<<< 2023 – Changing our Grid Provider
2024 – No big surprises (fortunately)
This has been our first full year with two EVs charging regularly at home.
These are our Spring quarter electricity costs (Sept/Oct/Nov) for 2024 …
The figures in the image above include the additional electricity consumption and costs for charging two electric vehicles – but this is balanced by the advantage of no more petrol bills.
Our average monthly electricity bill for Spring 2024, including EV charging, was $107.
Getting it all in Perspective
Overall, despite the increasing c/kWh rate of energy, our electricity costs have stayed reasonably steady….
2024 has seen a net increase of around $5 per month in electricity expenditure over the previous year. This is the first year when we have been able to make a direct comparison to the previous year with EV charging included.
Our night-time off-peak usage from 12:00am to 6:00am (shown as ‘EV Power’ in the table above) also includes running the pool filter, which uses around 5kWh of electricity – costing 40c at the off-peak rate. So the EVs are costing us around $100 a quarter – which is way less than what we would have been paying for petrol! (Probably $150 a week for two cars.)
The running of the pool filter overnight, rather than during the day, also explains the increase in our export of solar-generated energy to the grid.
The most staggering number that comes out of the spreadsheet above is how much we would have been paying, at today’s rates, if we were still consuming the same amount of grid electricity that we were using when we first commenced this energy journey. In 2007 we were consuming 5700 kWh of electricity in a 3 month period. At the current cost of 34c per kWh that would be costing us close to $2000! For one quarter. That’s $8000 a year!
Wow.
Time for a Battery?
This Spring period we consumed 448 kWh of ‘general usage’ electricity from the grid, but fed 859 kWh back into the grid.
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- The 448 kWh of electricity that we purchased from the grid cost us $151.
- The 859 kWh of electricity that we fed back into the grid earned us just $54.
Why the huge difference in the cost of the electricity we buy from the electricity company, and what they pay us for the electricity that we produce? Mostly because when we are feeding electricity into the grid (during sunny days) so is everybody else. There is an oversupply of electricity produced during the day, and no solar-generated electricity produced at night.
What we really should be doing is feeding our excess solar-produced electricity into an on-site battery, rather than sending it back to the grid, so we can use it at night instead of buying electricity from the power company.
Unfortunately we aren’t quite there yet. First, we need to upgrade our old solar panels. The panels that we installed in 2015 each produce 250W of electricity – resulting in around 4.2 kW output from our 17 panels.
New panels produce around 440W, which would increase our output to over 7 kW, which would do a much better job of keeping our battery charged. (Apparently battery warranty depends on having the battery regularly charged to over 80%).
Though we would probably need two batteries – and at $10,000 (or more) each, that’s still a lot of cash, considering the current returns. When we installed our solar panels we ‘paid’ for them with savings in electricity costs in about 18 months. When the cost of a battery gets into the same ‘net returns’ league we will no doubt head that way, if the budget allows.
Other stuff…
The info below is a repeat from the 2023 post – but it is still relevant if you are shopping around for an electricity supplier…
You may be tempted to head off and check that you are getting the best possible deal for your electricity plan. However, always keep in mind that the number quoted on the electricity company’s website (or by the staff on the sales desk) isn’t always the bottom line that you need to consider. Here are some thoughts on shopping around for electricity supplies…
Comparing electricity rates
We have always kept an eye on rates being charged by electricity suppliers. Which is an art in itself. Energy companies have taken a leaf from the playbook of phone and internet service providers, making it as confusing as possible to compare rates, burying the long-term information you need behind one-off special offers designed to grab your attention and entice you to sign up without any further investigation.
And, much like insurance companies and banks, energy suppliers provide little incentive for customer loyalty. In fact they tend to exploit that loyalty – new customers often receive a better deal than existing customers.
The NSW government provides the Energy Made Easy website that is supposed to make comparisons, well, easy – just submit your latest electricity bill and the website will use the information you provide to suggest the energy provider with the best rate for you.
Except the energy companies have gamed the comparison process by including short term introductory offers to move their ‘plans’ rate to a favourable position on the list, or focusing on variable rates with a low off-peak rate to suck you in, masking the higher rate that you will pay during peak times when you will actually be using the electricity.
So, use caution when comparing electricity company plans. Look for key indicators, so that you can compare apples with apples.
What should you be looking for?
The unit rate – cents per kilowatt hour (c/kWh). Look for the ‘general’ or ‘peak’ rate that you will be paying for electricity during the time when you will be using the electricity – which is likely going to be between when you arrive home in the evening and when you go to bed. And ditto for in the morning before you head out for the day. Anything from around 34c to over 60c per kWh is the going rate (September 2023). You might be using anything between 5kWh and 30kWh per day, depending on a wide number of variables, including how many people live in your home, if you have central heating/cooling, if you have a swimming pool/spa, if you are heating hot water, charging an EV, etc, etc, etc.
Daily supply charge – A fixed daily fee, which might be anything between $0.80 and $1.50 per day, just to have the power connected. Whether you are using it or not.
Solar feed in tariff – If you have solar panels. How much will the company pay you for your excess solar output. Anything from 5c to 12c per kWh. And often higher (attractive) feed-in rates are offset by higher (not so well publicised) grid supply costs.
Super off-peak – A special rate for charging an electric car. Usually available in the wee small hours of the morning. Anything from 8c to 25c per kWh. (This rate may also be available in the middle of the day, or on weekends.)
Controlled load – Off-peak rate for storage hot water heaters. Around 25c/kWh. (Not a factor for us, as we don’t have a storage hot water system.)
Choosing our plan
As discussed in our 2023 summary, we are with AGL, after switching from Powershop. The AGL rates remain pretty much the same as last year, with the exception of a lower feed-in rate for our solar energy…
| Quote Note: When contacting providers for a quote, don’t accept their comparative rates claims based on a % reduction from the reference rate. Ask specifically for the peak c/kWh rate and the daily supply charge, as well as solar feed-in rate, etc, if relevant. |
Other EV charging plans available (for our location) include:
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- Powershop EV Plan – 14c per kWh for EV charging, but increases peak rate to 39c, and provides only 5c feed-in. Daily supply is $1.37 compared to AGL’s $0.97.
- Red Energy EV Saver – Free electricity for EV charging, but only between 12pm and 2pm Saturday and Sunday. 34c flat rate at all other times, 7c solar feed-in, and $0.85 daily supply charge. (Only suitable for those who don’t go out on weekends, who can fully charge their car in 2×2 hour periods, and whose car’s charge will last all week!)
- OVO Energy EV plan – matches AGL’s 8c per kWh for EV charging, ups the solar feed-in tariff to 10c, and charges a daily supply rate of $0.99, but their flat rate for general use is 39c.
- Engie– the classic confusing website with various ‘plans’. No off peak EV offering (early 2025) and misleading solar feed-in rates, quoting a high rate, but only for the first 8kWh.
Interstate….
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- ioEnergy’s SA Sustainable Home tariff – daytime charging at 8c per kWh between 10am and 3pm.
- Synergy’s Midday Saver (WA) – daytime charging at 8.2c per kWh between 9am and 3pm.