San Diego: Recommendations for electricians to install 240V outlet in condo garage?

[TommyBoy]

Thanks for the photo. I'm still waiting for a few electricians to call/email me back about this. It doesn't seem like there is any rush or desire from San Diego electricians to install the 2nd dedicated meter.

Boy is that true! The two that I called told me "I don't know. I've never done that before" which didn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence in me! And it took them two days to get back to me!

 

[earlyretirement]

Boy is that true! The two that I called told me "I don't know. I've never done that before" which didn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence in me! And it took them two days to get back to me!

Yes, exactly! Maybe this is so new that electricians haven't had to deal with it here in San Diego. Calray Electric which does a lot of Tesla charger installations for the SD Tesla Group did email me back today and he said he will get some material quotes together from a supply house, permit fees from the city and talk to SDGE before he can give an accurate quote. So I'm just excited someone got back to me about it.

Several other electricians never even got back to me about it so I figure they aren't interested which boggles my mind. EV technology is here and it will become more mainstream in the future so I think it would be wise for electricians to start doing these.

I did get a call back from SDGE today and I was happy that they took more time to explain things about the dedicated meter. They pulled up my billing history and tried to estimate what would make the most sense based on how much I think I will use each day for charging. She reminded me that their rates were going to go up this Fall for San Diego. I don't get the sense that SDGE really encourages people to get these meters.

She kept emphasizing that although they give the dedicated meter free to customers that you have to pay for the installation, permitting, etc. She said that other customers that have had it said they spent about $2,000 on average for installation with a certified electrician, all permits from the City and everything the electrician would need to totally install it. She said to call the Planning Department and gave me a toll free 800 # to call and then they would come out to the house to inspect things if I wanted to move forward.

She said that it might make more sense to just switch the entire house to the TOU rate with the main meter. But I still don't know if that would make sense because as mentioned, my wife and I are home all day as I work from home and my wife is a stay at home mom. Plus no way we'd do laundry, dishwasher, etc. at night during off-peak rates. Only the cars would charge at night. Once you commit to the TOU rate for the entire house she said you have to commit to 12 months. She did however mention that they will allow you to opt out of it within 3 months if you find that it doesn't make sense. (She didn't mention it but reading between the lines it sounded like several people did opt back out within 3 months).

I will wait to see what Calray quotes but I still think it may be worth adding the dedicated meter and will keep detailed notes on it so I'll post about it in case anyone else wants to do this. I do think EV will become MUCH more mainstream in the future and I do think the dedicated meter with the discounted rates off-peak rates can still make sense over the long-term.

 

[laalan]

Whole house TOU was rejected as daytime air conditioning use becomes prohibitive.

I bet you can get the cost with permits closer to $1000 if you have underground utilities.. There are so many Leaf owners that have paved the way that it shouldn't be this hard. You might check mynissanleaf forums. My break even with 2000 miles per month was 8 months.

 

[earlyretirement]

Whole house TOU was rejected as daytime air conditioning use becomes prohibitive.

I bet you can get the cost with permits closer to $1000 if you have underground utilities.. There are so many Leaf owners that have paved the way that it shouldn't be this hard. You might check mynissanleaf forums. My break even with 2000 miles per month was 8 months.

BINGO laalan! I guess for people that are out of their house all day at the office then the entire house TOU rate can probably make sense but as you mentioned, the using the AC during the day becomes a factor I'm sure. Although I live relatively close to the beach (only 5 miles) and it doesn't get too warm here, I'm the type that likes it really cool in the house and I do use AC extensively here in my house. And my house is on the larger side. But the good thing is I do have underground utilities. My development is only about 10 years old and we don't have any electricity poles anywhere showing. They did a beautiful job planning this development and it's over 3800 acres. So I'm hopeful costs will be lower as you mentioned.

It would be great if the cost comes closer to the $1,000 side. For those of you in San Diego thinking about this, the # to call at SDGE is 1-877-789-9866.

Calray Electric did tell me today that if I want to do this option he can't install the charger without the dedicated TOU meter in place, otherwise he would be doing redundant work so that's great that I'll try to get this done at the same time saving time and money. So far, Rob at Calray is the only electrician that has gotten back to me about this.

The head of the San Diego Tesla group contacted me today and said that he believes that some members of the group have had the meter installed so I'll try to post back some information once I hear back. Yes, just doing some basic estimating it seems like my break even would be less than a year and then it would be much more efficient over the long haul. And if we end up ordering the Model X, the savings would be even greater in the future.

 

[laalan]

Www.evelectricity.com did a good job of documenting an install with pictures.

 

[earlyretirement]

Www.evelectricity.com did a good job of documenting an install with pictures.

Yep. I already saw that and it's a good page. But I believe Edison and SDGE have different procedures, process and permitting, etc. I'm just waiting to hear back from the electrician. But if it's too much of a hassle and takes too long and too much red tape I guess I'll skip it for now. I definitely want to have at least the NEMA 14-50 in place before my car arrives later this month.

 

[TTT]

Is it necessary in San Diego to install a second meter for EV charging, or will a 240v outlet suffice off of the existing meter?

 

[GoBlue88]

Is it necessary in San Diego to install a second meter for EV charging, or will a 240v outlet suffice off of the existing meter?

Don't need the 2nd meter. In fact, the SDG&E rates seem to be better WITHOUT the 2nd meter (EV-TOU2 vs. EV-TOU1).

 

[Ampster]

It ıs an economic decision based on which rate gets you the least cost based on your usage. GoBlue knows the SDGE rates better than I and so I assume his advice is the best choice, unless you have significant daytime consumption during the day.

 

[GoBlue88]

It ıs an economic decision based on which rate gets you the least cost based on your usage. GoBlue knows the SDGE rates better than I and so I assume his advice is the best choice, unless you have significant daytime consumption during the day.

Yeah, fair point.

EV-TOU1 (Summer rates):
Noon-8pm, $0.44/kWh
Midnight-5am, $0.16/kWh
All other hours: $0.20/kWh

EV-TOU2 (Summer rates):
Noon-6pm, $0.44/kWh (2 fewer hours at peak rate compared to TOU1)
Midnight-5am, $0.16/kWh
All other hours: $0.20/kWh

Winter rates have the same hours, but the prices are $0.20, $0.17, and $0.19, respectively.

So you can see that the rate difference between TOU1 (requires separate meter) and TOU2 (no separate meter) is that you get 2 more hours at the highest rate with TOU-1. So I can't figure what the advantage is, except that in thinking this through a little more: maybe with the dedicated meter those rates only apply to that separate meter and you could be on the tiered system for the rest of the house. If that is true, then I think that TOU-1 could be a favorable setup, especially if you don't have solar.

 

[TTT]

GoBlue88, i happen to have solar, so how does that change the equation?

 

[GoBlue88]

GoBlue88, i happen to have solar, so how does that change the equation?

EV-TOU2 is the way to go. You get credit for the solar generation at $0.44 per kWh between 12-6pm, which is peak solar generation time. Under the tier system, they net kWh. Under the TOU-2 system, they net dollars.

For example: I switched to EV-TOU2 on June 10th. My billing cycle runs from the 10th - the 9th of the following month. So my bill I received for the June 10th-July 9th period was $10.96. For this bill, I used a total of 474 kWh (266 off peak + 485 super off peak - 277 generated on peak = 474). That works out to an average of 2.31 cents per kWh! ($10.96/474).

Last July I was on solar, but not on TOU-2 as I didn't have my Tesla yet. Back then I used a net 190 kWh on the tier system. The bill was $28.18. So this July I used 284 MORE kWh than last July (due mainly to EV charging), but had a bill that was $18.78 lower! Why? Because I got a $122.23 credit for the kWh I generated back into the system during the hours of 12-6pm at $0.44/kWh.

I tell you: it almost feels like stealing.

 

[SDRick]

fyi to drivers in San Diego. SDG & E will allow a second meter downstream of your primary meter for EV charging and will do subtractive billing so that you don't have to install a second service at much greater expense. The second meter must be for your car and will be on the EV TOU rate and the house can stay on the existing rate...All your electrician has to do is install a breaker in the primary panel and run a branch circuit over to an exterior disconnect and meter "can" and then on to your EVSE or 14-50 style socket. The utility will install the second meter after the city inspects and approves the installation...

Another option is to switch to the whole house EV-TOU2 rate and keep your single meter and change it from the existing rate (mostly likely tiered DR rate) to the EV rate, which is time of use based. So you don't need a second meter to get the benefit of EV rates.

RandyS, I am also interested in a 2nd meter. How can I PM you? I tried a conversation with you through the website. Is that the same as a PM? Thanks, Rick

 

[IchDochNicht]

I am just in the process of learning about the challenges first hand. My condo only has a 90 Amp main breaker, which is not enough capacity. The electricion found a nifty little device called DCC-9, which monitors power usage in the condo, and cuts off the charger when a certain threshold is met.

This way, I won't need a separate meter, which everybody tells me to avoid going for. I dread the San Diego Construction Agency (aka Buildinig Department), and hear that SDG&E takes a long time to come out for a meter install. Plus, I'd need a separate address, since each meter must have its own...

I don't know what I would do without the guidance of the electrician, who found the DCC-9 for me, and has been incredibly patient walking me through this process. We are not done, yet, as the HOA has its own requirements we need to docuoment and meet. But I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel.