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Frequently Asked Questions about the Connecticut Electric Vehicle Charging Program

The following are a list of Frequently Asked Questions for this Residential Managed Charging Program provided by United Illuminating (UI) and Eversource.

Managed charging programs provide incentives to participants who adjust their charging behavior to align with an optimal schedule as defined by the participant’s utility to avoid higher energy and infrastructure costs or avoid more carbon-intensive electricity. These programs allow utilities the ability to reduce costs for all ratepayers and reward program participants for adjusting their behavior. Managed Charging Programs allow for varying levels of commitment that correspond to different levels of expectations and incentives.

Demand Response for EVs is a brand of Managed Charging where signals are sent from the utility to the EV owner and their EV. These are called “Events,” and during these Events, the user is expected to allow the utility to curtail or turn off their charging for the duration of an event, usually 2-3 hours. This program provides customers with incentives for allowing the utility to adjust the energy use on these devices during times of peak demand on the grid. This helps avoid higher energy and infrastructure costs and more less environmentally friendly electricity. These programs allow utilities the ability to reduce costs for all ratepayers and reward customers enrolled in the program for participating.

Residential UI and Eversource customers living in a single-family dwelling (four units or fewer) who meet the technical requirements, specified in the Program Participant Guide, may enroll in a Managed Charging Program. Participation in Managed Charging events is required to take advantage of utility rebates for the purchase and installation of a new Smart EV Charger or enrollment incentives for other technology such as connected vehicle telematics. In addition, residential customers with an existing Level 2 “Smart Charger” can participate in the program.

By participating, you can earn upfront rebates and enrollment incentives, as well as ongoing participation incentives, which helps offset the cost of your EV over time. This includes incentive dollars to outfit your home with a Smart Charger.

The ongoing incentives are provided to customers for their participation in ConnectedSolutions managed charging during the Demand Response season (June – September). If the customer does not opt out of more than two events per month and uses their EV charger at least once in that month, they will receive a $50 incentive for each month of successful participation totaling up to $200 for the season.

To receive incentives within this program, customers must participate in Demand Response “events” between June and September and not miss more than two events per month. If they achieve this, they will receive the $50/month in incentive dollars, totaling $200 for the year, and can keep their upfront rebates and enrollment incentive. An event will typically be a three-hour period during the hours of 3pm-9pm, Monday through Friday, where the utility will request that you do not charge your EV. There will be approximately 13-15 events a month. Customers will have the opportunity to opt-out of an event but must participate in a minimum number of events per month to receive monthly incentives.

Yes, if you’ve already taken the step to install a charger at your home you can still be eligible for $100 to enroll eligible technologies in the program and also be eligible for the $200 annual participation incentive, as long as you’re able to fully participate in the program.

Managed Charging programs encourage users to charge off-peak, which helps reduce the cost of electric generation, and avoids costs associated with upgrading transmission and distribution equipment like substations and powerlines. These programs can also enable utilities to integrate more renewable energy and utilize the flexibility of EV charging to provide additional services to their territory. Utilities pass on these benefits to all customers in the form of cheaper electricity and other programs such as this.

Participants will always have adequate charge while participating in the program, so their contribution to the program is effortless and not impactful on the actual usage of the vehicle. Participants can also “opt-out” of a Demand Response Event if they need to charge their vehicle during an event. Participants may opt-out of two events per month during the Demand Response Season (June – Sept).

Below is a table outlining incentives available for different technological setups for this program.

Note: the amount of incentive dollars available per solution does not imply one setup is inherently better than another. Depending on the particulars of your EV and technology setup, the cheapest and best option might receive the fewest incentive dollars. Please see the Program Participant Guide to understand which of the possible eligible technologies is best for you.

ct-ev-costs-table

*These incentives accrue over the first year of participation in the Baseline Managed Charging program. Participating customers are eligible for up to an additional $200 per year in years 2 and 3 of the Baseline program.

Enrollment incentives and relevant rebates will be distributed via check 10 business days after meeting all eligibility requirements, including proof of purchase and installation. Participants in the Managed Charging will receive ongoing incentives through the demand response season (June-Sept). These payments will be distributed via gift card in October following the end of the demand response season. Each month in this season, the participant is eligible for $50 if they do not miss more than two events in that month. Participants will be notified of their progress and performance throughout the season.

There are many technologies that can participate in this program, and this list is always expanding as EV manufacturers expand their capabilities and more smart chargers come into existence. All EV owners with a level 2 charger (Networked or non-Networked) should be able to participate in the program. Please refer to Section 6 of the Program Participation Guide for information on eligibility and information on the types of devices and vehicles that can participate.

Please also refer to the Qualified Products List ("QPL"). For the UI QPL click here. For the Eversource QPL, click here. 

Costs to install a Level 2 charging station vary depending on which charger you choose and how much electrical work must be done to put the station where you need it. Typically, a Networked Level 2 charger will cost $600-700. Depending on your situation, the typical installation can cost between $500-1200.

Yes, if you are currently a Rate 1 customer, we offer a whole-house time-of-day rate that may provide some small bill savings. It’s important to be aware that this rate, Time-of-Day Rate 7 applies to all electricity used in your home, not just the energy used by your electric vehicle charger. At this time, there is not a different rate that can be applied solely to the electric vehicle charger. To learn more about switching to Time-of-Day Rate 7, please visit this webpage.

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