CHARGE YOUR EV AT HOME AND SAVE

Wake up to a fully-charged EV every morning with your own “clean charging station” at the equivalent of 70¢ per gallon!*

In addition to a rebate on the electric vehicle and a rebate on a qualifying home charger, you will also be eligible for 45% savings on the energy you need to charge your EV when you join the EV Rate!

Faster Charge your EV up to 6x faster than from your wall outlet, adding around 25 miles of range per hour.

Convenient Schedule your car to charge overnight and monitor progress through a free phone app. See below*

Less Expensive Fuel up with 100% renewably-sourced electricity at the equivalent of 70¢ per gallon.*

Helpful Charging between 10pm and 12 noon the next day spreads the city’s electric usage more evenly throughout the day.

*BED is excited to offer this innovative charging program to our customers, however, the ChargePoint Home Flex is currently the only model we support due its sub-metering capabilities which allows us to precisely measure energy usage. We are looking into adding more options in the future but, unfortunately, we have not yet located other models with the required sub-metering capabilities.

As noted in the FAQ section below, some customers have been experiencing on-peak charging after they have programmed the charger to only charge during the off-peak hours. ChargePoint has not been able to fully resolve this issue yet, and BED has little or no ability to resolve ChargePoint software issues. The FAQ section below does provide some tips on how to possibly avoid this issue.

How To Receive Monthly Credit

1. Purchase and install a ChargePoint Home Flex EV charger
   • The ChargePoint Home Flex is currently the only model we support but are looking into adding more options in the future. The Home Flex is available at the following retailers.
     • ChargePoint Home Flex website
     • Green Mountain Electric Supply, Colchester
     • Amazon
2. Enroll in the new EV Rate
   • Follow the instructions for your EV Charger model below.
     • • ChargePoint Charger Enrollment Guide
3. ONLY charge between 10pm and 12 noon
   • Follow the instructions below to avoid losing your monthly credit.

Don’t forget to fill out the Rebate Form to receive up to $900 back on your new charger and installation.

Important: Charge Between 10pm and 12 noon only

To receive the monthly EV charging credit, you may only charge your vehicle between 10pm and 12 noon (the next day). If at any time during your billing month you charge outside these times, you will not receive the 45% savings on your bill for the energy used to charge your EV.

Understanding Your ChargePoint Charger

Keep an eye on the color and status of the station LED immediately before and after you plug in your EV:

• Green Light
  • solid: ready to charge
  • blinking: schedule is set
• Blue Light
  • solid: car is plugged in
  • pulsing: station is actively charging your car
    • If you plug your EV in during the on-peak hours and the station starts pulsing blue, you have approximately 30sec. to remove the connector before enough energy is dispensed to void your credit for the billing cycle.
• Red Light
  • contact ChargePoint Support
• White Light
  • solid: charger is not connected to wi-fi
  • blinking: your charger still needs to be activated

EV Rate Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the EV charging credit per kWh? How much will I save?

The EV Charging Credit is 7.6¢ per kWh and will appear as a credit on your bill. This will lower the amount you pay to charge your EV to 8.9¢ per kWh or the equivalent to ~70¢ per gallon of gasoline. A customer who drives 10,000 miles in a year could save roughly $200 in charging expense.

How will the charging credit appear on my bill?

If you are eligible for the credit during a given billing period, you will see a line item for “EV CHARGING CREDIT.” If you are not eligible for the credit, this line item will not appear at all on your bill.

Who is eligible for the EV Rate?

Customers must be on the either the BED Residential Service (“RS”), Small General Service (“SG”), or Large General Service (“LG”) rate with the ability to install a qualifying EV charger behind their electric meter and connect the device to reliable WiFi.

When should I charge my vehicle?

To receive the monthly EV charging credit, customers must charge their EV during the hours that are specified as EV Charging Hours of 10 PM – 12 PM noon (next day). BED is working on two charging options, though we are currently only offering the Fixed EV Charging Option.

If at any time during your billing month you charge outside these times, you will not receive the “EV Charging Credit” 45% savings on that month’s bill for the energy used to charge your EV.

Before you charge the first time, we recommend you set your device’s scheduling function to limit charging times.

Why is the rate so strict that if one charging event occurs outside of the EV Charging Hours I lose all of my credits for that billing period?

EV chargers pull a lot of power from the grid in a short period of time. We are offering this special rate to encourage customers to use energy during off-peak hours. Spreading our city’s usage more evenly throughout the day helps us keep costs down.

How can I make sure I only charge during the EV Charging Hours?

There are a few ways to use technology to pre-schedule your charging times. The EV charger will have the ability to set a schedule in advance and many EVs have the ability to program a charging schedule as well.

If I own a ChargePoint charger, how do I charge right away if I’m on a schedule?

If you have a charging schedule set and need to charge immediately, just plug in, unplug and plug back in within a few seconds to start charging right away if you do not want to charge off-peak.

If I own a ChargePoint charger and my car is charging during the on-peak hours what’s going on?

ChargePoint has indicated that an occurrence called “double pumping” can cause an off-peak schedule to be overridden. This happens when the charger is connected to your vehicle during the peak period, disconnected, and then immediately plugged back in (within a few seconds). This may also occur when plugging in from one EV to another. ChargePoint recommends plugging your charger back into its holster before reconnecting to a vehicle’s charging port.

Programming your vehicle to only charge during the off-peak hours may resolve the issue but may also require overriding this setting when charging elsewhere.

Will I need to connect the EV Charger to my home WiFi network?

Yes, devices will connect directly to your WiFi. Contact the device manufacturer for more information on the WiFi connection process.

Can we see our charging data?

It is likely that the device manufacturer (EV Charger or submeter) will have a dashboard or smartphone App to allow customers to view their charging behavior.

An EV Charger would be the first “internet of things” device that we have in our home. I am concerned about data security.

BED treats security and customer privacy with great importance. When working with outside companies, BED realizes that this is a concern and makes sure that these companies have standards in place to protect our customers from the threat of cybersecurity and privacy related issues. The Internet of Things era is bringing a great deal of exciting new capabilities, but it is also making new vulnerabilities that will be difficult for BED to control. While we are working with companies that have standards in place to protect our customers, BED will not be able to have complete oversight on how these companies secure their devices and protect customer data.

Will I need an electrician to install the EV charger? How do I find an Electrician?

You will need an electrician to install the EV charger. BED would recommend searching online to find an electrician in this area and calling to schedule an appointment.

What is the total estimated installation cost (EV Charger + Contractor)?

Costs can vary depending on your electrical wiring and the amount of room in your electrical panel. Estimates have ranged from $200-$700. BED would recommend contacting your electrician for a quote.

If I am a customer who already owns an EV and qualifying EV Charger, am I eligible for the EV rate?

If you have installed a BED-approved EV charger and have met the terms and conditions of the rate you will be eligible for the EV rate.

If I am a customer who already owns an EV and a non-qualifying EV Charger, what are my options?

As we are planning on continuing to add chargers and metering solutions to this rate, please get in touch with our Energy Services Team with information about your charger. BED has an existing Time-Of-Use rate that would incentivize you to charge during off-peak hours but it might not save you money due to its increased customer charge and some hours being more expensive under that rate.

If I sign up mid-bill-cycle, will my EV rate be prorated on my bill or do I have to wait for a full billing period?

Customers will get a credit for the period of the billing cycle that they became enrolled in the EV Rate.

 

Read the Tariff Sheet for the EV Rate.

 

* The equivalence of 70¢ per gallon is based on the following: 25 MPG fossil fuel vehicle; 30kWh/100mi EV efficiency; and BED’s EV rate.