After one homeowner spotted what they believed was a loophole in an EV charging program, they took to Reddit's r/SolarDIY community to see if they were missing anything or could profit from it.
Here's what to know
The original poster explained in the Reddit forum that, "My local utility has an EV program that lets you run anything in your house from 10pm to 5am around .05 cents a kWh. They can't distinguish or care what you're charging, so that got me thinking, why not charge whole home batteries overnight to use during the day?"
OP added that "I'm sure eventually the program will end, at which point I can prepare with building out the rest of the solar system… [Does] anyone else do this? What am I missing?"
One response said the approach already has a name. "It's called load shifting and it's a commonly used practice," one commenter wrote, referring to the strategy of storing low-cost electricity and leaning on that stored energy when rates are higher.
Some noted that this strategy can be quite profitable. One said, "Yup, saves me a ton… I load shift my home office, which is what uses most of the power in my house and [I] charge it at night."
A few commenters also stressed that the strategy's profitability depends on efficiency losses. As one person warned, "Losses. At grid scale they lose about 10-15% on the round trip from AC back to AC. For home systems it can be as high as 30%, so the high TOU price has to be at least 1.5x the low TOU price to save any money."
What can be done?
For households with high daytime use, especially of air conditioning, the savings from load shifting can add up quickly.
This online exchange exemplifies why adding battery storage is one of the best ways to save money on energy, protect your home during outages, and work toward going off-grid. Even without solar panels on day one, a battery can keep critical appliances running and help households take advantage of lower overnight utility rates.
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Homeowners who want to run the numbers can explore EnergySage for information about home battery storage options, including competitive installation estimates. EnergySage has teamed up with the electrification brand Qmerit to guarantee you get the best price on home battery storage solutions.
Another option is Pila, which offers excellent battery backup and plug-and-play batteries priced at a fraction of what a whole-home backup system would cost.
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