Power Cost Adjustment (PCA)

[Andronova]

Looking for some insight/expertise/advice. Just got my model 3 on the weekend (was supposed to be a 13-week wait and less than 24-hours after ordering I had a call that they had one available... awesome but I now feel a little behind the 8-ball!)

My question is in trying to understand what PCA is and if it’s good? These are the options my electric company are giving me and I’m just not sure which is better based on the PCA bit. Any insight/explanation/pointers would be hugely appreciated. The opt


Option 1: Electric Vehicle Storage Charging Program

• Energy rate during charging time is $.06 per kWh.
• Energy rate is not subject to Power Cost Adjustment (PCA).
• Charging time is eight hours per day, generally from 11 p.m. - 7 a.m.
• Charging is not available all other hours.
• Requires a separate meter socket and receiver to be installed on the outside of home.
• Rebates up to $500. The EV must have a minimum of 4.5kW charger rating to qualify.

Option 2: Electric Vehicle Time-of-Use Program

• Energy rate varies during the day:
  • From 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. weekdays - $0.21750 per kWh
  • All other hours and holidays - $0.06330 per kWh.
• Energy rate will be subject to PCA.
• Charging is available 24/7.
• Requires a separate meter socket to be installed on the outside of home.
• Rebates up to $500. The EV must have a minimum of 4.5kW charger rating to qualify.

Do I want to be subject to PCA? What does that do exactly? A couple of googles later and I’m more confused than ever.

 

[miimura]

I thought an EV-B customer was still paying normal TOU rates on the base home energy, and that only the actual second meter was at the EV-B rate?

Are you saying every EV-B customer is paying $0.56 per kWh for all kWh their house uses from 2pm to 9pm today? That is... so astronomically brutal. Yeah $0.33 per day regardless of energy usage on the sub-meter is peanuts hah. People would literally have a higher energy bill staying on normal TOU than moving to EV-B unless they were driving 150 miles a day or something and they aren't home to use energy until 9pm.

No, I'm saying that spending $2,500 to install a meter and dedicated EVSE circuit for EV-B is not practical. The only practical solution is EV2-A which forces your whole house on TOU, which, depending on your situation, erases a lot of the EV charging savings. Sub-Metering is the better solution, but is not available to PG&E customers.

 

[holeydonut]

No, I'm saying that spending $2,500 to install a meter and dedicated EVSE circuit for EV-B is not practical. The only practical solution is EV2-A which forces your whole house on TOU, which, depending on your situation, erases a lot of the EV charging savings. Sub-Metering is the better solution, but is not available to PG&E customers.

Got it, so adding a sub-meter on a property is probably doing so as a business investment to allow charging at their B&B or restaurant or something. But normal people don't really recoup these submeter costs, TOU issues, and on-going daily usage fees for the submeter.

 

[brkaus]

Sub-metering my evse circuit was pretty painful too. Not $2500, but has all sorts of rules on distances, rigid strait conduit, etc.