Anyone have a way to calculate monthly charging $$$

[theblunden]

I purchased a non smart charger just want a way to calculate KW usage to calculate monthly use/cost. Not sure If anyone is savvy with Excel. Not even sure which way would be best to calculate this.... IDK

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[metroshot]

Easiest way is to add a circuit monitoring tap that wraps around the 240V line and monitor from you WiFi or BT enabled device.

The hard way will be to calculate kWh consumption using your Ford Pass app, then multiplying by your energy charges.

I just use my Emporia EVSE to keep track of the total kWh used and multiply by $0.21.

For public charging, I have the 3 major DCFC apps on one single business credit card so at the end of the year, it's very easy to tabulate.

 

[theblunden]

Easiest way is to add a circuit monitoring tap that wraps around the 240V line and monitor from you WiFi or BT enabled device.

The hard way will be to calculate kWh consumption using your Ford Pass app, then multiplying by your energy charges.

I just use my Emporia EVSE to keep track of the total kWh used and multiply by $0.21.

For public charging, I have the 3 major DCFC apps on one single business credit card so at the end of the year, it's very easy to tabulate.

I guess Im going with the hard way lol

 

[TaxmanHog]

Emporia Vue2 is an excellent tool for this task, forget about tracking FP or connected charge station reports both are unreliable.

https://shop.emporiaenergy.com/products/gen-2-emporia-vue-whole-home-energy-monitor

 

[bmwhitetx]

One simple way is to use your Trip 1 or Trip 2 and reset it for the period you want. It will tell you the number of miles and the miles/kWh. Divide miles by miles/kWh and you get total kWh used by the battery. Multiply this number by 1.1 to get a rough adder for the charger losses (my FCSP seems to average around 10% higher).

So for example if Trip 1 was for a particular month and it showed 1000 miles and 2.2 miles/kWh, you would take 1000 divided by 2.2 to get 454 kWh. Add 10% for losses (454 x 1.1) to get usage of 500 kWh. You can find your average electric cost on your bill (total cost divided by total kWh). In my area, I pay 13.5 cents/kWh so my cost for this example is 500 kWh x $0.135/kWh = $67.50.

 

[theblunden]

Emporia Vue2 is an excellent tool for this task, forget about tracking FP or connected charge station reports both are unreliable.

https://shop.emporiaenergy.com/products/gen-2-emporia-vue-whole-home-energy-monitor

Instead of tracking incoming power to panel could I just use a lead on each of the lines to my charger?

 

[jimfigler]

If you just go by kWh usage you will be low as about 10% is lost during charging. Example if your Ford Pass says you added 50kwh your electric meter would show 55kwh of usage.

 

[Pioneer74]

Instead of tracking incoming power to panel could I just use a lead on each of the lines to my charger?

Yes. I have one on my main and one on my FCSP.

And when you set it up you can input your billing schedule and it will give you a total used for the month.

 

[jimfigler]

Yes. I have one on my main and one on my FCSP.

And when you set it up you can input your billing schedule and it will give you a total used for the month.

These units are so nice. My wife was working from home a few weeks ago. I called and asked "are you running your space heater in your office. I noticed a spike in usage" I think she hung up on me!

 

[RickLightning]

One simple way is to use your Trip 1 or Trip 2 and reset it for the period you want. It will tell you the number of miles and the miles/kWh. Divide miles by miles/kWh and you get total kWh used by the battery. Multiply this number by 1.1 to get a rough adder for the charger losses (my FCSP seems to average around 10% higher).

So for example if Trip 1 was for a particular month and it showed 1000 miles and 2.2 miles/kWh, you would take 1000 divided by 2.2 to get 454 kWh. Add 10% for losses (454 x 1.1) to get usage of 500 kWh. You can find your average electric cost on your bill (total cost divided by total kWh). In my area, I pay 13.5 cents/kWh so my cost for this example is 500 kWh x $0.135/kWh = $67.50.

Not a valid way. Why? Because the trip data is not reliable. Trip data miles per kilowatt hour can be reset by the vehicle for no reason.

This method also assumes no charging outside the home.

Finally, average electric cost will usually include fixed components that you would have incurred anyway.

Some public chargers have no apps, they are free. Some have apps, which may or may not let you download data.

I have slips I fill out while traveling.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Instead of tracking incoming power to panel could I just use a lead on each of the lines to my charger?

This is how you would connect the monitoring loops feeding your EVSE from inside the breaker panel.

 

[Pioneer74]

This is how you would connect the monitoring loops feeding your EVSE from inside the breaker panel.

I was going to post a picture of my install but yours is easier to see.

 

[theblunden]

This is how you would connect the monitoring loops feeding your EVSE from inside the breaker panel.

Perfect.... Thanks for the picture I ordered it on Amazon last night after your original post @TaxmanHog has never led me astray

 

[shutterbug]

I was going to post a picture of my install but yours is easier to see.

View attachment 63772

WOW! That's one busy panel

 

[bmwhitetx]

Not a valid way. Why? Because the trip data is not reliable. Trip data miles per kilowatt hour can be reset by the vehicle for no reason.

This method also assumes no charging outside the home.

Finally, average electric cost will usually include fixed components that you would have incurred anyway.

Some public chargers have no apps, they are free. Some have apps, which may or may not let you download data.

I have slips I fill out while traveling.

I have to disagree with some of this based on what OP asked for.

First he stated he was trying to determine cost of using a non-smart home charger. So he is trying to determine cost of using that. All the other methods presented were also around monitoring this home charger usage. None of these account for away charging and I don’t think he asked for that.

I’m not sure about trip data resetting. Current Trip does indeed reset weirdly and is highly inaccurate. I calculate my efficiency using odometer and battery SOC and I get results similar with Trip 1,2 which I rarely reset though. So I would be interested if you have done detailed testing of Trip 1,2. I have only 1200 miles so I can’t say for sure how accurate Trip 1,2 are.

I acknowledge the fixed cost component. I worked for the electric company for 35 years and have done hundreds of energy audits. Fixed costs are more impactful with commercial and industrial rates though because of high kW charges. Residential rates are usually just a customer charge which I can teach OP to account for. But again, all the other methods presented have the same issue. They get to what the KWh usage is of the home charger and go from there.

It seems like many here have Time of Use rates so they need to use those rates. But even then it can be complicated. Much of Texas is deregulated so the bill may have retail charges and delivery charges. Either one or both may be tiered.

Not everyone wants this accurate to the penny as so I tried to present a simple method that gives them a reasonably accurate talking point.

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