SCE's Most Expensive Hours Are 4 to 9 p.m. Here's How to Stop Paying Peak Prices at Home

SCE's Most Expensive Hours Are 4 to 9 p.m.
Here's How to Stop Paying Peak Prices at Home
If you are a Southern California Edison customer, when you use electricity matters almost as much as how much you use. Most SCE residential customers are on time-of-use plans, and the price difference between off-peak and on-peak hours is large, especially in summer.

SCE's time-of-use plans at a glance

-TOU-D 4 PM to 9 PM: In summer, weekday off-peak power costs about 33 cents per kilowatt-hour, while on-peak power from 4 to 9 p.m. jumps to about 59 cents.

-TOU-D 5 PM to 8 PM: The peak window is shorter, but more expensive. Summer weekday off-peak is about 34 cents, and on-peak from 5 to 8 p.m. is about 72 cents.

-TOU-D-PRIME: Available to customers with an EV, a battery, or a heat pump, this plan offers lower off-peak prices of about 26 cents in summer, with on-peak from 4 to 9 p.m. at about 61 cents.

All three plans also include a base services charge of about 79 cents per day. SCE's summer season runs June through September, and once you enroll in a plan you generally cannot switch for 12 months. That means electricity during the evening peak can cost nearly twice as much as the same electricity earlier in the day, and on the 5 to 8 p.m. plan, more than double.

The simple schedule shifts
SCE recommends shifting energy use to off-peak hours. Practical steps include running the dishwasher, washer, and dryer earlier in the day or later at night, pre-cooling your home before 4 p.m., and charging an EV overnight or midday. SCE's Rate Plan Comparison Tool can also help you check whether a different plan fits your household better. These changes help, but they only go so far. The evening peak is when families come home, cook dinner, and run the air conditioning on hot days. Most households cannot simply stop using power from 4 to 9 p.m.

How a battery takes peak hours off the table
A home battery paired with rooftop solar changes the equation. Your panels produce electricity during the day, when the sun is strongest, and the battery stores what you do not use right away. When the peak window begins, your home draws from the battery instead of buying the most expensive power of the day from SCE. You keep cooking, cooling, and living normally, while the battery quietly covers the hours that drive your bill up. If the grid goes down, the battery also keeps essential loads running.

No need to buy the equipment
Through third-party ownership programs, qualifying homeowners can get solar and battery storage installed without buying or financing equipment, while enjoying lower energy costs and backup power. Shifting chores to off-peak hours is a good start. Covering peak hours with your own stored solar is the long-term fix. If your SCE bill spikes every evening, see whether your home qualifies.

To find out if your home qualifies for a TPO solar and battery program, visit myhomesolution.org/california_public_utility_commissions