ttweed
Well-known member
I don't think this is feasible or necessary. When you "bypass" and switch off the power to the existing outlet serving the Blink, it will have to be unplugged and plugged into another outlet, which means a second run of conduit and another 220V receptacle set next to the existing one. SDG&E will not look fondly on tapping ANY feed in front of one of their meters (it may not even conform to building codes to do so). If you are going to go to the expense of running another circuit to power the Blink, you could just install another 40AMP breaker in your service box for the house (which is metered as DR rate) instead of tapping the feed to the second meter to "bypass" it, unless you don't have the reserve capacity for another circuit in your main box.GroundLoop said:Because the second "subtractive" meter has easily access feed lines, would it make sense to install a big "BYPASS" switch for that meter?
That is, when rates are not favorable, flip the big knife switch and power the same Blink EVSE from the house meter directly, and accrue zero kWh on the secondary meter.
Most of all, I think you will find this is an unnecessary expense to avoid a few extra dollars on your electricity bill, as the times you need to charge your car on-peak will likely be few and far between, depending on your driving habits. If you need a little more juice during midday for some reason, just plug the 120V EVSE into a wall socket in the garage and charge on DR, or go to a nearby public L2 charge station. We have been using the car for a over a month now with only the L1 EVSE and have not been limited whatsoever by the "slow" charging at 120V. You could also get your L1 modded/upgraded to L2 if you have a spare 240V receptacle already installed somewhere on the house meter (for an electric dryer or whatnot), if speed of charging is a concern. Personally, I see no need for it.
TT