PG&E / CPUC - Non-Tiered Time Of Use Rates

[Spies]

When those that are still on E9 are kicked over to one of the other rate plans chosen by PG&E it better not count against the one rate change per year rule. I suspect PG&E will not choose the right plan for me and I will need to change it again.

[srl99]

There's a ratepayer advocate at CPUC?!? Must be either the best paying no-show job in the country, or the loneliest job in the world. You would be denying your CPUC buddies the free lunches and lavish "business" dinners with PG&E to "discuss important matters."

So, I guess I can let PG&E switch me back to E1...

Interesting point--I missed that. Unless things change, that will be the outcome for me as well.

I plan to contact the ratepayer advocate at the PUC. I'd like to at least gauge their reaction to the steep increases for those of us who were mostly in tier 1 and partly 2. I suspect the size of our group is not very large (early EV users + low electricity users/high conservers), but nonetheless there are, IMO some important policy questions that should be addressed.

[srl99]

You can probably see the results of their "analysis" on the My Energy site. The problem is that they use historical data without any option for you to input your behavior changes - historicals are useless when you get a new EV in your household, because a new, large electric consuming "appliance" changes the math from the prior year considerably. You had E9, you had an incentive to go off-peak, you might get E-6 which is also TOU.

If it's any consolation, even PG&E can't understand their rate plans. My electric meter stopped transmitting to the mother vault at one point. They pulled the total kWH and "billed me for my usage". "I find that very interesting, considering I am on a tiered and time of use plan (E9A) - if you don't have the interval data for the whole period how can you reliably determine when I moved between tiers?" "umm … umm … we estimated your bill" "No, you made it up." "Umm, umm, we will just credit you for the month." "OK, I guess." This after telling me they are allowed to estimate bills when they can't determine your usages. [Then CPUC told me that PG&E says they can estimate. CPUC is an embarrassment.]

Just got an email from PG&E that said, in essence, they are terminating E-9 as of the end of March. So their phone representation was correct...

I got ~the same Email today.

At the bottom it says:

...As of August 1, 2013, the experimental electric vehicle rate plans (E9-A and E9-B) are no longer available for customers. However, existing customers may remain on these rate plans until they are eliminated after the final decision in PG&E's 2014 GRC Phase II proceeding. We anticipate that this will occur toward the end of March 2015. At the time of transition, all existing customers on our experimental rate plans will automatically shift to a new rate plan based on an analysis conducted by PG&E that indicates the lowest annual bill compared to all rate options available...

So, I guess I can let PG&E switch me back to E1...

[Spies]

So I was curious to see what rate PG&E would move me too based on their rate analysis when E9 ends. But this is what I get when I go to PG&E's rate analysis tool: "We're sorry, the My Rates tool is not available for your rate at this time. Please check back later as we continue to improve this site."

I guess their system can't handle someone on E9 with solar and net metering with a smart meter. Should be interesting to see what rate they move me to. Any suggestions for alternate rate analysis tools?

[greenleaf]

I just wrote a Matlab script to evaluate the changes. I pulled the hourly usage over the past year from PG&E and input the rates schedules for E6, E9 and the new EV-A.

My current yearly cost under E9 is $37. This will increase to $75 under E6 and $87 under EV-A. The difference between E6 and EV-A is very minor for me.

E6 Pros & Cons
* slightly lower cost
* the lowest rates starts no later than 9pm at night
* tiered -- my calculations are based on not going into the second tier

EV-A Pros & Cons
* slightly higher cost
* the lowest rates starts as late as 11pm at night
* non-tiered so I don't have to worry about occasionally going into a higher tier

[kevini]

My calculations ended up going the other way. I'm a NET generator with my PV so the higher on-peak rate of EV-A actually made EV-A cheaper for me. I would not have thought it.

I used this years usage to model it and the higher on-peak cost per Kwh pushes me to go with EV-A. If I start to drive more it might mess up the calculation though since I will start to consume more.

[emotorwerks]

If you have a pre-existing NRTL-certified charging station, you can request a certified WiFi-enabled WattBox™ submeter from eMotorWerks now. This submeter comes in a waterproof UL-listed enclosure, and it would be installed alongside your existing charging station. A WattBox will allow us to enroll you in the pilot, and get you onto the preferential time-of-use tariff.

There is no charge for WattBox. Moreover, eMotorWerks will contribute up to $100 towards the installation of a WattBox submeter under the terms of the PEV Pilot, which in our experience should in most cases fully offset your electrician’s bill. The installation process itself is very straightforward, and it will only take about half an hour or so.

Please feel free to peruse the WattBox FAQ for additional information. The signup form for the WattBox PEV Pilot offer is referenced below. As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to us through email (pev-pilot@emotorwerks.com) or through our Power Users group on Facebook.


http://emotorwerks.com/free-wattbox



Click to open

[edatoakrun]

E9 ratepayers may want to look at your last bill.

My last PG&E bill was up ~50% last month, to over $60.

It was because PG&E finally got around to ending my E-9 rate, without notifying me or allowing me to choose my new rate.

Not knowing the peak rate was starting one hour earlier, I was still using my home's AC and/or charging my LEAF prior to 2 pm, rather than 1 pm, when the E6 rate peaks.

PG&E rebilled me at E9 for that month, and I'm on E6 Smart from 9/21 forward.

[Memina]

Just got my Bill for sep charges, so according to the statement, I was also moved to E6 rate without any notice. And guess what I also got in the mail today , a letter from PG&E stating that based on my energy usage I would be transferred on over to the E6 rate(recommended) as of August 1, 2015. Funny thing, when I look up at my energy usage on their website, it actually states that I would save most by using the EV rate.

So by default, I assumed that since I was in the E9 rate that once that was finished. I would be eventually transferred into the new EV rate, so imagine my surprise that I wasn't and on top of that my bill is a bit higher than usual. Called them to voice my opinion and also request retro pay.

So keep an eye out on your PG&e bill to make sure that you are in the new EV rate and not some other one that they recommend so they can gouge you on it.

[kevini]

Same for me with the letter except I was transferred to E1!! As a NEMS customer there is no way it makes sense to be on E1, I would love to see their calculations.

The NEMS bill has not been generated yet so I can't check the exact rate. It blows me away that when you are a NEMS customer you can't see the rate anywhere but on the special NEMS Bill!!