Is it worth doing any of these?
Static time-of-use energy tariffs
Different price bands for electricity throughout the day
Dependent on the time of day, day of the week, or season
Higher rates are applied when demand for electricity is greater
In some cases, installation of a smart electricity meter is required
Aim: To encourage you to use electricity at times when more electricity is available cheaply
Variable (or dynamic) price energy tariffs
Real-time or predictive prices for electricity throughout the day
Dependent on the time of day, day of the week, or season
Higher rates are applied when demand for electricity is greater
Prices may change as often as half-hourly
You can be notified of price changes in advance
Cannot be used in conjunction with prepayment meters
Aim: To encourage you to use electricity at times when more electricity is available cheaply
Supplier-controlled demand management systems
Third-party charge management schemes
Allows a third party to directly control charging of your electric vehicle (e.g. when and how quickly charging happens)
Generally requires a smart-enabled charge point
Aim: To allow a third party to control charging of your electric vehicle, so that they can balance supply and demand
For example…
You might use a smartphone app to specify:
The time at which you next need to use your vehicle
The amount of charge you require by that time
The third party would then control charging of your electric vehicle, endeavouring to:
Meet your requirements
Avoid delivering charge when demand for electricity is high
Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) systems
Electric vehicles can return energy stored in their batteries to the grid when electricity is in high demand
You can be compensated for making your EV battery power available.
Requires:
A V2G-enabled vehicle
A ‘two-way' charge point
Aim: To encourage you to provide energy to the grid so that overall demand for electricity can be met.
Smart charging technologies
Typically involves using a smart-enabled charge point or charging functions built into the vehicle
Can be used alongside time-of-use tariffs or other charging management schemes
Aim: To enable remote control and scheduling of charging
For example…
You could use the smart charging functions in your vehicle to schedule a start and stop time for charging to fit with the low tariff price bands in a static time-of-use tariff.
This means you would not have to plug in the vehicle at a specific time.
Mandatory curtailment
If energy management strategies such as time-of-use tariffs fail to reduce peak-time energy demands, then it may be necessary for third parties (e.g. network operators) to intervene. This may involve slowing down or pausing (‘curtailing’) charging of electric vehicles for a period in order to avoid a localised blackout or brownout.
Where such interventions are implemented, consumers may be able to specify charging requirements (such as indicating when a charge was ‘high’ priority). Any curtailment employment by third parties to manage supply-demand balance would then be considered alongside consumers’ needs.
Static time-of-use energy tariffs
Different price bands for electricity throughout the day
Dependent on the time of day, day of the week, or season
Higher rates are applied when demand for electricity is greater
In some cases, installation of a smart electricity meter is required
Aim: To encourage you to use electricity at times when more electricity is available cheaply
Variable (or dynamic) price energy tariffs
Real-time or predictive prices for electricity throughout the day
Dependent on the time of day, day of the week, or season
Higher rates are applied when demand for electricity is greater
Prices may change as often as half-hourly
You can be notified of price changes in advance
Cannot be used in conjunction with prepayment meters
Aim: To encourage you to use electricity at times when more electricity is available cheaply
Supplier-controlled demand management systems
Third-party charge management schemes
Allows a third party to directly control charging of your electric vehicle (e.g. when and how quickly charging happens)
Generally requires a smart-enabled charge point
Aim: To allow a third party to control charging of your electric vehicle, so that they can balance supply and demand
For example…
You might use a smartphone app to specify:
The time at which you next need to use your vehicle
The amount of charge you require by that time
The third party would then control charging of your electric vehicle, endeavouring to:
Meet your requirements
Avoid delivering charge when demand for electricity is high
Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) systems
Electric vehicles can return energy stored in their batteries to the grid when electricity is in high demand
You can be compensated for making your EV battery power available.
Requires:
A V2G-enabled vehicle
A ‘two-way' charge point
Aim: To encourage you to provide energy to the grid so that overall demand for electricity can be met.
Smart charging technologies
Typically involves using a smart-enabled charge point or charging functions built into the vehicle
Can be used alongside time-of-use tariffs or other charging management schemes
Aim: To enable remote control and scheduling of charging
For example…
You could use the smart charging functions in your vehicle to schedule a start and stop time for charging to fit with the low tariff price bands in a static time-of-use tariff.
This means you would not have to plug in the vehicle at a specific time.
Mandatory curtailment
If energy management strategies such as time-of-use tariffs fail to reduce peak-time energy demands, then it may be necessary for third parties (e.g. network operators) to intervene. This may involve slowing down or pausing (‘curtailing’) charging of electric vehicles for a period in order to avoid a localised blackout or brownout.
Where such interventions are implemented, consumers may be able to specify charging requirements (such as indicating when a charge was ‘high’ priority). Any curtailment employment by third parties to manage supply-demand balance would then be considered alongside consumers’ needs.