Ofgem report June 2021.

There was a very interesting report published by Ofgem this week. The findings suggest that the majority of new EV drivers don’t change their energy use when they buy an electric car. I think this quite staggering and have been wondering why.

Ofgem Report Findings

“For those participants that charged their electric vehicle at home, we explored if this had made them do anything differently with how they manage their electricity use at home.”

“Very few pain points were reported by participants. However, it is important to note that most participants hadn’t made any changes to how they use their electricity at home.”

• Most said they charge their car as soon as they get in. There is a reassurance need to be able to see that the car has started charging.
• Participants often hadn’t heard of and were unfamiliar with the concept of smart charging.
• Some participants had moved to a time-of-use tariff (costing less when electricity is used at a time when there is low demand).

Implications of not switching your energy tariff/use.

When you charge your car as soon as you get home after it is more likely to start when electricity demand is at its highest, so it is less likely to have been generated from a renewable source. You will also be paying a lot more!! Sometimes this could mount up to hundreds of pounds more each year if you aren’t careful!!

Take control of your energy use

You don’t need to overcomplicate things but you do need to look for a time of use tariff where you will get a substantial discount for charging your EV when there is less demand on the national grid. Just allocated half an hour to do some research and it will benefit both your pocket and the planet!

You can read the full Ofgem report HERE.