RevRagnarok t1_itiv75u wrote on October 23, 2022 at 11:32 PM

Yes and no; the last time I looked, they have special rates with the right chargers (which I have). The problem is the rest of the house is at a rate that is insane so there's no way I would've saved money.

I don't remember the exact numbers, but it was like "4c/kWh for charging off-peak, 14c/kWh for everything else" vs "flat rate of 7c/kWh."

If anybody actually does have it, I'd love to see if I'm wrong. But when I called and talked to them, they claimed if I don't have a smart meter then the L2 charger on the WiFi isn't sufficient.

ETA: Based on other comments, this seems to be outdated information (yay!) from ~2020. I need to get off my ass and make some phone calls.

BlueScreenOfTOM t1_itjazcg wrote on October 24, 2022 at 1:35 AM

I have this. You can now have it (via EVPulse) so that you get the regular BGE rates that everyone else pays for everything EXCEPT you get the special rates just for your car charging, which is something like 5c/kWh during off-peak, and like 22c/kWh peak.

The way it works is basically via bill credits. EVPulse reports how much you charge and when to BGE, then BGE subtracts (or adds) to your bill based on that information. You see these as separate line items on your bill.

RevRagnarok t1_itkj7vz wrote on October 24, 2022 at 9:46 AM

Thanks; I'll look into it. I have a ChargePoint charger specifically for this reason but then it fell thru.

rnelsonee t1_itkrlcb wrote on October 24, 2022 at 11:32 AM

I have it as well, and I'll just comment that the other commenter is right in that BGE is able to separate out car charging from non-charging, which was at the same right everyone else gets.

So the whole system needs to know how much energy was used to charge your car. So they need either a smart meter, or your car can tell them. So if you own a Tesla (or any vehicle on this list I'd imagine), they just use that.

So I now tell my car to start charging at 8:00 p.m., and I save a few dollars on every bill. Weekends are also at the low rate. It's not a huge money saver, though.

RevRagnarok t1_itksk2e wrote on October 24, 2022 at 11:42 AM

Mine's on the list, but I also have a BGE-recommended charger that can also do scheduled charges. I will definitely look into this thanks!