Time-of-Use Electricity Rates Explained (With Real Prices)

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It’s 6 p.m. on a hot July evening. The AC is working hard, dinner is on the stove, the dryer is spinning and someone just plugged in the car. On a flat-rate plan, none of that timing matters. On a time-of-use plan, that hour can cost almost a third more per kWh than after 9 p.m., and more than twice the overnight price on some EV plans. Time-of-use electricity rates reward you for moving what you can to cheaper hours.

The short answer: on a time-of-use (TOU) plan, the price of each kWh depends on when you use it. Late afternoon and evening “peak” hours cost the most, and nights and middays cost less. You save if you can shift laundry, dishwashing, EV charging and some cooling out of the peak window. If you can’t, a TOU plan can cost you more.

How time-of-use rates work

A TOU plan splits the day into periods with different prices:

• Peak (on-peak): the most expensive hours, usually late afternoon into evening, such as 4–9 p.m.
• Off-peak: all or most other hours, at a lower price.
• Partial-peak or shoulder: some plans add in-between hours on each side of the peak.
• Super off-peak: some plans, often aimed at EV owners, add a very cheap window overnight or midday.

Prices often change by season too, with the biggest gap in summer. Your smart meter records how much you use in each period, so the plan can bill you by the hour. The EIA counted about 119 million smart meters at U.S. utilities in 2022, about 88% of them at homes.

Why electricity costs more at certain hours

The EIA explains that electricity demand is usually highest in the afternoon and early evening, so supplying it costs more then, and prices are usually highest in summer, when more expensive power plants are added to meet demand. Homes drive much of that peak: the EIA found that home demand in summer peaks around 5 or 6 p.m., when people come home and the AC runs hardest. In winter, homes show two bumps, in the morning and the evening. A TOU price passes some of that cost to you, and gives you a reason to help flatten the peak.

Real time-of-use rates from three plans

Rates differ a lot by utility, so here are three real examples from the utilities’ own tariffs and pages. Your plan will be different; look up yours.

Plan	Peak hours	Peak price	Cheapest price
PG&E E-TOU-C (California), rates effective June 1, 2026	4–9 p.m. every day	52.2¢/kWh summer; 39.8¢ winter	39.9¢ off-peak summer; 36.8¢ winter
PG&E EV2-A (California, for EV and some battery and heat pump homes), effective June 1, 2026	4–9 p.m. every day; partial-peak 3–4 p.m. and 9 p.m.–midnight	53.8¢ summer; 41.1¢ winter	22.6¢ off-peak, midnight–3 p.m., all year
Georgia Power Overnight Advantage	2–7 p.m. weekdays, June–September	29.8¢	2.2¢ super off-peak, 11 p.m.–7 a.m. daily (10.2¢ other hours)

PG&E’s figures are total bundled energy rates from its tariff sheets; the E-TOU-C plan also gives a baseline credit of 8.1¢/kWh on baseline usage, and both plans add a daily base services charge that depends on income tier. Georgia Power lists its prices with fuel costs, taxes and fees billed separately, and the plan requires a 12-month agreement. Georgia Power says about 33% of the hours in a year fall in its super off-peak period.

Notice how different these are. On PG&E’s basic TOU plan, summer peak power costs about 12 cents more than off-peak, and in winter only 3 cents more. On the EV plan, peak power costs more than twice the off-peak price. On Georgia Power’s overnight plan, the cheapest hours cost a small fraction of the summer peak.

Will a TOU plan save you money? Three examples

These are our estimates using the rates above, before baseline credits, fixed charges, fuel charges and taxes, which don’t change with timing.

Shifting 100 kWh a month on a basic TOU plan

Say you move 100 kWh a month of laundry, dishwashing and pre-cooling out of 4–9 p.m. on PG&E E-TOU-C. In summer that saves about $12 a month (100 × 12.3¢). In winter, about $3. Real, but modest.

Charging an EV at night

An EV driven about 1,000 miles a month uses roughly 300 kWh, assuming about 3.3 miles per kWh (your car’s rating will differ). On PG&E EV2-A in summer, charging during peak would cost about $161; charging after midnight costs about $68. On Georgia Power Overnight Advantage, 300 kWh in the overnight window comes to about $6.56 in base energy charges, against about $30.50 at the regular off-peak price, before fuel and other charges. This is where TOU plans pay off most.

The household that can’t shift

If you’re home in the evening with a hot house, someone who must stay cool for health reasons, or medical equipment that runs when it runs, most of your use stays in the peak. A TOU plan can then raise your bill. That’s not a failure on your part; it means the plan doesn’t fit your home.

How to shift your use without suffering

• Pre-cool or pre-heat. Cool the house a little more before the peak starts, then let the thermostat drift up a few degrees during it. A smart thermostat can do this on a schedule, and some, like ecobee with its eco+ Time of Use feature, say they adjust around your utility’s peak hours automatically.
• Use delay-start. Most dishwashers and many washers and dryers can start later. Run them after the peak or in the morning.
• Schedule EV charging. Most EVs and smart chargers let you set charging hours. Set it to start when the cheapest window opens.
• Batteries and solar. A home battery can charge when power is cheap or from solar and run the house through the peak. Solar alone makes the most power at midday, before most peaks. See home battery backup and net metering explained.
• Watch it work. An energy monitor or your utility’s app shows your use by hour, so you can see whether shifting is paying off.

The Department of Energy’s Energy Saver sums it up: if you can shift your power use to off-peak times, such as running the dishwasher late in the evening, time-based programs can save you money, and they’re especially attractive to EV owners who charge at night.

How to pick the right plan

1. Find your current plan on your bill, which names your rate schedule. You may already be on a TOU plan without knowing it.
2. Look up the hours and prices on your utility’s rate page or tariff sheet, including seasons and any super off-peak window.
3. Check your hourly data. How much of your use already falls in the peak? Your utility’s app usually shows it.
4. Use the utility’s comparison tool if it has one, which estimates your bill on each plan from your real usage.
5. Read the fine print: fixed daily charges, minimum terms (Georgia Power’s plan needs 12 months), fees to switch, and whether you can switch back.

Tools that make time-of-use easier

Prices change often. The prices below are what we saw at the maker or a major retailer in October 2026; check the current price before you buy.

The ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced (about $164.99 on sale at ecobee.com) handles the biggest load you can shift, heating and cooling. The Emporia Vue 3 (about $199.99 with 16 sensors at Emporia) shows your use by hour and by circuit, so you can see how much falls in the peak; a licensed electrician should install it in your panel. The Kasa KP125M smart plugs can run a 120-volt appliance on a schedule, and Kasa’s app can estimate cost using time-of-use rates. The Emporia Pro EV Charger (about $599 at Emporia) comes with a Vue 3 monitor and can slow charging when the house is drawing a lot. A 240-volt EV charger needs a dedicated circuit installed by a licensed electrician, with a permit where required; see our home EV charger guide.

Check the ecobee Smart Thermostat Enhanced price on Amazon

Check the Emporia Pro EV Charger price on Amazon

Keep exploring

Our how to lower your electric bill guide has the full plan. See what uses the most electricity to know which loads are worth shifting, how to lower your bill in summer, and what it costs to charge an EV at home. Thermostat schedules are in our smart thermostats hub, and how the grid delivers power is in electrical energy. More in the energy saving tips category.

Time-of-use questions

What are peak hours for electricity?

It depends on your utility and the season. Many plans put the peak in the late afternoon and evening: PG&E’s TOU plans use 4–9 p.m. every day, while Georgia Power’s Overnight Advantage peak is 2–7 p.m. on summer weekdays. Your bill or your utility’s rate page lists your exact hours.

Is time-of-use cheaper than a flat rate?

Only if enough of your use falls outside the peak. Households that charge an EV overnight, run laundry in the morning or are away in the evening often save. Households with heavy evening use that can’t move, like cooling a hot home after work, may pay more. Compare your hourly data, or the utility’s plan comparison tool, before switching.

When is the cheapest time to run the dishwasher or dryer?

Any time outside your plan’s peak and partial-peak hours. On a plan with a 4–9 p.m. peak, that means before 4 p.m. or after 9 p.m.; on a plan with a super off-peak window, run them then. Use delay-start, and the Department of Energy notes that running the dishwasher late in the evening is a simple way to save.

Does time-of-use make sense with an electric car?

Usually, yes. EV charging is easy to move to the night, and EV-focused plans have the biggest price gaps. On PG&E’s EV2-A, summer peak power costs about 53.8¢/kWh against 22.6¢ off-peak. Set the car or charger to start when the cheap window opens.

Do solar panels help on a time-of-use plan?

Partly. Solar produces most around midday, while many peaks are in the late afternoon and evening, when panels make less. How exported power is credited depends on your utility’s net metering or billing rules. A battery that stores midday solar for the evening peak gets more value from TOU pricing.

Can I switch back if TOU doesn’t work for me?

That depends on the utility. Some let you change plans freely, some limit how often you can switch, and some plans have a minimum term, like Georgia Power’s 12-month agreement for Overnight Advantage. Ask your utility before you enroll.