EV Tariff massive hidden costs

NCPvictim

Just bought an EV and moved to an Eon Next Drive Smart from Next Secure Fixed tariff - Disaster! No one tells you about the hidden cost increases!

Although cheaper between midnight and 6am (for 6 hours) electricity is 67% more expensive from 6am to midnight (for 18 hours). And to add insult to injury the gas tariff is also 32% higher.

So, unless I only use my washing machine, tumbler drier, dishwasher and oven between midnight and 6am -(wake up at 4am to take stuff from the washing machine to the tumble drier)- I lose a fortune by changing to the cheap EV tariff. So I'm back on a normal Next Secure Fixed Tariff.

Has anyone else found the same problem- and has a solution?

StevieP21

What do you mean they are hidden?

When I got a quote it clearly stated the peak and off peak prices?

What exactly was hidden?

TadleyBaggie

According to Google, if you schedule a daytime EV charge through the app, the whole house gets the same 6.5p/kWh rate.

Vitor

An EV tariff isn't automatically cheaper. A household with high daytime electricity consumption, substantial gas usage and low annual mileage could genuinely be worse off. OP should compare gas tariffs independently rather than assume he must accept an expensive gas rate to obtain cheap EV charging.

That said, the biggest cost will be depreciation on the EV regardless of how many miles it covers.

debitcardmayhem

There are no "hidden" costs, you need to work out how much electricity you need to use and which you can defer to the cheap rate. I am sure that the quote for the tariff would state what the vatious rates are.

MattMattMattUK

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6688262/ev-tariff-massive-hidden-costs

When you say "no one tells you", did you not look at the tariff information?

The EV tariff makes driving very cheap, around 2p per mile, vs 20p per mile or more on an ICE vehicle, home usage during the day is higher, 30-50% higher depending on the tariff (or one can use a charging bolt on, although most of those are currently closed to new subscribers). As most homes only use around 2,400kWh of electricity annually that would cost around £240 more on the EV tariff it it was all used peak. Based on UK average 7,400 miles would save around £340 being on an EV tariff vs normal. Any usage that gets offset to the night (dishwasher and washing machine running overnight, background usage overnight etc.) generates further savings and many homes with battery will use little to no peak electricity, some homes with larger batteries and heat pumps do not pay anything peak at all for their entire energy usage.

As for gas, that is not impacted by being on an EV tariff or not.

The only way for you to lose money on an EV tariff under those scenarios is if you drive low mileage and use quite a lot of energy, over the national average energy usage and under the national average mileage.

As an example I live in an all electric property, I charge my EV, I heat my water overnight, I run my dishwasher and washing machine overnight most of the time, even if I ignored the EV charging itself because the majority of my energy usage is overnight I save money, with the EV charging on top I save even more.

It's not really a problem therefore does not have a solution, although you can make different tariffs work in different ways depending on your usage, battery, solar, heat pump etc. but as with everything you need to pick the best tariff for your situation.

Ayr_Rage

There are no hidden cost increases!

The solution, know how much you use and when you use it and read the tariff information BEFORE signing up.

QrizB

Welcome back to the forum (I note you're not exactly new, but have only made one previous post and no replies).

Just bought an EV and moved to an Eon Next Drive Smart from Next Secure Fixed tariff - Disaster! No one tells you about the hidden cost increases!

As stated above, there are no hidden increases. All the tariff info was given to you before you signed up.

Although cheaper between midnight and 6am (for 6 hours) electricity is 67% more expensive from 6am to midnight (for 18 hours).

Yes, that's how EV tariffs (and time-of-use tariffs in general) work. You get a cheaper period and a more expensive period.

And to add insult to injury the gas tariff is also 32% higher.

That'll be because you left a pre-existing fix. When your current fix ends you'll find that all gas tariffs are more expensive than you're used to, thanks to someone's Middle East war.

So, unless I only use my washing machine, tumbler drier, dishwasher and oven between midnight and 6am -(wake up at 4am to take stuff from the washing machine to the tumble drier)- I lose a fortune by changing to the cheap EV tariff.

That's possible, but unlikely unless you're some combination of (1) a low-mileage driver and/or (2) a high user of domestic electricity.

How many miles do you expect to drive in a year? And how much electricity does your household use in a year?

So I'm back on a normal Next Secure Fixed Tariff.

That could end up costing you more, but it's your decision to make.

Has anyone else found the same problem- and has a solution?

Most people don't find this to be a problem. They save money on an EV tariff.

If you spend another £5k or so and have a home storage battery installed, you can power your whole house from your off-peak EV electricity.

Or, when V2X is finally available, you could use your EV as your battery and run your house from that.

dunstonh

Although cheaper between midnight and 6am (for 6 hours) electricity is 67% more expensive from 6am to midnight (for 18 hours). And to add insult to injury the gas tariff is also 32% higher.

what you mean is that particular tariff is more expensive in daytime.

So, unless I only use my washing machine, tumbler drier, dishwasher and oven between midnight and 6am -(wake up at 4am to take stuff from the washing machine to the tumble drier)- I lose a fortune by changing to the cheap EV tariff. So I'm back on a normal Next Secure Fixed Tariff.

Either you do what economy 7 users have done for 50 years (i.e. use as much as possible off peak) or you change tariff.

There is a balance between peak and off-peak usage. Think of it like a see-saw. The more you push down on one side, the more the other goes up. Depending on how much electricity you can move into the off peak period, you may be better off not going with the cheapest off peak rate but one that is a bit closer to the peak rate.

We use around 70% of our electricity in the off peak period. So, for us, the lowest off peak rate is best. However, if you can only manage around say 30%, then a higher off peak rate would be better.

This is not hidden and the costs are not massive. You just have to be more aware of your energy usage and select the appropriate tariff.

sheenas

indeed all over the internet EVers boast their 6.99p per kWh or whatever tariff. Never once mentioned the standard charge or painful peak rate charges. Depending on your individual circumstances the benefits range from quite a lot or more expensive. You may want to review the eon app. See when and how much you’re using energy and take it from their.

Keep_pedalling

You don’t say how many miles you do, but you heat by gas so unless your millage is very low low then a large portion of your electric use will be on charging your EV. When I got my first EV 6 years ago the break even point was 40% on the cheap rate and driving 10k a year I was using a lot more than 40%.

We added a battery recently which means nearly all our use is at the cheap rate.