From the Top with CEO Patrick Grace

You might’ve noticed electric vehicles (EVs) in the news lately and a push by many to increase sales and adoption of EVs across the country. While we’ve had our eye on the EV market for a few years now, our interest stems more from ensuring we can offer you, our members, qualified advice when it comes to EVs. We know our members' needs and lifestyles vary — an EV might not be right for everyone. As your trusted energy partner since 1937, we're responsible for adopting these trends first so we can guide our members in decisions that are right for them.

EVs are especially interesting to us not only because they're a potential shift from what we're used to in transportation and a possible source of increased energy sales, but also because mass adoption of them could impact our infrastructure in a very big way. We must ensure our system can handle the added capacity a wave of EVs will bring. Not to worry though, this is what we do, and the lead time the EV market is giving us is making it relatively easy to plan accordingly.

One of the things we did early on was curate an EV-focused rate that incentivizes charging overnight, when power costs the least. This shift saves us money, which we pass to you, making it a win for everyone. Our rates are determined by how much electricity our members use during the highest on-peak times throughout the year — usually the hottest summer afternoons. We encourage members whenever possible to shift energy use away from those hours so we can keep our rates affordable. Charging EVs overnight is another way we can do that.

This particular rate doesn't just benefit EV users but any member who is able to shift a large portion of their energy use to the overnight hours.

In addition to the special electric rate, we offer a rebate for a level 2 in-home charger. Most homes don't come equipped with proper wiring to support a level 2 EV charger (the most recommended charger for EV users), and the equipment can be costly to install. In an effort to make it a little more affordable, the EV charger rebate is offered alongside several other items in our suite of efficiency rebates.

I encourage you to check out the resources we have made available on our website to help you decide if an EV is right for you. If you still can't find answers, give us a call and our EV experts are happy to answer any questions you have and help you determine if it's a right fit for you.