[Electric Annie]

Just waiting on the government loan being finalised, long process but nearly . I live in Edinburgh , Ive not organised my home charger yet , looking at whether my electricity supplier a better del to get one installed by them or Pod point .
What are the general thoughts ?

 

[Harry_Zoe]

Welcome to the club Annie! You'll find many fellow Scots on the forum.
I've no strong opinion on which charger, and I'm sure others will chip in, but I would say to remember you can apply for a grant towards the cost of the charger in case you hadn't heard that. Also, getting a home charger is best, but make sure you get the best tariff you can. Lots of people here recommend Octopus Agile, for example. I have the EDF EV tariff that I'm very happy with, and doesn't require a smart meter which suits me better. That tariff combined with a good whack of free charging makes my cost per mile as good as any.

 

[Electric Annie]

Lovely to hear from you Harry . Thank you , I did know about the grant but thanks , helpful if I did not . I'm excited not to be causing further pollution. Also in case no one knew because i am vegan i asked about the leather in the Leaf and it is not leather as they realised often EV drivers may not want that . i have just moved Electricity company to Tonik , i took a while to sort out so not keen to start the process again. a recent news article said it had the best night time rate but the reviews of charger points apps were not favourable. So trying to work out if paying the higher cost for installing the charger ( as apposed to POD POINT ) will then balance out by the cheaper tariff . I have a local charge point so not making a decision in a hurry.

 

[Ian R]

In Scotland you can get an extra £300 towards the cost of the charger through Energy Saving Trust if you use one of their approved installers - Domestic charge point funding

 

[cdlb]

I'm near Edinburgh and getting a charge point fitted this week. Hesitant to recommend before the job is actually done, but if you want, I can give you the company name and let you know if they did a decent job once it's installed.

 

[Electric Annie]

Thank you cbld that would be good to hear how you get on. Also thank you to Ian R I was aware of how lucky we are in Scotland to get the grant in addition to the other one makes a difference.

 

[Padrino]

Welcome to the EV revolution Annie,
Like you I am very new to the world of electric cars. I collected my first EV yesterday and I have to say that I am more than thrilled. I am not Scottish by birth but by choice and soul. Left Italy over 30 years ago and never looked back.....who knows perhaps something is wrong with me as many will say 🤣.
So far I am very pleased with this forum. The responses to any question you may have are brilliant and everyone is very helpful. Great bunch of guys and girls. Enjoy

 

[CorsaeGaz]

Hi Annie

As others have mentioned we qualify for 2 grants in Scotland to the sum of £800 for a home charger.

I had a PodPoint fitted last week and happy with it so far.

Also a few weeks into my 1st EV experience and loving it.

Have you signed up to Charge Place Scotland yet? They manage the majority of public chargers in Scotland and probably spending the £20 for an RFID card is the easiest way to use them.

 

[Carty]

Lots of people here recommend Octopus Agile, for example. I have the EDF EV tariff that I'm very happy with, and doesn't require a smart meter which suits me better.

The Octopus tariffs are very popular on the forum that's for sure.
I have just joined the EDF "Go Electric" tariff and moved from a EDF Eco 7 tariff with them.
@Harry_Zoe is correct, you can still apply to go onto this tariff and IF your meter is not suitable for an upgrade, they will still allow you to join and retain your old meter, but will put you on a constant flat rate tariff of 12.12p / Kw.
But, future switching is going to be harder if you don't have a Smart Smets 2 meter installed.
Given this, I strongly suggest asking your present supplier to install a new meter before your contract expires.
Switching to another provider is SO much easier then.
I have just had my old Eco 7 meter replaced and up and running on my "Go" tariff in less than 2 weeks !.
This allows "Off Peak" rate at 8p / Kw from 9.00pm - 7.00am Monday to Friday.
And the same low rate ALL WEEKEND.
Some members who have switched to Octopus and then found out they require a meter replacement to gain access to the cheaper tariff's, have been waiting a long time to get the work done, then another wait to get onto the EV friendly tariff !.
Switch before you ditch is my advise or you could be in for a LONG wait to access the cheaper rates that DO require a Smart Smets 2 meter installed.

 

[CorsaeGaz]

FYI

Octopus can also use some SMETS 1 meters as well, I just switched over to them from EON and have a SMETS 1. As long as it is "secure" marked on the meter they can use it. I'm now on the Go tarrif about a week after the switch happened.

 

[Carty]

FYI

Octopus can also use some SMETS 1 meters as well, I just switched over to them from EON and have a SMETS 1. As long as it is "secure" marked on the meter they can use it. I'm now on the Go tarrif about a week after the switch happened.

That is totally correct - SOME Smets1 meters can be compatible, but some are not.
Having a Smets 2 meter just prevents any confusion to anybody about their ability to make a quick change over to another energy supplier.

 

[Electric Annie]

Hi Annie

As others have mentioned we qualify for 2 grants in Scotland to the sum of £800 for a home charger.

I had a PodPoint fitted last week and happy with it so far.

Also a few weeks into my 1st EV experience and loving it.

Have you signed up to Charge Place Scotland yet? They manage the majority of public chargers in Scotland and probably spending the £20 for an RFID card is the easiest way to use them.

 

[Electric Annie]

I have signed up for the card received it yesterday . The money has been released so should be in my account tomorrow then I can go and get my car . I have only just moved electricity companies and although I have swapped suppliers in the past with no problems there has been this time so I’m not keen on swapping right now . I am going to call my supplier tomorrow when I called last week the person who normally deals with it was on holiday and I knew more than the person covering . I just need to work out what the best value is getting the electricity company to fit as it’s only 4.7p a until during the night but I’ve read there is problems with their apps.
If I don’t do that I will get a PodPoint then look elsewhere for a good rate
Padrino I think if you live here I see you as Scottish . I love the diversity of Scotland .

 

[Electric Annie]

Got my car today So far I love it so smooth and I feel so smug not polluting my beautiful world . Went vegan in Jan and this is another step . Can’t say all this out loud many places but I thought I have fellow environmentalists here .

 

[Electric Annie]

Still loving car , looked into tariffs and discovered that my company that i was still in the process of switching to ( Tonik ) has gone out of business , so i can probably swap , i do have an old meter so would need to change meter I think , So reading all the above to look at best deals on Tarrifs.

 

[Electric Annie]

Going to get son to empty all his stored furniture out of garage so i can use it and put charger in there so not doing it immediately anyway .

 

[Padrino]

Still loving car , looked into tariffs and discovered that my company that i was still in the process of switching to ( Tonik ) has gone out of business , so i can probably swap , i do have an old meter so would need to change meter I think , So reading all the above to look at best deals on Tarrifs.

Annie, even if you stay in a "Day Tariff" the majority are about £0.15 per kW, so even if you charge 40kW into the car this will cost you around £6 quid for what, 140/160 miles? Comparing to petrol or diesel is just a joke. Not to mention the 0% impact to the air quality 👍.
Like you I become very aware of the impact, we as a humans have on our planet but I am not by a big stretch "green fanatic". I just want to play my part in the whole green planet future. Another "problem" I have is that being Italian by birth, it will be almost impossible to give up on my Parma ham for example 🤣. One cannot live on salad and pasta alone 🤣. So, no vegan route for me any time soon.

 

[Electric Annie]

We all try to do what we can , I definitely like knowing I'm doing my bit. Being vegan is partly environmental , animal protection and for my own health trying to be around for every to annoy my children. Easy for me as I was vegetarian for around 30 years .
You will love your EV when you get it
Anne