If you have recently made the smart decision of having an EV home charger installed for your property, you will have noticed the differences in your day-to-day life and routine compared to having to fill up a petrol or diesel vehicle. Instead of stopping at petrol stations, you now have to deal with charging times, electricity tariffs, battery percentages, and when the best time to charge your vehicle is. Optimising your charging schedule can make a surprisingly big difference to your running costs, battery health and overall convenience. In this blog post, we will go through how to get the most out of your EV home charger and why certain time periods are better for charging compared to others.
Why Your Charging Schedule Matters?
EV home charging is very convenient and easy. However, the time that you choose to charge your vehicle affects:
- How much you pay for electricity
- How quickly your battery might degrade
- Whether your vehicle is ready to use when you need it
- How much strain you put on your home’s electrical system
- The carbon footprint of your charging habits
By optimising your charging schedule, you are making your EV home charger work smart for you, not harder. It may sound complicated but overall, it makes your life a lot simpler and stress free.
Understanding Your Driving Pattern
Before you know how to optimise your charging schedule, it is important to understand your own routine. Every electric vehicle owner is different. Some people drive 50+ miles every day, compared to some people who rarely use their car during the week. Some people work night shifts or they work from home a lot, so they can have unpredictable schedules. You should ask yourself:
- How many miles do I drive a day on average?
- Do I need a full battery every morning, or just enough charge for shorter journeys?
- Are there specific days where I drive further than others?
- Do I have regular times where the vehicle sits on the drive unused?
Only you can know and understand your own pattern and schedule. For example, if you know that you roughly use 20% of your battery each day, there is no need to fully charge your vehicle every night, as this can have a negative impact on your battery health.
Off-Peak Electricity Rates
One of the biggest advantages of home charging is the ability to use cheaper electricity rates. Many UK energy suppliers offer off-peak tariffs, especially overnight when electricity rates are a lot cheaper than during the daytime. Charging during off-peak hours can:
- Reduce your charging costs
- Reduce strain on the national grid
- Lower your carbon footprint
If you are not aware of an EV-friendly tariff, it is definitely worth looking into. Once you know your off-peak window, you can schedule your EV home charger to start and stop automatically ensuring you are charging your vehicle at the cheapest point. Most chargers and electric vehicles allow you to set times for your vehicle to start charging.
Using Smart Charging Features
Modern EV home chargers come with smart features that make scheduling charging a lot easier. These features can include:
- Scheduled charging – Where you are able to set start and stop charging times
- Charge rate control – Where you are able to adjust how fast your vehicle charges
- Solar integration – You can use excess solar energy, to help save costs on your electricity bill
- Load balancing – This helps prevent overloading your home’s electrical system
- App control – You can monitor everything via a remote app on your phone as well as, start and stop charging
Smart charging is especially useful if you are trying to take advantage of off-peak rates and want to avoid paying for electricity during peak household electricity usage. With our EV charger, you can take advantage of all smart features via your mobile phone easily.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even the most experienced electric vehicle drivers can fall into habits that are not ideal for their charger or the battery health of their vehicle. A few common mistakes that people can make are:
- Charging to 100% every night
- Charging during peak electricity hours
- Forgetting to schedule charging
- Leaving your vehicle plugged in for days without needing any charge
- Using fast charging too often
Avoiding these mistakes can save you money and help your battery last longer.
Keep an Eye on Your Charging History
Most EV home charger apps allow you to view your charging history. This can be useful for you to be able to spot charging patterns such as:
- If you are charging more often than necessary
- If you are charging at more expensive times
- If you forget to plug in your vehicle on certain days
- If you are using more electricity during winter months
Understanding your charging habits makes it a lot easier to adjust your schedule and will help you save money in the long run.
Charging for Multiple Electric Vehicles in One Household
If your household has more than one electric vehicle, scheduling charging becomes even more important. Having two electric vehicles charging at the same time can put a lot of demand on your home’s electrical system. Many modern EV home chargers are able to communicate with each other to balance the load, so that your electrical system does not overload.
Conclusion
Overall, optimising your EV charging schedule isn’t about making your life more complicated, it’s about making your home EV charger work in the smartest, most efficient way possible. With planning your charging schedule you can reduce electricity costs, protect your vehicles battery and ensure that your car is always ready when you need to use it. Every electric vehicle driver’s routine is different, so you need to ensure that you choose the best schedule that fits your lifestyle.
If you are looking to buy an EV home charger, take into consideration all the things we have discussed in this blog and make the right choice.
If you wish to purchase an EV home charger, please look at our website where you can find all the information you need about our 7kW smart home EV charger.
https://evhomechargeruk.co.uk/product/7kw-smart-home-ev-charger/
Limited Launch Offer – Ends Soon
You will be then sent a comprehensive installation fixed price quotation, and we will then take care of DNO requirements and Building Regulation sign off compliant paperwork on successful completion of Installation. Guarantees: 3 years EV Charger Only. 5 years EV Charger and us fitting.
