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Gas/Electric help with EV

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Comments

  • Ectophile
    Ectophile Posts: 8,629
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
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    5000 miles in a small car is about 1250kWh (assuming 4 miles per kWh). Given that you're generally a light user of electricity, that will double your usage. So an EV tariff can make a big difference.

    There are very clever fancy smart charging systems offered by some suppliers. My charger isn't compatible with any of those. So I took the simple approach. I know my cheap rate starts at midnight. So if the car needs a charge, I tell it to delay until midnight, then plug it in. It wakes itself up at midnight and charges to 100%. Easy.

    If it sticks, force it.
    If it breaks, well it wasn't working right anyway.
  • LunaAndBelle
    LunaAndBelle Posts: 58
    Eighth Anniversary 10 Posts Name Dropper
    Forumite

    Appreciate the help from everyone who has replied. I actually now understand everything and have been able to create a spreadsheet to do the sums and comparison.

    EDF seems to be the winner by about £200 a year but I’ve still got a few more places to check.

    Honestly, I’m so grateful how you’ve explained everything.

  • lohr500
    lohr500 Posts: 1,637
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Forumite

    If you decide to go with EDF, do a google search for EDF referral codes or search for EDF Referral Code Sharing on Facebook.

    You should then be able to find a referral code link that you can use. You will get £50 credit on your account from EDF and ao will the person whose code you use.

    Forum rules prevent code sharing here, otherwise i would have posted mine 😀

    With EDF, if you chose the GoElectric tariff, they will initially put you on the standard variable tariff until they can confirm that they can read your smart meter successfully. In my case it took around 24 hours.

  • I’d compare the estimated yearly cost rather than the quoted monthly payment. Start with your existing 1,500 kWh household electricity use, then add the car’s expected charging based on your mileage.

    For a real example, our Model Y Long Range AWD in Ireland recorded 339.3 kWh over 2,308 km in August—about 14.7 kWh/100 km. Our Model 3 Long Range RWD recorded 164.2 kWh over 1,329 km—about 12.4 kWh/100 km.

    We add an estimated 10% charging-energy allowance when calculating costs. Those are summer figures from different journeys, so allow for higher consumption in winter.

    Compare the day rate, overnight rate, standing charge and how many cheap hours you get. A lower charging rate can be outweighed by more expensive household electricity.

    If you’re considering a supplier-controlled tariff such as Intelligent Octopus Go, check whether your exact car or Hypervolt model is supported—the supplier needs to connect to a compatible car or charger to manage charging. That compatibility check generally isn’t needed for a standard fixed overnight tariff where you set the timer yourself.

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