For some of those in greater Seattle, I thought I'd raise awareness of the pilot that PSE is running that should, in theory, benefit EV drivers. PSE states the program is fully subscribed, yet some customers may still enroll????
PSE: Time-of-use (TOU) pilot program / rate summaries
I've been on the pilot for the last 3 months and believe they're running the pilot for a couple of years, then will decide whether to make generally available. I think Seattle ran one of these pilots previously, but decided not to move ahead with it. BTW, I've spoken to folks for Seattle City & Light and PSE - no-one was concerned about EV adoption causing the grid issues in the Seattle area - a common anti-EV FUD talking point.
Compared to the standard constant rate, with TOU there are peak times (Mon-Fri 7AM-10AM & 5PM-8PM) with the rest of the time being off-peak. Rates during off-peak are less than the regular rate, rates during peak are ~2-3 times higher. Obviously, the idea is to encourage load (washer, dryer, dishwasher, EV charging, etc.) to move to off-peak times, reducing peak demand.
Standard constant rates (Schedule 7) - $0.122 for first 600 KWH, $0.142 for over 600 KWH.
TOU rates (Schedule 307) - $0.345 for peak (Oct - March), $0.23 for peak (Apr - Sept), $0.096 for off-peak.
Is it worth it? We consume ~1600 kWh per month and save about $25-$30 a month, compared to the standard rate. Should save a bit more in the summer, with the cheaper peak rate. We managed to shift loads fairly easily, so we only consume about 10% of power at peak times - obviously, EVs charge at night. Seems like a good idea to me and hope they move ahead with it after the pilot. I believe this is common in other states.
PSE: Time-of-use (TOU) pilot program / rate summaries
I've been on the pilot for the last 3 months and believe they're running the pilot for a couple of years, then will decide whether to make generally available. I think Seattle ran one of these pilots previously, but decided not to move ahead with it. BTW, I've spoken to folks for Seattle City & Light and PSE - no-one was concerned about EV adoption causing the grid issues in the Seattle area - a common anti-EV FUD talking point.
Compared to the standard constant rate, with TOU there are peak times (Mon-Fri 7AM-10AM & 5PM-8PM) with the rest of the time being off-peak. Rates during off-peak are less than the regular rate, rates during peak are ~2-3 times higher. Obviously, the idea is to encourage load (washer, dryer, dishwasher, EV charging, etc.) to move to off-peak times, reducing peak demand.
Standard constant rates (Schedule 7) - $0.122 for first 600 KWH, $0.142 for over 600 KWH.
TOU rates (Schedule 307) - $0.345 for peak (Oct - March), $0.23 for peak (Apr - Sept), $0.096 for off-peak.
Is it worth it? We consume ~1600 kWh per month and save about $25-$30 a month, compared to the standard rate. Should save a bit more in the summer, with the cheaper peak rate. We managed to shift loads fairly easily, so we only consume about 10% of power at peak times - obviously, EVs charge at night. Seems like a good idea to me and hope they move ahead with it after the pilot. I believe this is common in other states.