You can reduce your cost of charging your Texas electric vehicle. Are you an owner of a Texas electric vehicle (EV) living in Texas or planning to get one soon? If an electric vehicle is your reality, then it is normal for you to wonder how much impact charging the vehicle at home is having on your utility bill. Keep reading to see how you can reduce the cost of charging your Texas Electric Vehicle at home.
What are electric vehicle and how do they work?
Let’s start with what EVs really are and how the charging works.
EVs are vehicles that move using power stored inside a battery, rather than from the more conventional internal combustion engine (ICE). When the only source of power in the vehicle is the battery, it is known as a battery electric vehicle (BEV). Some electric models include an ICE. These are known as hybrids. It means the vehicle can be powered either from an electric motor or from the battery. When the battery in a hybrid can be charged with an external charger, the vehicle is said to be a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV).
EVs ‘refuel’ by connecting to the grid. Electricity will then flow in through the charger and be stored in the battery. The most common way to refuel is home charging. It could be done by plugging into a socket in the home. Faster charging is available at public stations run as a network by companies like EVgo, Electrify America, etc.
Effect on your utility bill
Operating an electric vehicle is cheaper than a gas powered one. One of the reasons is that electricity is cheaper than gas. As utility bills are a fact of life though, when you charge your Texas Electric Vehicle at home, you will notice a difference on your energy bill. It will go up. Just how much additional costs you get from charging at home depends on how much you use your vehicle on a daily basis. This is because the more miles you drive, the more your battery is depleted and the more you have to charge.
There could be seasonal changes in the amount your EV adds to your power bills. Charging takes longer in cold weather because the process is less efficient. So if you live in cities where it gets cold in some parts of the year, expect your bill to increase during the period. Just how much could that be though? Let’s do the math. The average American drives 37 miles per day. If that is true of you, then you would need about 12 kWh of energy per day. Texas Electricity costs the average consumer Joe 13.31 cents per kWh, which means you spend $1.6 per day on charging your EV. By the end of the month, you would have racked up about $50 extra on your bill.
Note that these are averages so your mileage may vary. But we have a good idea of the cost.
How to save on electricity costs
EVs are a good way to reduce the cost of operating your vehicle. However, it is possible to save further by reducing the amount you actually spend on charging. Below are two approaches to saving if you live in Texas. You can adopt the two to achieve maximum effect.
Cut down on other consumption of electricity
The idea is, if you consciously conserve energy in other areas in your home, you may save kWh towards charging your EV. Look into your lifestyle and see where you can make adjustments. For instance, cutting down on the energy used in cooling or heating your home will help you save. Seal up your home to avoid leakage – Or simply turn down your thermostat a single degree.
Switch your electricity supplier or plan
This is another great way to save on the cost of charging your EV. Switch your electric plan to a Free Nights or Free Weekend Texas electric plan. Some Texas electricity companies offer plans that let you pay less or nothing during the night or weekends. If you get on a free nights electric plan, you can take advantage by simply making a mental note to plug in your EV to charge overnight every day. If you find a free weekend plan, you can schedule to charge your EV fully on weekends and simply top up during the week.
Before you can take advantage of free or reduced electricity prices to charge your EV, you must be able to find them. You can easily search for electricity plans on https://electricitymatch.com if you are in Texas. Simply type in your zip code and you will be able to compare electricity plans and see the one that works best for charging your EV.
