Massachusetts EV Fuel Cost Savings

[ModelNforNerd]

Any word on the actual status of this bill? I will send emails to my rep and senator requesting their support.
Edit - I just read the article. Senate passed the bill already, so the question is will they take this up, or is there something similar in the house?

If they're following procedure, it goes to the House, as-passed. The House can either vote on it, as-is, or amend it. If they amend it, the differences have to be rectified. If they even CAN be rectified, it will go to Baker for signing.

 

[jtri]

Solar is the way to go, but it is not cheap upfront. I needed a new roof, trim some trees and then I put up panels. My payback on the solar is 4.3 years. Numbers worked for me. Also I put LED bulbs in, changed the dryer and cook top to gas. My biggest usage of electricity is AC. If we have a cool summer i will have tons of extra power for my Tesla. Global warming is a hoax...right?

 

[RyanDe]

4.3 years, that's seems like a no brainer. I've checked the Google solar page and my house isn't great for solar so it's 7 years with $19k up front. I'd probably have to do my roof too so there is another $15k.

 

[yousexy]

You got 30% off on the federal tax credit assuming you are paying more than that 30% tax credit per year. Mass tax credit is $1K.

Mine cost $46.5K upfront. Was going to get Power Wall but after the $46.5k payment, I can't afford it anymore. lol

The SREC is gone in Mass, SMART program is in place. Another way to offset your solar panel cost in the first 10 years and it can be a significant portion of the remaining 70% total cost.

 

[RyanDe]

The $19k takes all credits into consideration (I'm pretty sure). $30k up front is what they're projecting. Our local muni power gives up to $2k too. It's confusing to keep track of all of this. Maybe I'll get some actual quotes and then try to figure out what credits I can get back.

ALl the quotes have SREc still which is a lot. If that is cut in half that changes the pricing a lot.

 

[North75]

Solar is the way to go, but it is not cheap upfront. I needed a new roof, trim some trees and then I put up panels. My payback on the solar is 4.3 years. Numbers worked for me. Also I put LED bulbs in, changed the dryer and cook top to gas. My biggest usage of electricity is AC. If we have a cool summer i will have tons of extra power for my Tesla. Global warming is a hoax...right?

Slightly off topic, but to save the planet, your long term goal should be to switch over everything to electric and get rid of all fossil fuels (gas, oil) and then hope that the power companies swtich to renewable power (or use your own panels of course)
Granted its probably not cost effective paying $0.23/kWh at the moment.

I can't get gas where I live, so I'm stuck with an oil furnace. Not a fan. Depending on where oil prices goes, it might be worth switching over to heat pump heating and hot water heater. Probably need to keep the oil boiler as a backup.
Even better would be an air source to water heat pump to take the place of the boiler. I don't think that technology is very common in the US yet though. I've done some searching for HVAC contractors in the Boston area, but haven't found any that deal with that kind of stuff yet. Someday.

 

[jtri]

Slightly off topic, but to save the planet, your long term goal should be to switch over everything to electric and get rid of all fossil fuels (gas, oil) and then hope that the power companies swtich to renewable power (or use your own panels of course)
Granted its probably not cost effective paying $0.23/kWh at the moment.

I can't get gas where I live, so I'm stuck with an oil furnace. Not a fan. Depending on where oil prices goes, it might be worth switching over to heat pump heating and hot water heater. Probably need to keep the oil boiler as a backup.
Even better would be an air source to water heat pump to take the place of the boiler. I don't think that technology is very common in the US yet though. I've done some searching for HVAC contractors in the Boston area, but haven't found any that deal with that kind of stuff yet. Someday.

For heat go geothermal with solar power for the pumps. Had oil and hated it, could not get a quote for geothermal as I am on a rock and at the time everyone wanted to do geothermal on the cape. I guess drilling in sand is way more profitable...... At least I got a really good deal on gas and our foot print is very small, we use very little.

 

[chjch]

I've been using Fujitsu Air source ductless heat pumps. They handle to -15F. They aren't quite as efficient in those temps, though. But, overall they are fantastic. The pump for the main floor has an HSPF rating of 10.8. I spend about $800 in electricity per winter exclusively on the Fujitsu. I'm in the process of upgrading my solar to bring me close to covering the car and the heat.

 

[colinrego]

This is a great conversation that I am very interested in, as I currently have oil heat, no access to gas. Am looking to get some solar installed. And I would love to find options for replacing my oil tank/furnace. I had thought that the Mitsubishi mini-split systems were the only practical option in these temps for heating — but they are incredibly expensive. So, I would love to hear what options people have explored (especially as it pertains to existing, older homes).

 

[RyanDe]

Does anyone know how the new SMARt system works in MA? The website is really confusing.

 

[David29]

What are you guys paying per kWh in MA? A couple of years ago I was paying Hudson Light & Power $0.14/kWh, but that was a muni, so there rates were (somewhat) lower.

My rates with Eversource are currently 0.10831/kWh for delivery (Residential A1 for everyone in Eastern MA Eversource territory) plus 0.10272/kWh for energy. You have to also account for the monthly fee, which is $7.00 per meter. In my case that adds nearly 2 cents per kWh for my car charging, so my total cost runs about 23 cents/kWh, all in. (I have a separate meter for the car, so the entire $7 fee has to be amortized over my car use, only.)

As for the energy rate -- My entire town is on an alternate supplier for energy, Public Power LLC, under a 3-year competitively bid contract for a consortium of about 20 communities. I found that saved us a few dollars per month compared to the Eversource default supplier rates.

 

[yousexy]

SREC's price fluctuates, but over time it will drop. SMART, however, is a fixed price, set at the beginning. SREC gives a better overall return than SMART.

I think we are way off the topic. I did get into EV thinking about fuel savings. Consider all other costs, Tesla is the wrong car for "saving" purpose.

 

[jtri]

I drove 235 miles (90%) on the mass pike yesterday and my Wh/mi was 213. Auto pilot was set at 70 mph but there was a lot of stop and go traffic on the pike. That is nice fuel savings! Round numbers - has me at $12 cost of electricity if I was paying National grid. I have solar panels.

 

[David29]

I drove 235 miles (90%) on the mass pike yesterday and my Wh/mi was 213. Auto pilot was set at 70 mph but there was a lot of stop and go traffic on the pike. That is nice fuel savings! Round numbers - has me at $12 cost of electricity if I was paying National grid. I have solar panels.

Wow, that is low energy consumption!
(Folks might like to know that temps yesterday (6/23) in MA were in the high to mid 60s, cloudy with occasional showers. So, one of those days with minimal need for either AC or heating.

 

[EdA]

@jtri has a Model 3 which is more efficient than an S.

 

[aronth5]

@jtri has a Model 3 which is more efficient than an S.

Agree, after 3 months my wh/mi is 226 and it continues to decrease as I drive more efficiently.
Agree with the previous negative comment on National Grid. Their TOU rate requires far too much electricity usage to qualify for just about all residential homes.
Homeowners can choose to install a system larger than 10 kW, but will need to apply with the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) for a special cap allocation, which can be a long process.
I ended up deciding to have SunRun slightly downsize the system to avoid the added time and headache. It was also complicated by the fact it was a 2nd installation. Even with a existing system and a net meter already installed it took National Grid 6 weeks to ok "turning on" the system's inverter. Nothing but paperwork for them.

 

[chjch]

My rates with Eversource are currently 0.10831/kWh for delivery (Residential A1 for everyone in Eastern MA Eversource territory) plus 0.10272/kWh for energy. You have to also account for the monthly fee, which is $7.00 per meter. In my case that adds nearly 2 cents per kWh for my car charging, so my total cost runs about 23 cents/kWh, all in. (I have a separate meter for the car, so the entire $7 fee has to be amortized over my car use, only.)

As for the energy rate -- My entire town is on an alternate supplier for energy, Public Power LLC, under a 3-year competitively bid contract for a consortium of about 20 communities. I found that saved us a few dollars per month compared to the Eversource default supplier rates.

I wonder if I could have done a separate meter for my car and then be able to get around the 10 kW net meter cap for my solar by having a 10kW system on each meter.

 

[yousexy]

You can have >10KW solar system with single phase. Because not all panels will come online at same time. Mine is 13.5KW single phase and I was green-lighted from get-go. never ran into any problem with SREC or Net Metering.

 

[chjch]

You can have >10KW solar system with single phase. Because not all panels will come online at same time. Mine is 13.5KW single phase and I was green-lighted from get-go. never ran into any problem with SREC or Net Metering.

I just signed up to upgrade to 34 - 365W panels. But, it will be limited by the inverter??? I think they called it oversizing to maximize production in the winter. Unfortunately I won't get everything that my panels can produce in the middle of a sunny day.