JEA Launches Program To Shift EV Charging To Off-peak

October 21, 2021

by Peter Maloney
APPA News
October 21, 2021

JEA, the public power utility serving the greater Jacksonville, Florida, area, has launched JEA Drive Electric, an electric vehicle education, marketing, and peak load reduction program.

JEA and its partner, Sagewell, designed the program to encourage electric vehicle adoption and provide incentives to drivers who charge their electric cars during times of lower electric demand.

The marketing program was built around Sagewell’s EV Expert service, a concierge service that educates customers about electric vehicles and connects them with local dealerships and installers of residential EV chargers.

The JEA Drive Electric program will also work with automobile dealers and manufacturers to secure and publish electric vehicle purchase and lease discounts.

Sagewell and JEA are also working to reach a wider group of customers by coordinating with local organizations to reach new communities and lower barriers to electric vehicle ownership.

JEA is seeking to enroll 1,000 drivers in an EV Charging Rebate program, its version of Sagewell’s Bring Your Own Charger (BYOC) load management program. Participants would program their vehicles to charge during off-peak hours, and algorithms developed by Sagewell would confirm off-peak charging compliance from regular household smart meters.

The American Public Power Association awarded the BYOC program its Energy Innovator award in 2018. In 2019, the Wellesley Municipal Light Plant in Massachusetts launched a BYOC program, making it the fifth municipal electric department in Massachusetts to adopt the program.

Communities that have adopted a BYOC program have seen participants shift over 90 percent of their charging to off-peak hours, reducing the need for costly utility upgrades, according to Sagewell.