Save money by scheduling your EV charging times. Below you'll find some energy programs for Minneapolis and the Twin Cities area.
The STANDARD parallel power programs require a separate meter socket, separate panel, and splicing into the primary feed from Xcel into your home. A big advantage of the standard programs is that if you do not have a newer electrical system or your system does not have the capacity to add the power required by your vehicle, this option bypasses your system and can avoid costly upgrades.
The Xcel Energy Accelerate At Home Program was released in December of 2020. This program does not include any of the costs and permitting required to get power from you panel to your parking space. You may or may not have the capacity in your panel to add their charger. This program requires purchasing or renting a charging station from Xcel and they will meter your power through your wi-fi connection to the charger
The latest program released by Xcel Energy in 2023 is the Optimize-Your-Charge program which will give you a $50 annual statement credit if your agree to further restrict your charge time. This program can sit on top of either of the above programs for an added $50 per year.
There are two programs available click here with a $500 rebate if either program is installed, the Off-peak storage rate and the Time-of-use rate. The Off-peak storage rate installation includes adding a radio controller and meter socket (supplied by Dakota Electric at a nominal cost) and a contactor (supplied by us) to allow the power to be turned off and not available during the day. This is typically a more expensive installation and limits your charging ability because they shut it off during the day. The Time-of-use option allows charging at all times with a substantial discount Off-Peak times are 9:00 pm to 8:00 am Mon. – Fri., and all day Weekends and Holidays. There is a premium fee if charging during peak times between 4:00 pm and 9:00 pm, but if needed, it is available. Dakota Electric charges $80 plus tax for equipment for the Time-of-use meter socket and $170 plus tax for the storage program. These costs are added to your untility bill as a 1-time cost.
There is a a Virtual Metered EV rate that will save you .02 per kw and uses the new smart meters on your house to estimate your useage. No additional installation cost for this option.
The MVEC EV24 time of use program utilizes your existing 2nd meter when not currently used, otherwise a new separate meter socket will be installed. You will be able to charge at all times, but charging at peak times will incur a penalty. Set your car to charge between 11PM and 7am for the best rate which is currently .069 cents during the summer and .052 cents per kw the rest of the year. Check with MVEC to confirm this information. There is a rebate of $150 for this work.
Shakopee has a new program in 2022 where a parallel service can be added by an electrician and the a customer can receive off-peak rates of .057 per kw between 10:00pm and 8:00am and .25 per kilowatt outside those hours. Here is a link to their rate schedule. Click here. They do not offer any rebates at this time.
Connexus will rebate up to $500 towards each Tesla Wall Connector or charger. The contact at Connexus for detailed information is Sue. Initiate this program by filling out the online application and you can pick up the meter socket for no charge at the Connexus office, 14601 Ramsey Blvd, Ramsey, MN 55303 or call them at 763.323.2650
Wright- Hennepin Electric Association has 3 Electric Vehicle programs to save money. They will rebate $500 through a bill credit if you install both a charging station and sign up for either the storage program or time-of-use program. For the storage program, the utility will supply a CT and box and provide at no cost the radio and meter socket. Power will be shut off by the utility and not available during peak times. The installation cost for this program is also more than the time-of-use. The time-of-use program allows for a smaller discount and power is available at all times. A separate meter socket is installed for this program and there is also $500 rebate available. New for 2024, you can purchase a monthly subscription for $35 per vehicle and no equipment is required. You'll need to do your own math to determine which program has the biggest savings. The most common program we install is the time-of-use seperate meter program
People’s Energy Cooperative has several electric vehicle programs. You can purchase a "CHARGE" electric vehicle charger from People's Energy with integral metering and they will rebate $800. If you install your own charger and install separate time-of-use metering, they will rebate $400. Click here for rebate forms. Click here for program details. Rebates will be issued as a credit on member's monthly electric bill.
The City of Chaska has an off peak program available beginning in 2020 where we install a 2nd electrical service with separate panel, meter socket and splice the main feed to your home. They will rebate $250 per residential charge port and $500 per commercial port. Click below for the rate schedule and confirm with the City. It is approximately 1/2 the normal rates when your car is set to charge between 7pm and 7am. There is also a monthly service fee of $6.20 added to your bill.