, so no future-proofing that outlet for a longer range car down the road.
Putting my 2 issues together seems even more complicated--if I switch to a TOU rate with .47/kWh peak rate, I really will not want to charge my car for a mid-day quick trip. But maybe I am overthinking everything given the fact that I pay very little for my energy since Ive gone solar.
Any thoughts out there are appreciated. Sorry so long, but I thought I would throw it out there so readers would have the whole picture.
Thank you in advance.
TOU Rate issue: I am currently in the older domestic tiered plan. My annual SCE Net Metering (NEM) bill has been between $450-$500 over the past few years. SCE advises me to switch to TOU-D-A, suggesting that I can save another $350. Wife and I are both teachers, so the whole family is home by 4. We are home for good chunks of summer, too. So, during hot spells, we were running A/C for a good chunk of the peak period ($.47/kWh) July & August, it is often on from 11-6 or so. Ouch. I am not clear if SCEs TOU calculator tool takes our summer schedule into account or if it just looks at our annual kWh consumption. Once we switch to TOU, WHEN we use the power is suddenly very important. Obviously, I will be generating solar power at the same time, so I will not pay an effective .47. I have read elsewhere in this forum that TOU-D-A is a good match for solar folks, but I dont know if my schedule makes me an exception to that idea.
--Are my concerns valid re: peak hour A/C usage killing my NEM totals if I go TOU-D-A?
--Or, in other words, is a SoCal teacher whose family is at home during the warm summer and likes the thermostat set to 78-79 degrees a good TOU-D-A candidate?
EV Charger issue: I am a borderline candidate for a quick charge/240v charging unit. I have 2 options:
I can have a 240v outlet added in my garage for $200-$300.
Or, I can have a second, EV-dedicated panel/meter installed. This will cost me $350-$500 because SCE has a $1500 rebate to subsidize installation costs. The catch is that you MUST put that meter on the TOU-EV-1 rate plan:
9pm to 12pm: .13 per kWh
12pm to 9pm: .37 per kWh
This puts me in a bit of a Catch-22. The main reason I want a quick charger (Level 2) is so I can charge up after work for later-in-the-day errands. However, that peak rate will cost more than the gas equivalent (I realize there are green benefits beyond the raw cost). If I am only going to charge overnight at the off-peak rate, I might as well just stick with the slow Level 1 charger. I like the idea of upgrading my home with a second meter for this car (and maybe longer range cars in the future). And I love rebates. But to take advantage of the rebate, my daytime charging price will go up. So maybe I just go with the straight outlet addition (sans new meter, sans rebate). The downside is that simpler/cheaper job is only for a 20 amp circuit, so no future-proofing that outlet for a longer range car down the road.
Putting my 2 issues together seems even more complicated--if I switch to a TOU rate with .47/kWh peak rate, I really will not want to charge my car for a mid-day quick trip. But maybe I am overthinking everything given the fact that I pay very little for my energy since Ive gone solar.
Any thoughts out there are appreciated. Sorry so long, but I thought I would throw it out there so readers would have the whole picture.
Thank you in advance.
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