Off peak EV charging

[Anonymous]

I have an EV and heard about off peak charging but it seems like if you have Dominion power you need to actually have a special smart meter to benefit from the lower rate at night. Do most people just get charged a flat rate regardless of when they’re using electricity around here? I have no idea if we have a smart meter but would guess not, and probably not worth the cost savings to install. Just wondering if I should even bother charging at night if it won’t affect our bill.

[Anonymous]

Dominion is not EV friendly. Most people will end up spending more on their off-peak plan.

On their regular plan, it doesn’t matter when you charge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dominion is not EV friendly. Most people will end up spending more on their off-peak plan.

On their regular plan, it doesn’t matter when you charge.

We have the off-peak plan and two EV's that we basically only charge when its super off peak. Last year, we saved so little on an off-peak plan that it was almost a wash.

[Anonymous]

I tried the EV plan, charged my two vehicles exclusively at night, and my average monthly electric bill increased by 5-10%. For most, the increase in peak rates will more than offset the savings from charging during off-peak rates.

I think the only people who might benefit are those with solar installations who can rely primarily or exclusively on battery power during peak rate periods.

[Anonymous]

I don't have an EV but do have the off peak plan. For it to have a benefit, you need to make a conscious effort to reduce energy use during certain times of day. So no laundry, dishwasher, reduce HVAC use etc for us.

https://www.dominionenergy.com/virginia/rates-and-tariffs/off-peak-plan

[Anonymous]

We have an EV and solar panels in D.C. and I haven't switched to the variable rate plan -- it sort of looks like it could wind up being more expensive if there are cloudy or rainy days (or snow that sits on the panels), and more to the point, even if it saved a little bit of money over our current rate, it didn't look like it would be enough savings to make it worth having to think about when I was using what electrical appliances and/or charging the car.