My experience getting a dedicated EV TOU 2 electric meter with SDGE in San Diego

[markb1]

i just got my first TOU bill and i'm a little confused. we have solar. it says my "applied generation credit" is $171. why does SDGE put that number in BOTH the NEM Charges column and Applied Credits column? My Remaining credits column is an accumulated amount, now at ($677), but does that mean I got a real credit of $171? I don't get it. they charged minimum charge of $4.93, but that's it.

sorry for my lack of experience with TOU2 - we were on regular tiered NEM billing for 7 months until we got the Model S so this month's bill is very weird. i tried to do the math myself too and i don't know how they get it. they don't really "show the math" like they did with tiered billing either

-662 on peak
384 off peak
514 super off peak

total 236 kwh used


last month on tiered billing without the Tesla, i got -673 kwh and a credit of $171 with the tiered billing. so this month i used 909 more kwh with the car and more liberal AC and STILL get a credit of $172 with TOU? i was going to call SDGE but thought i might try the experts on the forum first :wink:

SDG&E's bills are the worst. I think they must have put effort into making them hard to understand.

Anyway, what I think is happening is that you generated more than $171 worth of energy, but only $171 could be applied to offset your bill. The rest is added into the remaining credits, to potentially be applied to a future bill.

Would be easier to understand if I could see the bill.

 

[wamochi]

SDG&E's bills are the worst. I think they must have put effort into making them hard to understand.

Anyway, what I think is happening is that you generated more than $171 worth of energy, but only $171 could be applied to offset your bill. The rest is added into the remaining credits, to potentially be applied to a future bill.

Would be easier to understand if I could see the bill.

thanks for the help. before with tiered NEM billing it was very clear, but now that i've shifted to TOU i'm not sure if i'm reading it correctly. we went live with PV on 11/30/13 and then TOU started on 6/25/2014 after we got the tesla.

before i never had "NEM Charges" unless i was in positive use territory with tiered billing. but now with TOU the same number appears in the NEM Charges and Applied Credits, but then the credit accumulates under "remaining credits". what does it all mean

 

[markb1]

thanks for the help. before with tiered NEM billing it was very clear, but now that i've shifted to TOU i'm not sure if i'm reading it correctly. we went live with PV on 11/30/13 and then TOU started on 6/25/2014 after we got the tesla.

before i never had "NEM Charges" unless i was in positive use territory with tiered billing. but now with TOU the same number appears in the NEM Charges and Applied Credits, but then the credit accumulates under "remaining credits". what does it all mean

The credit from those 662 kWh that you generated was split between applied credits and accumulated credits. They couldn't apply more than 171.62 or your bill would fall below the minimum.

Looks like you have too many solar panels for EV-TOU2.

 

[liuping]

thanks for the help. before with tiered NEM billing it was very clear, but now that i've shifted to TOU i'm not sure if i'm reading it correctly. we went live with PV on 11/30/13 and then TOU started on 6/25/2014 after we got the tesla.

before i never had "NEM Charges" unless i was in positive use territory with tiered billing. but now with TOU the same number appears in the NEM Charges and Applied Credits, but then the credit accumulates under "remaining credits". what does it all mean


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Ugh, I hate the sdg&e bills. They make it as confusing as possible. Don't worry though, the credit will be applied when you true up once a year, to offset the charges during the winter.

Any given month doesn't go negative. Any over production goes in the credits column. If you have more credits than charges at true up, the amount over is reduced to wholesale prices, instead of 1:1 credit. That's why they are kept separate.

 

[wamochi]

thank you for your responses! a few days ago i was working and got an unrecognized call on my cell phone. it was a SDGE rep contacting me based on this post . how they found me i will never know, because i did not post my address or meter #, but she said they have "insiders" to figure it out ... :frown:

in any case, she was very helpful and we went through the bill and you guys are right - that $171 is basically credited already from my peak production and the remaining unused credits added to the "remaining credits" column. she said they know the bill is hard to understand and that they should make it more obvious how much your peak production is earning. but the math is this:

(539.79) beginning credit on 6/23/14
(309.19) earned peak time credits --> this number doesn't appear anywhere, so you just have to plug it
171.62 used off peak/super off peak charges
----------
(677.16) credit remaining on 7/23/14

so basically my earned peak credits came out to $0.46705/kWh after all the various taxes, etc! not too shabby! it is pretty amazing that i used net 236 kWh but still got a credit of ($138) on this billing cycle. the combination of solar + TOU is powerful and amazing. it makes me feel really good about spending the $$$ on both the PV and Model S.

thanks again for your help! and thank you SDGE for scouring the web and contacting me!

 

[GoBlue88]

Wow..never thought SDG&E would be browsing these fora. Impressive.

 

[miimura]

Wow..never thought SDG&E would be browsing these fora. Impressive.

They're not hiding. There is a particular Model S owner and member here who is well known to work for SDGE. I'm guessing someone like him referred it to Customer Service to handle.

 

[DaveT]

Does anybody know if this process to get a second meter has gotten any more efficient? I'm trying to get a second meter installed in SW riverside county... would be Socal Edison.

 

[Jargin]

I submitted an online request for a second meter and 2 weeks later called customer service to check the status. After getting past around to three call centers they told me the EV-TOU program is no longer being offered. Has anyone recently had a second meter installed?

 

[ggr]

My understanding (possibly incorrect) was that EV-TOU required a second meter, but EV-TOU2 (which we have, with only one meter) doesn't. Anyway, @RandyS would be the guy who knows what gives.

 

[Jargin]

Thanks GGR, I got in touch with @RandyS and he let me know it was probably a misunderstanding as 95% of users go with the EV-TOU2 program to take better advantage of solar and avoid costs with a second meter. I'll post a follow up once I have some more information.

 

[mp0i]

I am looking at a separate meter as well with SDGE. Any updated information?

 

[hill]

after seeing the outrageous amount that it costs to have a separate kilowatt-hour meter socket installed (plus stucco/paint restoration), then realizing we'd only save maybe $2 a month - or $25 a year, & realizing the meter socket would take ~40 years to pay for itself (presuming I live to age 100), we had to ask ourselves ... why would anybody in their right mind want to go forward with this. We instead simply added $1,000 more to our 7.1kW (AC) solar panel array, so that SoCal Edison still gets no money from us, even driving two EV's.
.

 

[spiderbro]

Does anyone have any experience with SDGE switching from the Standard plan to an EV-TOU plan? How long does it take for the switch to take effect?

I called SDGE CS a couple of weeks ago and they said it would occur on my next billing cycle and the previous bill would be retroactive. But I just received my bill today and it was not retroactive, so if anyone has a similar experience that would be helpful.

 

[Glamisduner]

after seeing the outrageous amount that it costs to have a separate kilowatt-hour meter socket installed (plus stucco/paint restoration), then realizing we'd only save maybe $2 a month - or $25 a year, & realizing the meter socket would take ~40 years to pay for itself (presuming I live to age 100), we had to ask ourselves ... why would anybody in their right mind want to go forward with this. We instead simply added $1,000 more to our 7.1kW (AC) solar panel array, so that SoCal Edison still gets no money from us, even driving two EV's.
.

Under EV TOU in San Diego, you only get 12 cents a kWh for power credit until 4:00. Then from 4:00-9:00 you buy power back from them at 5-6 times that rate. I think I need to consider having a dedicated meter installed, I don't want to loose my grandfathered NEM1 power plan where I send them "x" kWh and get a credit for "x" kWh. It sucks to send them power at 12 cents per kWh and buy it back at 60 cents per kWh.

 

[GutsyGibbon]

Under EV TOU in San Diego, you only get 12 cents a kWh for power credit until 4:00. Then from 4:00-9:00 you buy power back from them at 5-6 times that rate. I think I need to consider having a dedicated meter installed, I don't want to loose my grandfathered NEM1 power plan where I send them "x" kWh and get a credit for "x" kWh. It sucks to send them power at 12 cents per kWh and buy it back at 60 cents per kWh.

Glamisduner, The 12 cents rate you mention is for excess generation? Or, is it for anything generated by the solar (day time)?. I am on Time of Use (DR-SES-G) plan, I cant figure out what they are paying me at what time. All the online material is about what it costs to buy from them. I have had solar for a couple years now, and always have had excess generated (but for 3 months in winter). Now with a EV at home, I dont know if I should enroll in the TOU EV plans.

 

[ev4thewin]

Anyone know if this process is better now? I’m moving to San Diego in about a month. I live in a townhome complex and the HOA is pulling a 60A circuit to my parking spot for me but has required I will need to get a meter installed. So far I’ve played phone ping pong at SDGE and got an email. They emailed me back a PDF that looks like it’s for a contractor or something? It requires architecture diagrams, CAD drawings, and civil plans. Seems like overkill and I was hoping things got easier...