PSEG and change to RLM time of use Billing

[Olly_]

It depends entirely on your usage pattern. My solar only produces 8-8,500kWh a year but I use about 12,000kWh so RLM works great for me. If production matches your usage I can't imagine that it'd work too well for you.

My true-up bill was this month and I did have about 300kWh of peak credits that will be cashed out (I could/should have charged the car more at peak times to use it up) but the 4,000kWh I paid for was all at the off peak rate of $0.07, a large saving. I didn't pay for any electricity at the peak rate.

 

[NYHeel]

It depends entirely on your usage pattern. My solar only produces 8-8,500kWh a year but I use about 12,000kWh so RLM works great for me. If production matches your usage I can't imagine that it'd work too well for you.

My true-up bill was this month and I did have about 300kWh of peak credits that will be cashed out (I could/should have charged the car more at peak times to use it up) but the 4,000kWh I paid for was all at the off peak rate of $0.07, a large saving. I didn't pay for any electricity at the peak rate.

But the problem is how am I supposed to know my usage pattern. I have no idea how much I'm using at different points in time because PSE&G gives me no way to see that data. I've had a smart meter installed for a year now but I don't think that data is available yet.

 

[Olly_]

PSE&G don’t allow us to access that data so you need your own.

I had my usage data from SolarEdge and pvoutput.org was able to model usage by time of use period - this made me confident enough to change to RLM. In the end it worked out far better than I expected.

PSE&G clearly aren’t a fan of RLM with net metering so there’s little incentive to make it easy.

 

[MotorMavens]

Hi,

First, thank you to the person that linked me to this thread.

So in reading the above posters, RTM is what PSE&G mentioned to me when I was asking about EV program incentives for purchasing an EV.

However, I was doing some digging and found that there is a new program (see link below) that seems to be offering some sort of rebate for installation of chargers in residences. Perhaps this program is still not yet approved since it's dated Sept 2018 and it says the "proposed" program but wanted to see if anyone came across this as well and if aware of when this program will come into play. PSEG was no help because they were not even aware of this when I was speaking to the social media manager (I had attempted to contact them via FB msg as their 800 number representatives was not able to tell me anything).

https://nj.pseg.com/newsroom/-/media/98F69A6733F149789D48D73F79CBB42C.ashx

I have not setup my charger as I am still waiting for the many electricians that I had called about the job to respond back to me but wanted to see if this program is even worth the wait. My understanding it that this might be only applicable if you had not already installed the charger.

Thanks!

I actually had taken advantage of the PSEG EV Charger rebate. Basically, I'd licensed electrician installed a ChargePoint Flex Level 2 charger when we bought the '22 XC90 PHEV. I'd to get the load calculation sheet to PSEG along with a copy of the permit and approval from the City and address a bunch of questions but after around 3 months PSEG gave me $1500 in bill credit. Also, through the NJ EV Rebate program, I was able to get a $250 rebate for the purchase of that ChargePoint charger.

 

[NYHeel]

PSE&G don’t allow us to access that data so you need your own.

I had my usage data from SolarEdge and pvoutput.org was able to model usage by time of use period - this made me confident enough to change to RLM. In the end it worked out far better than I expected.

PSE&G clearly aren’t a fan of RLM with net metering so there’s little incentive to make it easy.

How did you get your usage data from solaredge and PVOutput? I use both but don’t have any usage data.

 

[Olly_]

You need a consumption meter installed so SolarEdge records your consumption - do you have that?

 

[Stretch2727]

But the problem is how am I supposed to know my usage pattern. I have no idea how much I'm using at different points in time because PSE&G gives me no way to see that data. I've had a smart meter installed for a year now but I don't think that data is available yet.

If you have a smart meter you can use this PSEG website to get your usage by hour.

MyMeter

mysmartenergy.nj.pseg.com

You have to create an account. I remember having to add a leading zero or maybe 2 leading zeros. My account here is 12 digits and my regular PSEG account is 10 digits exactly the same with 2 additional leading zeros.

If you have an electric car and can charge at night it will almost always make sense to go to RLM (Time of Use) rates. I can't imagine any house would where it does not make sense as the car can be 50% of your usage. The entire weekend is off peak as well which is another 25% of your usage.

Maybe the only way it will not make sense is if you have solar and generate all your needs with solar.

The PSEG offpeak rates are really good at 2.7 cents delivery and 5.9 cents supply for a total of 8.6 cents directly from my last bill.

 

[Olly_]

Amazing, how did you find that website?!

 

[MotorMavens]

Quick question for those who switched to RLM from RS. How easy was it? do you call PSEG? We have a PHEV ('22 XC90) and are about to take delivery of MYP. Although I work from home, my peak hour usage won't change much given how many IoT devices and 24x7 plex/UnRaid server I use in the office throughout the work hours. I do think that combination of MYP + PHEV XC90 will consume a lot more than those other electronics. Currently, XC90 gets charged overnight and MYP will be exclusively charged over the weekend so maximize saving if any with the RS plan that I got now.

 

[Olly_]

You just need to call and ask - some reps aren’t familiar with the process and/or try to tell you that it’s not worth it so you might have to be persistent.

Do you have solar? The peak pricing is much higher than RS (almost $0.35/kWh during the summer months where you’ll be using the AC) so if you have no solar to offset that I’m not sure the sums would work unless you do an awful lot of charging.

I believe PSE&G has a program compatible with certain chargers that basically gives you RLM pricing for charging while leaving your house usage at the regular rate too.

 

[MotorMavens]

You just need to call and ask - some reps aren’t familiar with the process and/or try to tell you that it’s not worth it so you might have to be persistent.

Do you have solar? The peak pricing is much higher than RS (almost $0.35/kWh during the summer months where you’ll be using the AC) so if you have no solar to offset that I’m not sure the sums would work unless you do an awful lot of charging.

I believe PSE&G has a program compatible with certain chargers that basically gives you RLM pricing for charging while leaving your house usage at the regular rate too.

I have that EV charging plan with PSEG and no I don't have solar which kinda kept me on RS instead of switching to RLM.

 

[NYHeel]

If you have a smart meter you can use this PSEG website to get your usage by hour.

MyMeter

mysmartenergy.nj.pseg.com

You have to create an account. I remember having to add a leading zero or maybe 2 leading zeros. My account here is 12 digits and my regular PSEG account is 10 digits exactly the same with 2 additional leading zeros.

If you have an electric car and can charge at night it will almost always make sense to go to RLM (Time of Use) rates. I can't imagine any house would where it does not make sense as the car can be 50% of your usage. The entire weekend is off peak as well which is another 25% of your usage.

Maybe the only way it will not make sense is if you have solar and generate all your needs with solar.

The PSEG offpeak rates are really good at 2.7 cents delivery and 5.9 cents supply for a total of 8.6 cents directly from my last bill.

My only reason for now switching was due to my solar. Pre-electric car I typically was about 500-1000 kWh short each year. This past billing year I paid for 850 kWh. If PSE&G handled net metering via dollars like most utilities, it would be a no brainer. But since they handle net metering by banking kWh and not dollars, it becomes a lot more complicated. I don't want to end up with a big peak credit and have to pay for a lot of off-peak usage, even at the lower rate. But I guess I can charge my car at peak time to burn down my credit if needed.

But this data is great. Now I need to analyze and run the numbers off of the last year. The good news is that the bulk of my AC use is off peak. We have our AC on the most (by far) on weekends and overnight. I'll need to find the rates and check my usage from the past year. I had my smart meter installed in February 2022 so I have a full year of data, all pre-EV.

 

[NYHeel]

If you have a smart meter you can use this PSEG website to get your usage by hour.

MyMeter

mysmartenergy.nj.pseg.com

You have to create an account. I remember having to add a leading zero or maybe 2 leading zeros. My account here is 12 digits and my regular PSEG account is 10 digits exactly the same with 2 additional leading zeros.

If you have an electric car and can charge at night it will almost always make sense to go to RLM (Time of Use) rates. I can't imagine any house would where it does not make sense as the car can be 50% of your usage. The entire weekend is off peak as well which is another 25% of your usage.

Maybe the only way it will not make sense is if you have solar and generate all your needs with solar.

The PSEG offpeak rates are really good at 2.7 cents delivery and 5.9 cents supply for a total of 8.6 cents directly from my last bill.

I ran my numbers and switching to RLM without an EV makes no sense as expected due to solar producing about 94% of my needs. Adding an EV and assuming I did almost all my charging during peak periods to use up my peak credit (90% of charging done during peak periods) and assuming I used 2000 kWh of charging (which is high considering I only expect to drive about 5,000-7,000 miles a year), I'd save about $100 a year switching to RLM. I don't think that's worthwhile though to switch, especially considering that charging only during peak periods is super annoying.

 

[DB288]

RLM peak usage rate is expensive…

if you don’t have solar…electric AC-cost of cooling is daytime…even if you work from home …it’s going to be expensive

 

[NYHeel]

RLM peak usage rate is expensive…

if you don’t have solar…electric AC-cost of cooling is daytime…even if you work from home …it’s going to be expensive

If I didn’t have solar then RLM would be great. The bulk of our AC use is at night and on weekends. But I do have solar and unfortunately PSE&G has their convoluted way of doing net metering. If they banked actual dollars like nearly all other utilities did it then a time of use plan would be great. But they don’t.

I’m trying to figure out if adding 2-2.5 KW of solar to my existing array is cost feasible. Also trying to figure out if an addition can get added into my existing SREC program or if it has to go into the current SREC 2 program.

 

[Stretch2727]

Amazing, how did you find that website?!

The solar billing group at PSEG gave me the info when I was disputing how they were billing me. It was the only way I figured out that they were not giving me credit for my solar output during "peak" time. It was being spread over 24 hours due to having the wrong meter.

I actually had to contact the CEO of PSEG and file a complaint with the NJ public utility commision to get it corrected. They are not easy to deal with and most people in the PSEG solar billing area do not have knowledge of what is net metering and time of use! Go figure.

 

[Stretch2727]

I ran my numbers and switching to RLM without an EV makes no sense as expected due to solar producing about 94% of my needs. Adding an EV and assuming I did almost all my charging during peak periods to use up my peak credit (90% of charging done during peak periods) and assuming I used 2000 kWh of charging (which is high considering I only expect to drive about 5,000-7,000 miles a year), I'd save about $100 a year switching to RLM. I don't think that's worthwhile though to switch, especially considering that charging only during peak periods is super annoying.

I agree you need a EV to likely makes sense for Time of use rates. I think I have said a few times I first switched to time of use when we got to 2 EV's. I saved more from time of use (TOU) rates than installing solar. Both together(TOU and Solar)are great when you can't cover your entire usage with solar.

 

[NYHeel]

I agree you need a EV to likely makes sense for Time of use rates. I think I have said a few times I first switched to time of use when we got to 2 EV's. I saved more from time of use (TOU) rates than installing solar. Both together(TOU and Solar)are great when you can't cover your entire usage with solar.

I’m not going to switch to time of use even with the EV. The only way I’d save any money is if I charged almost exclusively during peak periods. That’s a very annoying restriction and even then I’m not saving much.

I also checked on adding more solar. But the quote I got from the solar company I previously used just isn’t feasible. I don’t want to shop around as I don’t want to mess with the warranty on my current solar system. I’m just going to charge and pay about 18-18.5 cents per kWh plus another 1-2 cents in the summer. I believe those are the standard PSE&G rates now.

 

[Olly_]

I had my annual true-up bill this month and PSE&G paid me $0.0718 for the unused peak credits which is around the cost of off peak electricity - I won't bother trying to use up peak excess next year!

 

[NYHeel]

I had my annual true-up bill this month and PSE&G paid me $0.0718 for the unused peak credits which is around the cost of off peak electricity - I won't bother trying to use up peak excess next year!

View attachment 922149

I did not realize the peak wholesale credit was going to be that high. That might change some things. I’ll have to rerun my numbers. I’ve also noticed that my charging usage is higher than I expected so far.

Also, I spoke with PSE&G and they said that the Tesla wall connector was going to get added soon to the list of approved connectors for purposes of the 2 cent off peak credit. So that should help a little assuming it actually happens.