Thursday, August 11th, 2011 3:13 pm
We recently received our first electric vehicle. It is a 2011 Nissan Leaf, and we are charging the vehicle with solar power, making it a true zero emissions vehicle.
We will be running tests and modeling the financial impact of using an electric vehicle in a home with solar and a home without solar. While auto dealers and unshophisticated solar contractors point to average electricity rates and solar costs, the true financial impact is much more complicated. SDG&E has a series of optional rates available to homeowners that have electric vehicles and/or solar systems. In some cases, you will be better served by a time of use rate that allows you to sell the electricity from your solar system to SDG&E during the peak hours at $0.29/kWh, they buy back the electricity from SDG&E at $0.10/kWh to power your electric vehicle in the middle of the night. In other situations, it will be better for you to stay with your tiered electric rate and have a separate meter only for charging the electric vehicle in the middle of the night for which you will be paying less than $0.10/kWh.
Don't waste potential savings. Each home uses electricity differently and standard solutions produce sub-optimal benefits. Have us produce a free custom analysis that maximizes the benefits of an electric vehicle and solar system for your home. Call us today at 800-411-SOLAR.
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