EV Tariff or not?

kpk2000

Have just got a new EV (Kia Niro 64KWH) and am currently on a standard variable energy tariff with Sainsburys Energy as just come off a nice 2 year fix rate. I've had a 7KW charger installed at home which is an Indra Smart Pro).

Considered all the main EV tariffs (Octopus Go/BG/Eon etc.) with overnight rates but complicated as my charger is not compatible with Octopus Intelligent so seriously considering the Octopus Go and the BG EV tariffs. I only need to charge every 3 weeks as my work commute is quite small and only do long drives every 6 months or so. I am a teacher so away from home 5 days a week from 7am-4/5pm and at home most of the weekend.

I cannot really decide if I need to move to an EV tariff as my charging needs are quite small and the extra 3p per KWH in peak times is quite a lot. I can move roughly 5 washing loads & 4 dishwasher loads overnight as well to benefit from the off-peak rate when not charging. Current electricity usage is 3100 KWH in the past 12 months and will add another 1000 KWH through charging (approx). The Smart Meter says we use 4-5KWH per weekday and 7-8 on a weekend (without any charging).

Anyone got any thoughts or advice on whether I should stick with a standard variable tariff or move to an EV tariff as trying to work out which will be better.

QrizB

kpk2000 said:

I cannot really decide if I need to move to an EV tariff as my charging needs are quite small and the extra 3p per KWH in peak times is quite a lot. I can move roughly 5 washing loads & 4 dishwasher loads overnight as well to benefit from the off-peak rate when not charging. Current electricity usage is 3100 KWH in the past 12 months and will add another 1000 KWH through charging (approx). The Smart Meter says we use 4-5KWH per weekday and 7-8 on a weekend (without any charging).

4100kWh at 27p/kWh is £1107.

3100kWh at 30p/kWh plus 1000kWh at 9p/kWh is £1020.

On the face of it you'll be better off charging your car on Go than on the SVT, even if you can't move a single watt-hour of domestic energy to the four cheap-rate hours.

rp1974

Sounds like we are in similar territory,I recently had smart meters fitted to facilitate moving to an EV specific tariff,but have remained on Eon Next SVR for now.
After crunching numbers there wasn't much in it unless I also moved domestic appliances to the off peak period,which for noise related reasons,living in a mid terrace and not wishing to run a tumble dryer whilst unattended or asleep makes little reason to change. 
Give it a month or so then run a comparison using actual consumption using the respective rates applicable and see which is cheapest and most convenient for you,having smart meters means that changing tariff or even supplier should be straightforward and quick as and when a worthwhile tariff for your needs arises.

Netexporter

I'm an "opportunist" car charger. I'm on Agile and just top the car up when the price is very low or, ideally, I'm being paid to use electricity. If you can avoid using household electricity between 16:00 and 19:00 you should end up paying about half the unit rate of the SVT overall. The daily charge is lower, too.

Petriix

In the vast majority of cases Go or Intelligent will save you money vs the standard variable rate. You'd have to have very unusual usage to end up paying more. Add in the bonus £50 referral credit and it's a no-brainer for most people. 

Reed_Richards

kpk2000 said:

...I've had a 7KW charger installed at home which is an Indra Smart Pro).

Given that you do so little charging, how long is that going to take to pay for itself?  

MeteredOut

Reed_Richards said:

kpk2000 said:

...I've had a 7KW charger installed at home which is an Indra Smart Pro).

Given that you do so little charging, how long is that going to take to pay for itself?  

How long does a new petrol car take to pay for itself?

Reed_Richards

MeteredOut said:

Reed_Richards said:

kpk2000 said:

...I've had a 7KW charger installed at home which is an Indra Smart Pro).

Given that you do so little charging, how long is that going to take to pay for itself?  

How long does a new petrol car take to pay for itself?

I should have made my point clearer.  The alternative to a 7 kW charger is a 2.3 kW charger that plugs in to a normal socket and costs a fraction of the price.  I don't feel that a 7 kW charger is worthwhile unless you want to charge your EV a lot, and quickly.  But people seem to get railroaded into getting a 7 kW charger without thinking if the benefit justifies the cost.

MeteredOut

Reed_Richards said:

MeteredOut said:

Reed_Richards said:

kpk2000 said:

...I've had a 7KW charger installed at home which is an Indra Smart Pro).

Given that you do so little charging, how long is that going to take to pay for itself?  

How long does a new petrol car take to pay for itself?

I should have made my point clearer.  The alternative to a 7 kW charger is a 2.3 kW charger that plugs in to a normal socket and costs a fraction of the price.  I don't feel that a 7 kW charger is worthwhile unless you want to charge your EV a lot, and quickly.  But people seem to get railroaded into getting a 7 kW charger without thinking if the benefit justifies the cost.

I'd agree it isn't necessarily an obvious decision. We're a little over 1 month into our first EV ownership and charge with a granny charger at home, or a fast charger at work (around 20% at work). I'm still running the numbers, but I'm not rushing to get a 7kW charger installed. I'm currently trying to work out what the losses are with a granny charger (seeing figures between 10-20%) and see if that changes the result.

Netexporter

I'm a low mileage and a "no particular place to go" EV user, and a granny charger is adequate for my needs. However, I will be installing a Givenergy 7kW charger, with my solar/battery installation, to be able to divert surplus sunshine into the vehicle, when export prices are low, but, more importantly, be able to cram more paid-for electricity into the motor when Agile goes negative.

kpk2000

Maybe I should have done more research before plunging in to the EV world but I’ve got the 7KW charger now so trying to be as thrifty as possible. I’m going to move to Octopus variable for now (£50 switch bonus if nothing else and the in laws can benefit as the referrer) and then move to Go or Tracker to see how it goes. Perhaps moving all the washing and dishwashing to the Go 4 hours at 9p will prove to be cheaper along with the ev charging and then we can reassess.

The whole ev environment seems to be very confusing with little consensus on most things currently which even to someone who works in technology and has a vague competence with numbers and technology is not helpful. Combined with crazy energy prices is not a great environment to be in currently.