Power Up At Home
Make the most of your electric vehicle charge: tips from OPALCO
Many islanders have made the switch to electric vehicles for a number of reasons. Some choose to drive electric vehicles in an effort to reduce their reliance on a gas-powered car and therefore reduce their carbon footprint. Others made the switch to save on their monthly and yearly expenses that would otherwise go towards gas. Others still have made the change to an EV because the island lifestyle allows for it – many islanders have a daily commute of less than 30 miles total. Whatever your reason, the decision to switch to an EV comes with many great benefits.
The best place to charge your EV is at home! While there are an increasing number of public chargers being made available in the San Juan Islands, many are either only available to customers/patrons of private businesses or are in such high demand that it is difficult to find a window of time when the chargers are unoccupied. Considering that, OPALCO recommends that members install a charger of their own at their home if they are looking to switch to an electric vehicle. Of course, there are plenty of resources available to members to make an at-home charger more easily attainable, including rebates and on-bill financing. Additionally, there are ways you can optimize your charging to make the most of your EV and the savings that come along with it! Check out some of OPALCO’s tips for making the most of your charge.
Charging during certain times:
Based on how our power providers, BPA (Bonneville Power Administration), pass costs through to us, here are the recommended times to charge your vehicle:
- Charge after 10 pm and before 7 am on weekdays and Saturdays
- Charge anytime on Sundays and federal holidays
You can also help to reduce load on the OPALCO grid during peak use times by avoiding charging during these times whenever possible:
- 6:30 am – 9:30 am
- 4:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Charging outside of peak load windows means that OPALCO can get access to the cheaper power from BPA and will not have to go to the market to purchase power when demand for it is very high.
Programming your charger:
Many modern EV chargers (or even the system in your EV itself) can be programmed to begin charging at certain hours of the day. For example, with the peak hours listed above in mind, you could program your charge to happen every weeknight from 11pm-4am so that your vehicle is fully charged by the time you wake up. This way, you can ensure you never miss a charge but are also not putting extra strain on the grid during the peak hours for San Juan County.
EV Charger Installations
If you are installing a new EV charger at your home, make sure you review with OPALCO engineering to ensure your service is sized for additional loads to be added on. Most chargers range from ~3kW to ~20kW. If the charger you are wanting to install exceeds that rating, you may need to increase the size of transformer that serves your residence. When in doubt, reach out to engineering@opalco.com.
Visit our electric vehicle webpage to compare EV models, calculate EV savings, find EV and charger incentives, and more! www.opalco.com/electricvehicles
