New PG&E EV rate schedule

[Nubo]

If the purpose of tiers and complex variable rate plans is to encourage conservation, it seems to be failing miserably. Even people who are DEDICATED to the process have a hard time determining the appropriate plan. Heaven help the average consumer. There are just too many permutations. And they want to vary hourly, on-the-fly? How in the world are consumers supposed to adapt to THAT? Some of us have other things to do than monitor rates like a stock ticker.

[srl99]

Search, you will find analyses of PG&E residential rate plans. The headline: if you are consistently in tier 4 or higher(year 'round), EV will be advantageous. (That is, if you have E-9 now, since you can no longer choose E9.) There is also a one year guarantee, so you can call near the end of your year and if E-1 was better, they will switch you back, and ?credit? the difference ?

[oakwcj]

Search, you will find analyses of PG&E residential rate plans. The headline: if you are consistently in tier 4 or higher(year 'round), EV will be advantageous. (That is, if you have E-9 now, since you can no longer choose E9.) There is also a one year guarantee, so you can call near the end of your year and if E-1 was better, they will switch you back, and ?credit? the difference ?

If only it were that simple. If you live in a warm climate and use AC, your profile will be very different from someone living near the coast. If you have solar, the EV rate might be better than E9, because the winter peak rate periods could work in your favor. Without detailed smartmeter data, it's really hard to know. I finally got mine installed this week, 18 months after PG&E swapped one out and put in a NEMS meter. I got an automated phone call from PG&E three months ago informing me that I would be getting a smartmeter RSN. The installer told me that there is still a large backlog of solar customers using the old NEMS meters. Anyway, E9 will be gone by the end of next year, and the EV rate, or its successor, may look very different than it does now.

[ILETRIC]

I finally said good bye to my E7 with a 50 cent summer peak rate and hello to EV rate. My cost averaged 25 cents per kW. This is the total electric bill divided by total kW usage (1000 to 1250 kW) per billing period. We charge Leaf and Spark.

I am going with deep green Marin Clean Energy and my top tier (2-9 pm weekdays or 3-7 pm weekends/hol) will now be only 19 cents (big smile here). Off peak rates are 5-6 cents. I am expecting at least 100-150 bucks savings per month. We will definitely charge as much as possible after 9. It's the tiers that were killing me up till now, b/c the sheer amount of kW used that always got me into tier 4 with that 30-50 cent rate. Made no difference I charged at night. So no more of that.

PG&E asked me for my VINs. So this is a special rate only for EV owners. Looking forward to my first bill in Dec to compare with the old ones. Will post.

[srl99]

Do you have any analysis to share? You have solar and are still in tier 4 or higher?!?

Search, you will find analyses of PG&E residential rate plans. The headline: if you are consistently in tier 4 or higher(year 'round), EV will be advantageous. (That is, if you have E-9 now, since you can no longer choose E9.) There is also a one year guarantee, so you can call near the end of your year and if E-1 was better, they will switch you back, and ?credit? the difference ?

If only it were that simple. If you live in a warm climate and use AC, your profile will be very different from someone living near the coast. If you have solar, the EV rate might be better than E9, because the winter peak rate periods could work in your favor. Without detailed smartmeter data, it's really hard to know. I finally got mine installed this week, 18 months after PG&E swapped one out and put in a NEMS meter. I got an automated phone call from PG&E three months ago informing me that I would be getting a smartmeter RSN. The installer told me that there is still a large backlog of solar customers using the old NEMS meters. Anyway, E9 will be gone by the end of next year, and the EV rate, or its successor, may look very different than it does now.

[oakwcj]

I wouldn't be in Tier 4 on any rate schedule, because of my solar production, except perhaps in deepest winter. I have only done back of the envelope calculations trying to compare EV and E9 in my situation, because I haven't had a smartmeter. What's tricky is that the elimination of tiers cuts one way, while the increased hourly rates cut another. But the main unknown variable is the effect of the winter peak rate period. If you don't have solar, it's obvious that E9 is superior. If you do have solar, it's a much closer call. And everyone has different usage patterns.

Do you have any analysis to share? You have solar and are still in tier 4 or higher?!?

Search, you will find analyses of PG&E residential rate plans. The headline: if you are consistently in tier 4 or higher(year 'round), EV will be advantageous. (That is, if you have E-9 now, since you can no longer choose E9.) There is also a one year guarantee, so you can call near the end of your year and if E-1 was better, they will switch you back, and ?credit? the difference ?

If only it were that simple. If you live in a warm climate and use AC, your profile will be very different from someone living near the coast. If you have solar, the EV rate might be better than E9, because the winter peak rate periods could work in your favor. Without detailed smartmeter data, it's really hard to know. I finally got mine installed this week, 18 months after PG&E swapped one out and put in a NEMS meter. I got an automated phone call from PG&E three months ago informing me that I would be getting a smartmeter RSN. The installer told me that there is still a large backlog of solar customers using the old NEMS meters. Anyway, E9 will be gone by the end of next year, and the EV rate, or its successor, may look very different than it does now.

[srl99]

Get a bigger envelope and do some calculations, can you find the the cross-over between E9 and EV?

I wouldn't be in Tier 4 on any rate schedule, because of my solar production, except perhaps in deepest winter. I have only done back of the envelope calculations trying to compare EV and E9 in my situation, because I haven't had a smartmeter. What's tricky is that the elimination of tiers cuts one way, while the increased hourly rates cut another. But the main unknown variable is the effect of the winter peak rate period. If you don't have solar, it's obvious that E9 is superior. If you do have solar, it's a much closer call. And everyone has different usage patterns.

[planet4ever]

Get a bigger envelope and do some calculations, can you find the the cross-over between E9 and EV?

There really isn't any way to do that unless you have the data you need. And without a SmartMeter the only way to get the data is to run out to the meter and write down the numbers exactly at the rate switch times for the schedule you don't have. If you are considering switching to the EV schedule, do that four times a day (7AM, 2PM, 9PM, 11PM) for a month - oops, make that 3PM and 7PM on weekends - then you can get your bigger envelope. Oh, wait, you will need to do that every month for a year.

Ray

[matth]

Everyone who is on E9-(A or B) should have an email from PG&E with a link that provides a summary of annual electric cost with the available rate schedules. It appears to be based on actual use for the last 13 months, and, as expected the new, exciting simple EV rate is by far the most expensive for me, roughly doubling my annual electric costs.

Here are my numbers, FYI

E-9A $268 (current)
EV $508
E-1 $466
E-6 $402

I'm not sure how fine-grained the PG&E analysis is. If it's based on hourly use, it's probably pretty good (and that's possible, since I have a smart meter), but if not, the news is probably worse, since the EV rate schedule makes it much harder to schedule off peak activities on weekends. Anyway, this will be part of my opposition to the elimination of E9. If this were a normal rate case, I'm sure the PUC could not stomach doubling the cost for any users, even if not all.

[oakwcj]

Everyone who is on E9-(A or B) should have an email from PG&E with a link that provides a summary of annual electric cost with the available rate schedules. It appears to be based on actual use for the last 13 months, and, as expected the new, exciting simple EV rate is by far the most expensive for me, roughly doubling my annual electric costs.

Here are my numbers, FYI

E-9A $268 (current)
EV $508
E-1 $466
E-6 $402

I'm not sure how fine-grained the PG&E analysis is. If it's based on hourly use, it's probably pretty good (and that's possible, since I have a smart meter), but if not, the news is probably worse, since the EV rate schedule makes it much harder to schedule off peak activities on weekends. Anyway, this will be part of my opposition to the elimination of E9. If this were a normal rate case, I'm sure the PUC could not stomach doubling the cost for any users, even if not all.

I haven't gotten such an email. When did you receive yours? I'd be especially interested, since I didn't have a SmartMeter until a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, the PUC has already decided that the grandfathering of E9 will end no later than December 31, 2014, and perhaps earlier, if the 2014 General Rate Case establishes a new EV schedule at an earlier date.