Free increase in meter power to 6 kW (ARERA and GSE)

More power on your home meter! Greater contractual power in the supply of electricity to the home is what all electric car owners would like to charge the electric car in their garage more quickly. When the domestic meter is only 3 kW, the power in this case is limited and we must organize ourselves to manage the charging of the car during the night, making sure that nothing else energy-intensive is connected, also considering that with 10/12 hours they can charge 20/25 kWh.

The home electricity meter or meter is 3 kW

The meter (or meter) is the instrument installed by the electricity network manager who has the task of to measure there quantity of electrical energy (expressed in kWh) which will be the one charged on the invoices.
In addition to counting kWh, the “meter” also performs the function of power limiteri.e. the maximum number of kW that it will have to deliver, a limit which is usually 3 kW in most users and which also delivers 4.5 kW but only for a very short period of time. This value, the contracting power engagedcan be found on the bill on the first or second page in the “Type of contract” or in the “Supply data”, where the available power, usually 10/12% more than the contractual one (e.g. 3.5 kW).

Increased charging power

When you need to charging an electric car at home in your garage you must make assessments on the amount of energy (kWh) to be withdrawn in the necessary unit of time. The greater the power available, the shorter the charging time of the electric car battery. The “home charger” usually allows you to recharge an electric car with single-phase current 8A (1.85 kW), 10A (2.3 kW) or 16A (4.7 kW) depending on the model. With the standard 3 kW it is really tight and above all it is not possible to use household appliances such as a hairdryer, electric oven, washing machine, etc. in parallel.

To reduce times and increase autonomy, the solution is to have more contractual power available on the meter, increasing from 3 kW to 4.5, better at 6 kW. The increase in power can be done, it will always be available at all times but there are fixed costs to bear which grow. It's very simple, just contact the energy supplier (Acea, Eni, Edison, etc.) with which we have an active contract and request a increase and more precisely a “variation in bargaining power“. This can be done either by telephone or online viacustomer area for some suppliers. But fixed costs increase!

Increase in meter power to 6 kW free from Arera (night time only)

With the Arera experimentation, the power available in the evening hours and on holidays increases, without any change in the power used and therefore in the cost of the bill. To meet the needs of users who own an electric car, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and the Environment (ARERA) thus decided to extend up to December 2025 the experimental phase concerning the free offer to raise the electrical power up to 6 kW. This decision was made through a decides approved on December 28, 2023.

This is a measure introduced to encourage the use of electricity at night and on holidays, when demand is generally lower and production costs are lower, reserved only for users who have a wallbox for charging electric cars. Most domestic users with a committed power of up to 4.5 kW can safely draw up to 6.6 kW. Participation in the trial can be done online, without the need to go to the distributor.

The final details of this new measure will be outlined later February 2024 (update in progress on this page)

How much you save with the free power increase

With this temporary increase offered by Arera and GSE the savings are around 200 euros in the first year and 60/80 euros in subsequent years.

Requirements, certified wallboxes only

These are the other conditions to be respected:
1) the supply contract is registered to a domestic user or other use, connected in low voltage and with contractually committed power not exceeding 4.5 kW and not less than 2 kW;
2) the sampling point is equipped with a remote-controlled electronic meter installed and in service;
3) is the installation and electrical connection to the electronic meter of a suitable electric vehicle charging system is certifiedbased on minimum requirements defined by the provision
4) the participating customer provides their consent to carrying out checks and controls at their home and undertakes to promptly communicate to the GSE any system and contractual changes that may occur subsequent to joining;

The charging system must have an installation certified according to the CEI EN 61851-1 standard with the release of the declaration of conformity required by decree 37/08. The free increase in meter power is granted only to those who have installed wallboxes recognized by ARERA and GSE. These are suitable charging devices as indicated by Resolution 541/20/R/EEL which can also be equipped with Dynamic Load Management (GDC), capable of regulating the charging power based on the detection of the residual available power at the pickup point.
All certified wallboxes with which it is possible to have a free power increase.
1) ► Authorized wallboxes without dynamic load management
2) ► Authorized wallbox with dynamic load management

List of Wallbox brands and models without dynamic load management

List of Wallbox brands and models with dynamic load management

The F3 time slot

There maximum power that can be delivered by the meter increases and then passes to 6 kW during the times foreseen by Band F3, the third band: active from Monday to Saturday from 00.00 to 7.00 and from 23.00 to 24.00; Sundays and holidays all hours of the day.

How to request the power increase to 6 kW

There are 4 phases to increase power up to 6 kW in the F3 band and involve the end user, the GSE and our electricity supplier.

1. The user submits a request to the GSE, completing a self-certification form (and attaching documentation)
2. The GSE carries out formal verification and notifies the request to the distributor
3. The dealer:
   – carries out checks to ensure compliance with the requirements (type of user, power used and time slots)
   and any need for inspections,
   – intervenes on the meter software to increase the power in the F3 band
   – updates data on the SII;
4. The seller invoices the customer:
   – For domestic PODs, membership is completely free
   – For «other uses» PODs, only a fixed contribution for distributors is applicable

How to recharge an electric car

→ Selected and tested electric cars to buy
→ Electric car prices and features
→ Hybrid car prices and features
→ Video tests of ELECTRIC CARS

→ EV Driving all about electric and hybrid carsAnd

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