So the rate reality is now hitting me after speaking with Adam, the hotline guy. I have two choices: bad and worse, or maybe a third. I thought TOU metering would lower our bills, but it looks like just the opposite will be true.
First, contrary to what has been posted here, he said I could stay on E1 if I want, which is probably the cheapest for me as it turns out. He seemed very sure of this. Exact quote, "No one will ever force you to move off E1."
Second as for E9A, my normal daytime (peak) rate will jump almost threefold and that will be the bulk of our usage, which is outrageous. We are already slightly over our baseline, and he said that would mean it would be very expensive to stay on E9A in that case. I am not sure why we are over the baseline as we do not have A/C, got rid of our pool with all its pumps, and are usually very careful about turning off lights, waiting for the dishwasher to be full before running, etc., and there are only two of us. Maybe our baseline is very low for some reason, or maybe our usage is higher than I thought because we are home during the day, on the computer, fixing lunch, cooking, etc.
Third, E9B requires not just a second meter, but a second panel, he said. That's where I am confused and clearly not a happy camper. I would think that technically they could install some sort of meter in the garage directly on the circuit that will be used for the EV, not at or before a breaker panel. I assume that if they (i.e. whomever I hire) put in a second panel they would have to run wire to my garage, which is over a 100 ft. wire run through low and difficult attic space, which could cost thousands. The AV quote was $3501 due mainly to this wire run distance. The thing is, there is already a GFI 120V 30A circuit running to there from my current panel and I am staying on Lev 1 charging at least at first. Can they just hook up the current wiring to the new panel instead of rewiring? If so, that shouldn't be too expensive. The new panel could be right next to or above the old panel near the main meter and drop. Second, are you allowed to plug in other things to the circuit that has the E9B rate? The water softener and everything else in the garage is on that same circuit. If that rate is strictly for the EV, then I'm wondering how PG&E would ever meter Level 1 since anything could be plugged into that socket. It's an ordinary socket. You could charge up some battery, capacitor or storage device (pump water up to a tank?) at night and then use that stored energy during the peak hours of day, so I assume they have some sort of restriction. Assuming PG&E allows anything else to use that E9B rated socket, then I have yet another problem, which is how to get my daytime use needs in the garage (like the washer/dryer) onto the regular E1 rate applicable to the rest of the house.
Can anyone answer these questions?
I'll have to work some numbers and read the rate descriptions in detail, but it looks to me like staying on E1 will likely be the cheapest, ironically.
