Is it worthwhile to sign up the Night-Saver electricity plan for home solar owners?

This year quite a few energy companies have introduced Night Saver EV Plan to the public, including AGL, OVO Energy, Simply Energy etc. Most of the EV plans offer 8c per kWh rate for off-peak charging between 12pm – 6am. Recharging your Model Y to achieve a full 400km range can now be accomplished for as little as $5, same cost as a cup of medium flat white!

While many EV owners have already installed solar panels at their residences, harnessing free solar energy for recharging their EVs, some may ask: is it still worthwhile to enroll in the Night Saver EV Plan for those who have already embraced solar power at home?

To answer this question, first let us find out what benefits that Night Saver could offer EV owners while Solar Panels could not:

1. Charge your EV at night. As most EVs will be parked during nighttime, therefore it makes sense to charge your EV between 12pm and 6am and enjoy the super night saving of 8c per kWh electricity.
2. Charge your EV in bad weather. You can not take for granted that your solar panels would be working at your next scheduled recharge. To compare, the night saver EV plan gives you a kind of certainty.
3. Take advantage of your 7kW (single-phase) or 22kW (three-phase) wall charger. As most domestic solar panel systems in Australia have an electricity generating capacity of between 1kW and 4kW per hour only, it is impossible to feed your 7kW or 22kW wall charge purely on solar. You will have to pay the peak hour electricity rate to top up the recharge.

However, there are still situations when solar panels can beat Night Saver Plan:

1. You are only using portable charger rated 2.2kW, which can be fully supported by your home solar having a minimum of 6.6kW system.
2. You normally charge your EV during daytime, and your place enjoys sunny weather for most of the year.
3. You can get access to commercial solar panels such as 30kW system, which is big enough to feed any wall charger.

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