Service and charging costs electric cars?

lightspeed

Hi

Im thinking of getting an electric car and right now considering the Nissan Leaf. Can anyone advise how often you an electric car needs to be serviced and what are the costs?

I came across the below article talking about the Tesla S.

https://www.independent.ie/life/motoring/car-international/tesla-creates-a-buzz-with-electric-car-innovation-36691944.html

"An owner of a Model S told an information day at the Tesla Irish HQ in Sandyford that having clocked up a mileage of more than 60,000km, the only expense he incurred was the replacement of two front tyres".

Im not sure if Tesla cars require less servicing than other electric cars?


Also can anyone advise roughly how much it costs to charge an electric car at home?

I know thats a broad question but generally what would you say it cost per mile or km?

Probably a silly question but are the charging costs for charging the electric car itemised separately on the bill?

Im still living at home with the parents at the moment and just wondering if I can see the exact costs to repay the parents or would i just be taking a guess from increase in electricity bill?

Can anyone advise on costs to install the home charger?

I understand you get a €600 grant but I cant see costs of getting the power source installed. Is it something any qualified electrician can do?

KCross

lightspeed wrote: »

Hi

Im thinking of getting an electric car and right now considering the Nissan Leaf. Can anyone advise how often you an electric car needs to be serviced and what are the costs?

Technically you are supposed to service it once a year or 30k km to maintain the Nissan warranty. All they do in a service is change the cabin filter and do some checks!

Its pretty much the same for all EV's so the same as the Tesla guy you referred to.

A Nissan Leaf service is about the €120 mark depending on which dealer you use.

lightspeed wrote: »

Also can anyone advise roughly how much it costs to charge an electric car at home?

I know thats a broad question but generally what would you say it cost per mile or km?

Depends on the car. If you have an EV you should have night rate electricity which is 7c/kWh.

A 24kWh Leaf has 22kWh's of usable capacity, a 30kWh Leaf has 28kWh usable and the 40kWh has about 38kWh's so just do the multiplier on that and that is how much a 0-100% home charge costs. You need to then add on 10% extra for charger losses as some of the power is lost as heat.

lightspeed wrote: »

Probably a silly question but are the charging costs for charging the electric car itemised separately on the bill?

No, its not.

You can get a meter built into the charge point and that will tell you how much the car has added to the bill.

lightspeed wrote: »

Can anyone advise on costs to install the home charger?

I understand you get a €600 grant but I cant see costs of getting the power source installed. Is it something any qualified electrician can do?

Any electrician can do it. The grant should cover the entire cost unless you have a difficult job or a long cable run under driveways etc.

gally74

KCross wrote: »

Technically you are supposed to service it once a year or 30k km to maintain the Nissan warranty. All they do in a service is change the cabin filter and do some checks!

Its pretty much the same for all EV's so the same as the Tesla guy you referred to.

A Nissan Leaf service is about the €120 mark depending on which dealer you use.




Depends on the car. If you have an EV you should have night rate electricity which is 7c/kWh.

A 24kWh Leaf has 22kWh's of usable capacity, a 30kWh Leaf has 28kWh usable and the 40kWh has about 38kWh's so just do the multiplier on that and that is how much a 0-100% home charge costs. You need to then add on 10% extra for charger losses as some of the power is lost as heat.




No, its not.

You can get a meter built into the charge point and that will tell you how much the car has added to the bill.



Any electrician can do it. The grant should cover the entire cost unless you have a difficult job or a long cable run under driveways etc.

I did the callcs and night rate didn't pay for me, it depends on who your with, my rate with energia was just too good,

Shefwedfan

lightspeed wrote: »

Probably a silly question but are the charging costs for charging the electric car itemised separately on the bill?

Im still living at home with the parents at the moment and just wondering if I can see the exact costs to repay the parents or would i just be taking a guess from increase in electricity bill?

On the eGolf you can pull the exact amount of power used to charge the car each day. Might be helpful. Not sure if possible on other cars.

lightspeed wrote: »

Can anyone advise on costs to install the home charger?

I understand you get a €600 grant but I cant see costs of getting the power source installed. Is it something any qualified electrician can do?

It depends on a number of factors. A number of official installation crowds around. The other option is buy the charger from someone like electricautos and then get your own electrician to install.

This is what I done, I just got the spec and sent to him. He had it done in an hour.

KCross

gally74 wrote: »

I did the callcs and night rate didn't pay for me, it depends on who your with, my rate with energia was just too good,

The night rate is half the day rate. You pay an extra €45/yr on standing charge and the day rate is 1c/kWh more. You only need to use about 3kWh/night to make it worth getting. With an EV you will use many multiples of that.

The only way it wouldn’t pay is if you need to charge the car by day everyday. That would be rare.

gally74

KCross wrote: »

The night rate is half the day rate. You pay an extra €45/yr on standing charge and the day rate is 1c/kWh more. You only need to use about 3kWh/night to make it worth getting. With an EV you will use many multiples of that.

The only way it wouldn’t pay is if you need to charge the car by day everyday. That would be rare.

I only charge 2 a week maybe 3 and work is 11 cent no need for me

ELM327

lightspeed wrote: »

Hi

Im thinking of getting an electric car and right now considering the Nissan Leaf. Can anyone advise how often you an electric car needs to be serviced and what are the costs?

I came across the below article talking about the Tesla S.

https://www.independent.ie/life/motoring/car-international/tesla-creates-a-buzz-with-electric-car-innovation-36691944.html

"An owner of a Model S told an information day at the Tesla Irish HQ in Sandyford that having clocked up a mileage of more than 60,000km, the only expense he incurred was the replacement of two front tyres".

Im not sure if Tesla cars require less servicing than other electric cars?


Also can anyone advise roughly how much it costs to charge an electric car at home?

I know thats a broad question but generally what would you say it cost per mile or km?

Probably a silly question but are the charging costs for charging the electric car itemised separately on the bill?

Im still living at home with the parents at the moment and just wondering if I can see the exact costs to repay the parents or would i just be taking a guess from increase in electricity bill?

Can anyone advise on costs to install the home charger?

I understand you get a €600 grant but I cant see costs of getting the power source installed. Is it something any qualified electrician can do?

Teslas require more servicing, not less, than other cars.
And by servicing I mean repairs under warranty.

As a matter of interest, Bjorn's old Millenium Falcon (P85D) is for sale again with 300k km for approx 38k EUR

waynegalway

lightspeed wrote: »

Hi

Im thinking of getting an electric car and right now considering the Nissan Leaf. Can anyone advise how often you an electric car needs to be serviced and what are the costs?

I came across the below article talking about the Tesla S.

https://www.independent.ie/life/motoring/car-international/tesla-creates-a-buzz-with-electric-car-innovation-36691944.html

"An owner of a Model S told an information day at the Tesla Irish HQ in Sandyford that having clocked up a mileage of more than 60,000km, the only expense he incurred was the replacement of two front tyres".

Im not sure if Tesla cars require less servicing than other electric cars?


Also can anyone advise roughly how much it costs to charge an electric car at home?

I know thats a broad question but generally what would you say it cost per mile or km?

Probably a silly question but are the charging costs for charging the electric car itemised separately on the bill?

Im still living at home with the parents at the moment and just wondering if I can see the exact costs to repay the parents or would i just be taking a guess from increase in electricity bill?

Can anyone advise on costs to install the home charger?

I understand you get a €600 grant but I cant see costs of getting the power source installed. Is it something any qualified electrician can do?

I had all kinds of questions like this before I bought my LEAF, so I stuck them all together along with the answers, and popped them onto my website.

If you want to have a look, go to this page: https://waynegibbons.wordpress.com/electric-vehicle-qa/

I got my LEAF serviced about 6 weeks ago, it cost €130 and the service centre said it's due it next one after 1 year or 20,000km, whichever happens first.

Wayne

waynegalway

gally74 wrote: »

I did the callcs and night rate didn't pay for me, it depends on who your with, my rate with energia was just too good,

Same here.

You have to do the calcs, as usage will vary from one house to the next. I got a flat rate of 12.6c/kWh from Energia, which definitely worked out better for me than going on a day/night rate.

I like to be able to charge the car whenever I like, and doing so when I come home from work has proved useful on a few occasions where I unexpectedly had to go back out on the road before night-time.

Shefwedfan

I always said you need to think about other items in house, all our white goods have time delay, so at 2 in morning everything is going.....dishwasher/washing machine etc etc.....also car is charging

Sometimes during the day I might charge up car but even at that I am now using 50/50 day/night........before I installed I was 90/10 as we had nothing going at night

Due to this change my electric bill has stayed the same as before having electric car, so you could say I am getting free fuel for car

KCross

gally74 wrote: »

I only charge 2 a week maybe 3 and work is 11 cent no need for me

If you dont use the night rate then clearly it isnt worth getting. You need to use an average of about 3 units per night to break even.

Charging a 24kWh Leaf from 20-100% once a week would cover that as you have to account for the house background load as well (fridge, modems etc). Charge twice a week and you are up money.

I still dont see how you wouldn't save by having night rate on the basis that you have 2 or 3 charges a week.

waynegalway wrote: »

Same here.

You have to do the calcs, as usage will vary from one house to the next. I got a flat rate of 12.6c/kWh from Energia, which definitely worked out better for me than going on a day/night rate.

I like to be able to charge the car whenever I like, and doing so when I come home from work has proved useful on a few occasions where I unexpectedly had to go back out on the road before night-time.

I charge by day on an as needed basis too but it still makes more sense to have night rate as the car charges every night.

Do you not charge the car at night at all? Could you charge the car at night? Do you use more than 3 units a night?

You would need a very specific charge profile to not warrant night rate electricity. Maybe someone who works night shift and so their car is charged by day or someone who has free work charging or someone with Solar PV..... anyone who is charging their EV at night once or twice a week should have night rate.


And thats before you even look at running other appliances during night rate as well giving further savings.

waynegalway

KCross wrote: »

Do you not charge the car at night at all? Could you charge the car at night? Do you use more than 3 units a night?

You would need a very specific charge profile to not warrant night rate electricity. Maybe someone who works night shift and so their car is charged by day or someone who has free work charging or someone with Solar PV..... anyone who is charging their EV at night once or twice a week should have night rate.


And thats before you even look at running other appliances during night rate as well giving further savings.

I do charge it at night, but not always. My current pattern is to have it at 100% in the morning, it drops to 70% by the time I get to work, I plug it in there, leave work with 100%, get home with 70% and then top it back up to 100% at home. This isn’t a constant pattern, and I drops lower than 70% some days. At weekends the pattern is different and the batteries get a chance to discharge and recharge to a larger extent.

With 2 small kids (meaning multiple washes) it’s just not feasible to do washing and drying at night, as we have to “man” the machines to keep on top of things! We would do the odd laundry job at night, but not usually.

ELM327

Rather than cycling between 70 and 100 I would suggest strongly for the health of your battery that you cycle between 40-70

gally74

KCross wrote: »

If you dont use the night rate then clearly it isnt worth getting. You need to use an average of about 3 units per night to break even.

Charging a 24kWh Leaf from 20-100% once a week would cover that as you have to account for the house background load as well (fridge, modems etc). Charge twice a week and you are up money.

I still dont see how you wouldn't save by having night rate on the basis that you have 2 or 3 charges a week.




I charge by day on an as needed basis too but it still makes more sense to have night rate as the car charges every night.

Do you not charge the car at night at all? Could you charge the car at night? Do you use more than 3 units a night?

You would need a very specific charge profile to not warrant night rate electricity. Maybe someone who works night shift and so their car is charged by day or someone who has free work charging or someone with Solar PV..... anyone who is charging their EV at night once or twice a week should have night rate.


And thats before you even look at running other appliances during night rate as well giving further savings.

Because your day rate goes up and additional fee , I did it in excel with good usage no s

KCross

waynegalway wrote: »

I do charge it at night, but not always. My current pattern is to have it at 100% in the morning, it drops to 70% by the time I get to work, I plug it in there, leave work with 100%, get home with 70% and then top it back up to 100% at home.

You're fortunate with free work charging. You're running costs are close to zero on your EV!

Even with the 30% charge you do at home, thats 7 units. If you did that 3 times a week it would pay for itself.

You are more comfortable having the car at 100% all the time which is your choice but it would pay you to use night rate. Having the car at 100% all the time isnt good for the battery either. Something to consider. I understand if its the only car you have and you dont want to get caught out. The car has to be functional for you.... its not all about the money etc etc.




For the OP, I guess we need to hear from the OP as to what mileage they do and if they have work charging.

A good yardstick for everyone is average about 3 units by night means its worth having night rate. Just monitor that for a few weeks and then you know whether you need to get it or not.

KCross

gally74 wrote: »

Because your day rate goes up and additional fee , I did it in excel with good usage no s

Correct, Im accounting for that. The day rate goes up 1c/kWh. The standing charge goes up €45/yr. Taking that into account all you have to do is use 3 units a night and you break even. A 20-100% charge on a 24kWh Leaf uses about 20 units so that one charge on its own covers you.

Charge 2 or 3 times a week and you are up money. Add in the background house load and shift appliances onto night rate and you are up more money.

You did say you only charge 2 or 3 times a week. Are they from 20%, 50% etc? Maybe your mileage is low in which case it might not work but 3 units a night is very easy to use even with background house load and appliances.... adding in an EV and you will be on multiples of that unless you have tiny mileage.

waynegalway

ELM327 wrote: »

Rather than cycling between 70 and 100 I would suggest strongly for the health of your battery that you cycle between 40-70

Yes, agreed, and I do that too. I don’t always go to and from 100%. Occasionally I do a “double dip”, where I’d leave work on 100, get home at 70, not charge at home, get back into work next day on 40, top up to 100 and start again. I mixed it up a bit, as I’m aware of the battery cycles.

drunkmonkey

Shouldn’t a lithium battery be kept above 75% for maximum health, it’s no harm have the battery at 100%. Is this advice that comes from the manufacturers?

KCross

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Shouldn’t a lithium battery be kept above 75% for maximum health, it’s no harm have the battery at 100%. Is this advice that comes from the manufacturers?

No, quite the opposite. 0% and 100% is not recommended for long periods of time (days/weeks at a time).

unkel

The people saying they've done their sums and reckon night rate isn't cheaper for them, can you please share your sums? I'd say you've made mistakes / miscalculations.

As KCross has said, you only need to daily average about 3 units at night rate to break even. So charge your Leaf up once a week from empty to full and you're in the money.

An even better solution is to get a fixed price electricity contract as Just Energy do and get all you can eat electricity

drunkmonkey

KCross wrote: »

No, quite the opposite. 0% and 100% is not recommended for long periods of time (days/weeks at a time).

The only way it’s going to stay at 100% is if it’s not used at all and then your going to use a bit on leakage. The charger is only trickiling at 100% keeping it topped up, I’ve never heard this is a bad thing that’s why I’m wondering who’s advice this is. Running it down to 40/50% wouldn’t be great for it but of little worry to first owner.
I’m thinking of gadgets battery’s like phones etc but presume the same applies to cars.

KCross

drunkmonkey wrote: »

The only way it’s going to stay at 100% is if it’s not used at all and then your going to use a bit on leakage. The charger is only trickiling at 100% keeping it topped up, I’ve never heard this is a bad thing that’s why I’m wondering who’s advice this is. Running it down to 40/50% wouldn’t be great for it but of little worry to first owner.
I’m thinking of gadgets battery’s like phones etc but presume the same applies to cars.

Its the manufacturers recommendations. Running it to 50% is where it is "most happy".

Even in the pre-2016 Leaf's they all had an 80% charge option for that very reason. They recommended only charging to 100% when you needed the range.

They have subsequently removed that option now because it didnt seem to matter a lot but the overall recommendation of not leaving the car at 100% for extended periods of time is still valid.

ELM327

KCross wrote: »

Its the manufacturers recommendations. Running it to 50% is where it is "most happy".

Even in the pre-2016 Leaf's they all had an 80% charge option for that very reason. They recommended only charging to 100% when you needed the range.

They have subsequently removed that option now because it didnt seem to matter a lot but the overall recommendation of not leaving the car at 100% for extended periods of time is still valid.

And they only removed it for the official range estimates.

waynegalway

unkel wrote: »

The people saying they've done their sums and reckon night rate isn't cheaper for them, can you please share your sums? I'd say you've made mistakes / miscalculations.

As KCross has said, you only need to daily average about 3 units at night rate to break even. So charge your Leaf up once a week from empty to full and you're in the money.

An even better solution is to get a fixed price electricity contract as Just Energy do and get all you can eat electricity

I did not have my suns any more, but I remember that because we need a fair bit of leccy during the day, the overall outcome was that we’d be better off on a flat rate. From memory, the day rate was about 16c, night was about 8c, and we now have a flat rate of 12.6c, with no need to install a 2nd meter and have a 2nd standing charge (which, again from memory, was a lot more than the €45 mentioned elsewhere in this thread).

There’s also the family dynamic to consider. I’ve heard of couples having fights because someone put the dryer on during the day!

KCross

waynegalway wrote: »

...with no need to install a 2nd meter and have a 2nd standing charge (which, again from memory, was a lot more than the €45 mentioned elsewhere in this thread).

Just to clarify.... there is no second meter or second standing charge.... its one meter that has two readings on it and its free to get it installed.

The standing charge is ~€45 extra per year and included in your existing bill as normal... just check the providers websites.

KCross

No disrespect to anyones spreadsheet capabilities but I'd recommend you simply take a reading of your meter at 11pm and take it again at 8am and do that each day for a typical week and then you know if you made the right decision or not.... if you use more than 3 units on average each night during those times you should be on night rate.

Most people forget about the background house load.... if for instance you have 200W as a base load (TV standby, PLaystation, Fridge, freezer, immersion, late night TV watching, Sky box, early morning electric shower etc)..... that would on its own add up to 1.8kWh during night rate.... you only need another 1.2kWh to make it worth while.... as already pointed out, one car charge could use 20kWh!

jasonb

Sorry to take over this thread, but can I just ask if the grant for the installation of a home charger, and the recommendation for moving to Night Rate etc. are the same for all/most EVs? Or just the Leaf? Do you get a grant for installation whether you buy a new car or a second hand one?

Thanks...

KCross

jasonb wrote: »

Sorry to take over this thread, but can I just ask if the grant for the installation of a home charger, and the recommendation for moving to Night Rate etc. are the same for all/most EVs? Or just the Leaf? Do you get a grant for installation whether you buy a new car or a second hand one?

Thanks...

Applies to all EV's.
The new grant is applicable to new or second hand. Take a look at the SEAI website for all the details and T&C's etc.

ELM327

jasonb wrote: »

Sorry to take over this thread, but can I just ask if the grant for the installation of a home charger, and the recommendation for moving to Night Rate etc. are the same for all/most EVs? Or just the Leaf? Do you get a grant for installation whether you buy a new car or a second hand one?

Thanks...

Same for all EV, yes.
Grant of up to €600 available once per household for new and second hand EV.

unkel

waynegalway wrote: »

I did not have my suns any more, but I remember that because we need a fair bit of leccy during the day, the overall outcome was that we’d be better off on a flat rate. From memory, the day rate was about 16c, night was about 8c, and we now have a flat rate of 12.6c, with no need to install a 2nd meter and have a 2nd standing charge (which, again from memory, was a lot more than the €45 mentioned elsewhere in this thread).

There’s also the family dynamic to consider. I’ve heard of couples having fights because someone put the dryer on during the day!

You did the sums when you were with a previous (more expensive) supplier. You're now with Energia and your day rate would go up by a cent, but your night rate would be only 6.65c

The fitting of a night rate meter is completely free of charge and your standing charge will go up by about €50 for the year.

And I don't bother telling my other half to switch on appliances at night / on a timer. Just charging my car a few times at night (but also regularly during the day) and I know I'm in the money. Do yourself a favour and do your sums again? Your wallet will thank you for it

Also charging at night is better for the environment (more wind available and it is easier on the grid), so from a green point of view this helps too!

jasonb

Thanks for the replies... I reckon I'll be looking at moving to an EV at the end of this year or early next year, so this thread (thanks OP!) is my first research into it!.

KCross

jasonb wrote: »

Thanks for the replies... I reckon I'll be looking at moving to an EV at the end of this year or early next year, so this thread (thanks OP!) is my first research into it!.

Like many others, start a new thread with your circumstances and requirements and you'll get plenty of advice on the forum.

What you need in your new thread is...

Budget
Car size (how many kids)
What is your max daily travel distance (exclude the occasional long journeys)
Is it motorway or N/L roads.
What long journeys do you do and how often.
Do you have a driveway where you can plug the car in (on-street parking is usually a deal breaker for moving to EV right now).

waynegalway

unkel wrote: »

You did the sums when you were with a previous (more expensive) supplier. You're now with Energia and your day rate would go up by a cent, but your night rate would be only 6.65c

The fitting of a night rate meter is completely free of charge and your standing charge will go up by about €50 for the year.

And I don't bother telling my other half to switch on appliances at night / on a timer. Just charging my car a few times at night (but also regularly during the day) and I know I'm in the money. Do yourself a favour and do your sums again? Your wallet will thank you for it

Also charging at night is better for the environment (more wind available and it is easier on the grid), so from a green point of view this helps too!

That’s true, I did the comparison in advance of getting the car, based on energia vs BG. I’ll have another look...

Starscream25

Has anyone a bord gais night metre? I've requested a call back twice in the the last week but haven't received any.

ELM327

Starscream25 wrote: »

Has anyone a bord gais night metre? I've requested a call back twice in the the last week but haven't received any.

You need ESBn, not your energy supplier.

goz83

ELM327 wrote: »

You need ESBn, not your energy supplier.

I went through my supplier to get the night meter...which was Electric Ireland and just before I moved to BG.

McBluffin

Be interesting to see if the €600 grant changes much come budget time

BoatMad

ELM327 wrote: »

Rather than cycling between 70 and 100 I would suggest strongly for the health of your battery that you cycle between 40-70

no real; science to back that up , upper and lower limits in the leaf are a function of the BMS rather then the catalo battery capacity , its a bit more sophisticated then a flash lamp !

BoatMad

McBluffin wrote: »

Be interesting to see if the €600 grant changes much come budget time

nope , it will stay certainly for a few years , money is already assigned to support that

BoatMad

ELM327 wrote: »

You need ESBn, not your energy supplier.

no you request it through your energy supplier, not ESBN , ESBN simply install it

Starscream25

I rang Bord Gáis about setting up a night metre, she advised me to call ESB as they might wave the fee as opposed pay the 270 odd euro to bord Gáis for the service, I rang ESB and they were pointing me back to bord Gáis, they didn’t seem to know much about it. I would of assumed it was a simple thing to be done and wouldn’t cost 270 euro.
So I’m not too sure where to go from here.

KCross

Its free to get a night rate meter installed. Whoever you spoke to clearly hasn't a clue.

You need to go back to BG again and hopefully you will get someone that knows what they are talking about.

It should be a simple case of call your provider and say you want a night rate meter. They will get ESB Networks to install it and it should be all free to you.

Apparently they can charge you if you decide to go back to a 24hr meter but the initial switch to a day/night meter is definitely free to everyone.

bp_me

Starscream25 wrote: »

I rang Bord G about setting up a night metre, she advised me to call ESB as they might wave the fee as opposed pay the 270 odd euro to bord G for the service, I rang ESB and they were pointing me back to bord G, they didn’t seem to know much about it. I would of assumed it was a simple thing to be done and wouldn’t cost 270 euro.
So I’m not too sure where to go from here.

This might seem silly but make sure you don't already have a dual rate meter. New meter installs are dual rate anyway.

Starscream25

bp_me wrote: »

This might seem silly but make sure you don't already have a dual rate meter. New meter installs are dual rate anyway.

No I have the 24 hour urban tariff I’m signed up to.
job done anyway, called BG again and the lady has sorted it out, I’ll get a call tomorrow to confirm a few more details.
The night rate will be 9.12 per kw and the day 18.41, it is 17.12 throughout the 24 hours currently.
Making a concerted effort to use the heavy hitters from 12 o clock at night onwards will make a significant difference I believe, dishwasher, washing machine and the car.
My contract is up in June so I might research if there are any better deals to be had, energia charge 12.something per kw 24 hours I believe so wondering might that be better but probably not. Must sit down and work the numbers.

KCross

Starscream25 wrote: »

The night rate will be 9.12 per kw and the day 18.41, it is 17.12 throughout the 24 hours currently.
Making a concerted effort to use the heavy hitters from 12 o clock at night onwards will make a significant difference I believe, dishwasher, washing machine and the car.
My contract is up in June so I might research if there are any better deals to be had, energia charge 12.something per kw 24 hours I believe so wondering might that be better but probably not. Must sit down and work the numbers.

You should do better than those rates.

Energia are currently at 14.52/6.96 for day/night.

Starscream25

KCross wrote: »

You should do better than those rates.

Energia are currently at 14.52/6.96 for day/night.

That's pretty good alright, I have a lot of credit built up on my BG account so my bills are relatively low at the moment anyway so I will stay for the time being. I'm getting home after work with usually 45% or so left in the battery so the difference would be very small but I will change eventually, probably soon after my contract is up.

KCross

Starscream25 wrote: »

That's pretty good alright, I have a lot of credit built up on my BG account so my bills are relatively low at the moment anyway so I will stay for the time being. I'm getting home after work with usually 45% or so left in the battery so the difference would be very small but I will change eventually, probably soon after my contract is up.

Well, even starting at 45% it would still be the best part of €1 difference per day. Multiply that for the year and its going to be a couple of hundred just for the car... then add in appliances!

You dont have long to wait for your contract to expire so definitely switch and get the dual meter in.

Starscream25

KCross wrote: »

Well, even starting at 45% it would still be the best part of €1 difference per day. Multiply that for the year and its going to be a couple of hundred just for the car... then add in appliances!

You dont have long to wait for your contract to expire so definitely switch and get the dual meter in.

I have my night metre on the way, I'll be getting A call tomorrow to finalise details from BG.

Are you saying come June when my contract is up change straight over to Energia? No point cancelling my BG contract now to change over to Energia as there will be a cancellation charge, also I have something in the range of €200 in credit for electricity built up so transferring over to Energia would lose this credit. I'll have a few more questions tomorrow for BG, my call was cut a bit shorter due to work.

KCross

Starscream25 wrote: »

I have my night metre on the way, I'll be getting A call tomorrow to finalise details from BG.

Are you saying come June when my contract is up change straight over to Energia? No point cancelling my BG contract now to change over to Energia as there will be a cancellation charge, also I have something in the range of €200 in credit for electricity built up so transferring over to Energia would lose this credit. I'll have a few more questions tomorrow for BG, my call was cut a bit shorter due to work.

I presume any unused credit you have with BG would have to be refunded to you once your contract expires?

Im not advocating you break your contract right now, particularly since its only a few weeks away.

ELM327

KCross wrote: »

You should do better than those rates.

Energia are currently at 14.52/6.96 for day/night.

BG currently at ~13/6.6 on bonkers.ie, I switched.

KCross

ELM327 wrote: »

BG currently at ~13/6.6 on bonkers.ie, I switched.

For me Energia(14.52/6.96) are cheaper than BG (15.33/7.58) as I'm a rural customer so the prices are different between urban and rural.

Its like insurance.... check all of them. There aren't that many to choose from so its easier than picking insurance.

And just pick the cheapest. Some people complain about customer service of some of the providers but I dont care about the customer service. If a pole falls down or there is an outage its ESB fix it not your provider. An electron from BG is the same as an electron from Energia etc!

The only time you need customer service is if there is a billing issue. Submit your own meter readings and you shouldn't have an issue.... I haven't had any anyway.