Apparently, PSE does not understand the definition of the word "or".
In their requirements it says: "Chargers that are not UL rated, or do not meet codes and standards will not be eligible for the rebate." This statement with the word "or" clearly shows that it supports either UL or alternative standards that show that the product is safe. However, PSE decides to stick to their interpretation that only UL is an allowed standard. Which is somewhat weird, because although UL has great brand recognition and is one of the forefighters of safety certification, this is a private company and has many competitors that have equally good safety standards, often rather interchangeable. But of course a power company can just create the "law" that only UL is allowed and thus (contrary to the "or" in their requirements) a product can only be accepted if it satisfies UL *and* other codes and standards. Sad that this EV'er has to lose his rebate over the incorrect language in the requirements. 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Any unauthorized use, disclosure, distribution, or copying of any part of this message is prohibited. -----Original Message----- From: EV [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of brucedp5 via EV Sent: Wednesday, September 16, 2015 2:00 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [EVDL] EVLN: UL-unqualified EVSE lost EVr a $500 utility PSE rebate http://www.komonews.com/news/consumer/Detail-confusion-costs-electric-car-owner-a-500-rebate-from-PSE-325827211.html Detail confusion costs electric car owner a $500 rebate from PSE By Connie Thompson Sep 8, 2015 [video flash] Puget Sound Energy is offering $500 rebates to electric vehicle owners who install new EV chargers at home. But Joe Gehr of Kent just learned the hard way about verifying rebate details before you spend money. His rebate claim was rejected because of one line in the rebate rules. Gehr loves his Nissan Leaf, but the 120 volt factory charger that comes with the car takes forever to charge the battery. "They provide a level 1 charger with the car," said Gehr. "And it will take 14, 16, 18 hours to charge it." Like many electric vehicle owners, Gehr bought what's called a "level 2" charger, for a quicker charge at up to 220 volts. "So I'm bringing 220 volts AC into this, " Gehr explained. "Then this converts it to DC. So I'm charging like you would a boat battery with DC." The charger cost him $600 bucks. He figured he'd get most of that back through the $500 EV charger rebate promotion he found on Puget Sound Energy's website. Gehr was certain his charger -- a brand called JuiceBox -- met the qualifications. But his rebate was rejected. PSE points to a critical sentence in the rules, which state: "Chargers that are not UL rated, or do not meet codes and standards will not be eligible for the rebate. It's an Underwriters Laboratories safety requirement for electrical devices." "We're very concerned about customer safety," said PSE spokesman Ray Lane by email. "The language on our website is clear about this, and the customer's inability to meet the necessary codes and standards for the install leave us with rejection as the only option." Gehr acknowledges his EV charger is not UL rated, but points out it has other certifications which are listed on PSE's website. Gehr feels the way the rules are written, it sounds like the charger has to be UL rated 'or' meet certain standards, not both. PSE says Gehr misunderstood the qualifications and the lack of a UL rating is a deal breaker. The only way he can get a rebate is to replace the charger he bought- with a charger that's UL approved. Gehr is not the first PSE customer with JuiceBox brand chargers to have their rebate rejected . PSE tells me it's had about 10 other people buy JuiceBox chargers that don't qualify for their rebate because they're not UL rated- another reminder to confirm the qualifications before you spend a lot of money on anything as part of a rebate promotion. The PSE EV rebates started in May of 2014 as part of a program to study electric vehicles and the power grid. The utility says it has sent rebates of $500 to about 800 eligible customers so far. The program allows for rebates to 50-thousand EV owners in PSE's service area. [© komonews.com] For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-UL-unqualified-EVSE-lost-EVr-a-500-utility-PSE-rebate-tp4677606.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA) _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
