Considering news announced yesterday that UK inflation has hit its highest rate in 40 years, and with millions of household electricity bills rising by £700-a-year*, a study reveals 46 per cent of EV owners are not utilising cheaper, off-peak charging. Despite UK Government requiring all EV chargers sold after 30th June 2022 to have smart functionality, attempting to alleviate the burden of rising electricity costs and stress on the grid, Smart Home Charge reveals the time to educate about how and why to use or swap to smart charging at home, is now.
The survey, conducted by Smart Home Charge, the UK’s leading home charging retailer and installer, found that nearly half (46 per cent) of survey respondents did not take advantage of off-peak charging times, and could benefit by either installing a smart charging point at home or ensuring they use the smart scheduling features if they already have one.
To support this, Smart Home Charge has calculated that, using EDF’s GoElectric 35 tariff**, charging a Nissan Leaf on the peak day rate of 45p per kWh will cost around £18 for a single charge versus just £1.80 when using the off-peak rate of 4.5p per kWh (between the hours of 12 midnight and 5am). Across 10,000 miles in one year, peak rate only charging would cost £1,071 versus £107 when using off-peak only charging – a large saving of £964.
Smart charge points are proven to provide drivers more control over their home charging setup, such as setting up scheduled charging to coincide with cheaper electricity rates, as well as providing information on charging history so drivers can monitor their EV home charging costs.
The UK Government’s smart charging regulations on all home chargers sold on or after 30th June 2022 will assist with default off-peak charging, yet the poll reveals those new to EVs need help with what smart charging actually is, and how to make the most of it and reap the cost savings. Those without smart-equipped home chargers also need to be shown the efficiencies, cost savings and benefits of swapping their chargers for a new, smarter one.
Danny Morgan, Editor and Marketing Manager at Smart Home Charge said: “Educating new EV drivers is key to helping them save on their car charging costs. Traditionally, drivers have not had much choice when it comes to fuel costs other than searching for which petrol station has the lowest price – and even then the difference is pennies.
“However, EV drivers have much more control over the cost of their home EV charging, firstly by finding an energy supplier which offers an EV-friendly tariff with off-peak rates and secondly by making sure they set up a schedule on their smart home charge point that coincides with their off-peak window.
“While drivers cannot ultimately control wholesale electricity prices, they can make sure they are charging their cars on the lowest rate possible by using the Smart Home Charge EV energy tariff comparison tool.”