Is 2,500 a good estimate to install a second PG&E meter?

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vgonzalez

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 15, 2011
Messages
51
Location
Concord, CA
Hi There,
I am preparing for the Leaf arrival, is 2,500 a good estimate to install a second PG&E meter to my attached garage, the work includes parts and labor the second meter and panel will be install next to the original meter, this does not include the purchase of the charging station?
 
That's a bit like asking, "How much does a house cost?" There's no way to provide an educated comment to such a question without knowing a lot of details.
 
ENIAC is right ... but just some feedback. I spent about half that and much more work was done: new surface mount 2nd meter box on outside fed from 100A breaker in original panel; route from new 2nd meter box to new inside sub-panel with 2x double-pole + 1x single-pole breakers; hardwire a provided EVSE; run 60 feet 1" conduit to other side of garage with #8/4 & #10/3 to 1x 5-20 + 1x 14-50 receptacles.

Notice no trenching required or other service upgrades (original panel feeds 2nd meter and sub-panel). Utility (SMUD) installs new meter into the new meter box at no charge.
 
V,
If you are just trying to isolate your Leaf's e-use, why get PG&E involved... With all the "Smart"
meters being installed, there are plenty of perfectly good analog meters being trashed.. I even have an old one in my garage somewhere. My understanding is PG&E won't even set a second meter unless you rezone your property and you need county or city approval.. If I were you I would just install the meter socket and analog PG&E "style" meter above/inline with you EVSE
right in your garage... You could even buy a new digital meter for a couple of hundred bucks...
maybe less... There are also clamp on meters that can also monitor elec. use... But unless you want a second PG&E bill why bother.. PM me if you like and I'll give you my electricians #'s... And yes $2500 seems like too much... unless the AV people are doing it...
Good luck
Mike
 
I got two quotes for this because I wanted to meter the charging dock separately on PG&E's E9B rate while leaving the house on E1. The quotes were $3500 each including permits and all equipment. The amount of work and price will depend on your existing service main panel and whether you have overhead or underground service. My suggestion: Just tap a circuit from your service main and go on E9A rate for the first year, and note the difference in your electric bills. You can always have the upgrade done later (albeit with some interruption of service to the dock).

It's too bad that PG&E isn't as progressive as SDG&E in allowing you to install a 2nd meter in the dock circuit and then doing a subtraction each month. Perhaps we should advocate?
 
gascant said:
It's too bad that PG&E isn't as progressive as SDG&E in allowing you to install a 2nd meter in the dock circuit and then doing a subtraction each month. Perhaps we should advocate?
That's also how SMUD does it here in Sacramento County. And there's no separate monthly meter charge for the 2nd meter. And the 2nd meter can be on a different rate plan than the rest of the house running on the (original) primary meter.
 
I installed a second meter myself in my attached garage next to my original meter and house panel and with the permit, AV EVSE, the new panel and weatherhead and the PG&E meter install cost ($250) it totalled about $1900 so if you if you subtract the $834.00 AV EVSE cost, it would have been around $1070. Add about $400 to $500 for electrician labor and it would come to about $1500 to $1600 for everything but the EVSE. So you should be able to get it installed for that range.
 
LEAFer said:
gascant said:
It's too bad that PG&E isn't as progressive as SDG&E in allowing you to install a 2nd meter in the dock circuit and then doing a subtraction each month. Perhaps we should advocate?
That's also how SMUD does it here in Sacramento County. And there's no separate monthly meter charge for the 2nd meter. And the 2nd meter can be on a different rate plan than the rest of the house running on the (original) primary meter.
That's great! It would be so much easier if every utility allowed it. Would save us all a lot of cost and give the utility "smarter users" :lol:
 
gascant said:
LEAFer said:
That's also how SMUD does it here in Sacramento County. And there's no separate monthly meter charge for the 2nd meter.
That's great! It would be so much easier if every utility allowed it. Would save us all a lot of cost and give the utility "smarter users" :lol:
Just to make absolutely certain ... there is an upfront "cost" to modifying the system to accept a 2nd meter because dual-meter adapters are now a no-no: a new breaker in main panel, 2nd meter socket, routing from that new breaker to 2nd meter socket, then to EVSE, etc.. But the actual 2nd meter is free and placed by SMUD into the socket at no additional cost, and there's no monthly meter charge on the utility bill for the second meter. Still a good deal, IMO.
 
Los Angeles DWP also does not allow that though, interesting, they do for water.


gascant said:
It's too bad that PG&E isn't as progressive as SDG&E in allowing you to install a 2nd meter in the dock circuit and then doing a subtraction each month. Perhaps we should advocate?
 
Is there any 2019/2020 update to this? Will PG&E allow a simple sub-meter to be installed (subtracting the sub-meter from the primary meter to calculate the difference)? Are any of the EVSE's certified to utility grade, for counting usage?
 
gascant said:
It's too bad that PG&E isn't as progressive as SDG&E in allowing you to install a 2nd meter in the dock circuit and then doing a subtraction each month. Perhaps we should advocate?

SDG&E seems very progressive. The actual utility invented a quick connect meter adapter for solar, that seems like it could be adapted to EV 2nd meter petty easy:
https://www.sdge.com/residential/savings-center/solar-power-renewable-energy/renewable-meter-adapter

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1LyNexbgbc&t=106s[/youtube]
 
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