Time-of-Use Electricity Rates: How to Pay Less for Power

You probably do not think much about when you run your dishwasher or throw a load of laundry in the dryer. Most people do not. But if your utility uses time-of-use pricing, the time of day you use electricity can matter just as much as how much you use. Running that dryer at 6 PM on a Tuesday could cost you twice as much as running it at 10 PM the same night.

Time-of-use (TOU) rates are spreading fast across the United States. California made them the default for residential customers in 2020, and dozens of other utilities now offer them as an option. If you are on a TOU plan, or if your utility is about to switch you to one, understanding how these rates work is the single best way to take control of your electricity costs without changing your lifestyle in any dramatic way.

This guide covers everything you need to know: how TOU pricing works, who has it, how to save money on it, and how it interacts with solar panels, home batteries, and electric vehicles. Whether you are already on a TOU plan or just curious, you will walk away with a concrete strategy to pay less for power.

What Are Time-of-Use Rates?

Traditional electricity pricing is simple. You pay the same rate for every kilowatt-hour you use, whether it is 2 AM or 5 PM. That flat rate might be $0.15 per kWh in some states or $0.30 in others, but it does not change based on when you flip the switch.

Time-of-use rates work differently. The price per kilowatt-hour changes throughout the day based on how much demand there is on the electrical grid. During hours when everyone is using electricity at the same time, you pay more. During hours when demand is low, you pay less.

This is not arbitrary. Electricity is unique among commodities because it cannot be stored economically at grid scale. Supply has to match demand in real time, every second of every day. When millions of people come home from work, turn on their air conditioning, start cooking dinner, and charge their devices all at the same time, utilities have to fire up expensive backup power plants, called peaker plants, to meet that surge. Those plants burn natural gas, cost more to operate, and sit idle most of the day.

TOU rates pass that real cost signal to you. The idea is straightforward: if electricity costs more to produce at 6 PM than at midnight, the price you pay should reflect that. And if enough people shift their usage away from expensive hours, the grid needs fewer peaker plants, electricity gets cleaner, and costs come down for everyone.

How TOU Pricing Works

Most TOU rate schedules divide the day into two or three pricing tiers.

Peak hours are the most expensive. This is when grid demand is highest, and it typically falls in the late afternoon and evening. In California, peak hours run from 4 PM to 9 PM on weekdays. In other states, you might see 2 PM to 7 PM or 3 PM to 8 PM. Peak rates can range from $0.35 to $0.65 per kWh in high-cost areas like California, or $0.15 to $0.35 per kWh in states with lower overall electricity costs.

Off-peak hours are the cheapest. These are the overnight hours, typically 9 PM to 8 AM, and often include all day on weekends and holidays. Off-peak rates in California run about $0.15 to $0.25 per kWh, while in other states they can be as low as $0.06 to $0.12 per kWh.

Shoulder or mid-peak hours fall between the two. Not every utility uses this tier, but when they do, it covers the daytime hours between morning and the start of peak, roughly 8 AM to 4 PM. Shoulder rates land somewhere between peak and off-peak pricing.

Many utilities also adjust rates by season. Summer rates are almost always higher than winter rates, especially during peak hours, because air conditioning drives massive demand spikes during heat waves.

A Sample TOU Rate Schedule

To make this concrete, here is what a typical California residential TOU schedule looks like. This is based on real rate structures from the state's three major utilities, simplified for clarity:

| Time Period | Hours | Summer Rate | Winter Rate | |---|---|---|---| | Peak | 4 PM - 9 PM weekdays | $0.52/kWh | $0.38/kWh | | Shoulder | 8 AM - 4 PM weekdays | $0.38/kWh | $0.34/kWh | | Off-Peak | 9 PM - 8 AM daily, weekends, holidays | $0.25/kWh | $0.25/kWh | | Super Off-Peak | Midnight - 6 AM (spring) | $0.20/kWh | $0.20/kWh |

Look at that spread. Running your dryer during summer peak hours costs $0.52 per kWh. Running it after 9 PM costs $0.25 per kWh, less than half the price for the exact same electricity. A typical dryer cycle uses about 4 kWh, so that one load costs $2.08 during peak versus $1.00 off-peak. Do that five times a week and you are saving over $280 per year on laundry alone.

Now imagine applying that logic to your EV charger, your dishwasher, your water heater, and your pool pump. The savings stack up fast.

Who Has TOU Rates?

TOU pricing is no longer a niche experiment. As of 2026, approximately 60 percent of US utilities offer some form of time-of-use rate to residential customers. The rollout has been enabled by smart meters, which are now installed in over 80 percent of American homes and can track usage in 15-minute increments.

States Where TOU Is the Default

California is the biggest TOU market by far. Since 2020, all residential customers served by the state's three investor-owned utilities, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), and San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E), are automatically enrolled in a TOU rate plan. You can opt out to a tiered rate if you prefer, but TOU is the default.

Arizona is another major TOU state. Both Arizona Public Service (APS) and Salt River Project (SRP) offer TOU as a primary rate option, and most of their residential plans include time-based pricing components.

Michigan is transitioning toward default TOU through DTE Energy, one of the state's largest utilities.

States With Voluntary TOU Programs

Many other states offer TOU as an opt-in option. Some of the notable ones include:

Colorado: Xcel Energy offers TOU plans, including EV-specific rates with very low overnight pricing
Connecticut: Eversource and United Illuminating offer optional TOU
Georgia: Georgia Power provides TOU and EV-specific rate options
Illinois: ComEd offers both TOU and real-time pricing, where rates change hourly
Maryland: BGE and Pepco offer optional TOU with expanding enrollment
Massachusetts: Select utilities offer TOU plans
New York: Con Edison and National Grid have optional TOU programs
Oregon: Portland General Electric and Pacific Power offer TOU
Texas: Since the market is deregulated, some retail electricity providers offer TOU-style plans
Virginia: Dominion Energy has been expanding its TOU pilot program
Wisconsin: WE Energies and Madison Gas and Electric offer TOU options

Over 100 utilities nationwide now also offer dedicated EV-specific TOU rates, which provide ultra-low overnight charging rates, sometimes as low as $0.06 to $0.12 per kWh.

To find out if your utility offers TOU, check your utility's website or call them. You can also look up rates at the OpenEI Utility Rate Database, which catalogues rate structures from utilities across the country.

Strategies to Save on TOU Rates

Switching to a TOU plan without changing any of your habits will probably not save you money. In fact, it could cost you more if you happen to use a lot of electricity during peak hours. The savings come from intentionally shifting your flexible loads to off-peak times.

Here is how to do it, organized from easiest to most impactful.

Shift Your Flexible Appliances to Off-Peak

This is the foundational strategy, and it requires no equipment or investment, just a change in routine.

Laundry: Run your washer and dryer after 9 PM or on weekends. A typical washer/dryer cycle uses 2 to 5 kWh. At a peak-to-off-peak differential of $0.20 to $0.30 per kWh, each shifted load saves $0.40 to $1.50. If you do five loads a week, that is $100 to $390 per year.

Dishwasher: Run it after dinner cleanup, but set the delay timer so it starts during off-peak hours. Most modern dishwashers have a delay-start feature. A cycle uses about 1.8 kWh.

Pool pump: If you have a pool, the pump is one of the biggest electricity consumers in your home, drawing 1.5 to 2.5 kW continuously for 6 to 12 hours a day. Scheduling it to run entirely during off-peak or super off-peak hours can save $200 to $500 per year depending on your rates.

Electric water heater: If you have an electric tank water heater, you can install a simple timer (about $30 to $60) so it heats water during off-peak hours and coasts on stored hot water during peak. Heat pump water heaters with built-in scheduling make this even easier. Our guide to cutting your electric bill in half covers more on water heater optimization.

Pre-Cool and Pre-Heat Your Home

Heating and cooling account for nearly half of the average home's electricity use, so optimizing your HVAC around TOU periods has an outsized impact.

The strategy is to use thermal mass, the fact that your house holds its temperature for a while, to shift your cooling and heating to cheaper hours.

In summer: Pre-cool your home to 70 to 72 degrees during the afternoon shoulder period (when rates are moderate and you still have some solar production if you have panels). Then, when peak pricing kicks in at 4 PM, raise your thermostat to 78. Your house will gradually warm over the next few hours, but most well-insulated homes can coast through the 4 to 9 PM peak window without the AC running hard. By 9 PM, when off-peak rates kick in, the AC can take over again.

In winter: Pre-heat your home in the late morning or early afternoon, then lower the setpoint when peak pricing begins.

A smart thermostat makes this automatic. Devices like the Ecobee Premium, Google Nest Learning Thermostat, and Honeywell Home T9 all support TOU-aware scheduling. Some can even connect to your utility directly and adjust in real time based on current rates. If you are tracking your HVAC usage closely, a home energy monitor can show you exactly how much power your system draws during each rate period.

Savings from pre-cooling and pre-heating alone typically run $50 to $150 per year, more in hot climates where summer AC bills are significant.

Optimize Your EV Charging

If you drive an electric vehicle and charge at home, TOU optimization is not optional. It is essential. EV charging is one of the largest single electricity loads in a household, typically adding 250 to 400 kWh per month to your bill. The difference between charging during peak and off-peak hours is enormous.

Here is the math. Say your EV uses 300 kWh per month for charging:

Charging during peak at $0.52/kWh: $156/month
Charging during off-peak at $0.25/kWh: $75/month
Annual savings from shifting: $972

That is nearly a thousand dollars a year from one simple change.

The good news is that virtually every modern EV and Level 2 home charger supports scheduled charging. You set a start time, say 9 PM or midnight, and the car only charges during your cheapest rate window. Set it once and forget it.

Some utilities sweeten the deal even further with dedicated EV TOU rates. These plans offer ultra-low overnight rates, sometimes $0.06 to $0.12 per kWh, specifically to encourage off-peak EV charging. Colorado's Xcel Energy, Georgia Power, and several California utilities offer these plans. Our complete guide to EV charging at home walks through how to set up scheduled charging on all the major charger brands.

Automate With Smart Home Devices

Once you have the basics down, smart home technology can automate the process so you do not have to think about it.

Smart thermostats: As mentioned above, these can pre-cool/pre-heat on a TOU-aware schedule. Some participate in utility demand response programs, earning you additional credits for letting the utility make minor adjustments during grid emergencies.

Smart plugs with timers: For devices like space heaters, dehumidifiers, or window AC units, a $15 to $25 smart plug with scheduling capability ensures they only run during off-peak hours.

Home energy management systems (HEMS): More advanced setups like the Span smart panel or Schneider Electric's home energy system can automatically manage multiple circuits, routing power to different loads based on current TOU rates, solar production, and battery state.

TOU and Solar Panels

If you have rooftop solar, TOU rates add a layer of complexity, and opportunity, to your energy economics.

The Timing Mismatch

Solar panels produce the most electricity in the middle of the day, roughly 10 AM to 3 PM. Under a TOU rate schedule, that period is usually off-peak or shoulder, not peak. Meanwhile, peak pricing kicks in from 4 to 9 PM, right as solar production is dropping off.

This creates a mismatch. Your solar panels generate power during the cheapest hours and produce little during the most expensive hours.

Under traditional net metering with a flat rate, this did not matter much. Every kilowatt-hour you exported was credited at the same rate regardless of time. But under TOU-based net metering, or net billing programs like California's NEM 3.0, the value of your solar exports depends on when you export them. Midday exports might earn you only $0.04 to $0.08 per kWh in credit, while power consumed from the grid during peak hours costs $0.40 to $0.55 per kWh.

How Solar Owners Can Win on TOU

The key is to maximize self-consumption during peak hours rather than exporting cheap midday power.

Pre-cool with solar: Run your AC aggressively during midday hours when your panels are generating. Use that free solar electricity to pre-cool your home so your AC barely runs during peak. You are essentially storing solar energy as thermal energy in your house.

Time your heavy loads to solar production: Run the dishwasher and laundry during midday when your panels can power them directly, rather than pulling from the grid during off-peak hours at night. This flips the typical TOU advice on its head. For solar owners, it is sometimes better to run loads during the day with solar than to shift them to cheap nighttime grid power.

Add battery storage: This is the most effective strategy for solar homeowners on TOU. A battery lets you store excess midday solar and discharge it during peak hours when grid power is most expensive. Instead of exporting solar at $0.06/kWh and buying grid power back at $0.52/kWh, you keep that solar energy and use it yourself when it is worth the most.

TOU and Home Batteries

A home battery system is arguably the best companion technology for TOU rates. Batteries let you buy low and use high, charging during cheap periods and discharging during expensive ones. This is called rate arbitrage.

How Battery Arbitrage Works

Without solar: Your battery charges from the grid during off-peak or super off-peak hours, when electricity might cost $0.20 to $0.25 per kWh. Then during peak hours, when rates hit $0.45 to $0.55 per kWh, the battery powers your home instead of the grid. The difference between what you paid to charge and what you avoided paying during peak is your savings.

With solar: Your battery stores excess solar production that you would otherwise export at a low midday rate. Then it discharges that stored solar during peak hours, when you would otherwise buy expensive grid power. The economics are even better because you are storing energy you generated for free, not energy you bought at off-peak rates.

Real Savings Numbers

Let us run the numbers for a 13.5 kWh battery system, like a Tesla Powerwall 3.

Assuming you cycle the battery fully each day (charging during off-peak and discharging during peak), and accounting for about 10 to 15 percent round-trip efficiency losses:

California TOU arbitrage (without solar):

Off-peak charge cost: 12 kWh usable x $0.25 = $3.00/day
Peak value displaced: 12 kWh x $0.52 = $6.24/day
Daily savings: $3.24
Annual savings: approximately $1,180

California TOU arbitrage (with solar):

Stored solar cost: $0 (already generated)
Peak value displaced: 12 kWh x $0.52 = $6.24/day
Annual savings: approximately $2,280

Other TOU states (without solar):

Daily savings: $0.90 to $2.70 depending on rate spread
Annual savings: $330 to $985

These numbers improve further if you enroll in a virtual power plant (VPP) program, where you allow the utility or a third party to discharge your battery during grid emergencies in exchange for payments. VPP programs can add $50 to $100 per month in additional revenue.

Is Battery Arbitrage Alone Worth It?

Here is the honest answer: TOU arbitrage alone rarely justifies the cost of a home battery. A Tesla Powerwall 3 costs $12,000 to $14,000 installed (before the 30 percent federal tax credit). Even at $1,180 per year in arbitrage savings, that is a 10 to 12 year payback before the tax credit and 7 to 8 years after it.

But most battery owners do not buy the battery for arbitrage alone. They buy it for the combination of TOU savings, solar self-consumption optimization, backup power during outages, and VPP revenue. When you stack all four value streams, the economics become much stronger.

TOU and Electric Vehicles

EVs and TOU rates are a natural fit. As mentioned earlier, an EV is typically the largest single load you can add to a home, and it is also one of the most flexible. Unlike your refrigerator or HVAC, which need to run when they need to run, your car just needs to be charged by morning. It does not care if that charging starts at 9 PM or 2 AM.

Setting Up Scheduled Charging

Every major EV brand supports scheduled charging, either through the car's onboard software or the charger itself.

Through the car: Tesla, Chevrolet, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, BMW, and most other brands let you set a departure time and a charging window. The car calculates when to start charging so it finishes by your departure time while using the cheapest electricity possible.

Through the charger: Level 2 chargers from ChargePoint, Emporia, Grizzl-E, and others include app-based scheduling. Some integrate directly with your utility's rate schedule.

Through your utility: Some utilities offer managed charging programs where they control your charging schedule in exchange for lower rates. This is essentially a demand response program for EVs.

EV-Specific TOU Rates

An increasing number of utilities offer separate TOU rate plans designed specifically for EV owners. These plans typically feature:

Ultra-low overnight rates: $0.06 to $0.12/kWh between midnight and 6 AM
Higher peak rates: The trade-off is a slightly higher peak rate, which is fine if you are not drawing much power during peak
Separate meter option: Some programs let you put your EV charger on a separate meter with its own rate schedule, keeping your home on whatever rate works best for general usage

At $0.08/kWh for overnight charging, powering your EV costs roughly $2.40 per 100 miles, less than a quarter of the cost of gasoline. That makes off-peak EV charging one of the most compelling financial arguments for both EV ownership and TOU enrollment.

TOU vs Tiered Rates vs Flat Rates: Which Is Best?

Your utility may offer a choice between TOU, tiered, and flat rate plans. Here is how they compare.

Flat Rate

With a flat rate, you pay the same price per kilowatt-hour no matter when you use it. Flat rates are simple and predictable. If your utility charges $0.18/kWh, you can calculate your bill by multiplying that by your total usage.

Best for: Households with consistent usage patterns throughout the day, people who cannot shift loads (medical equipment, work-from-home with heavy daytime AC), and anyone who values simplicity.

Downside: You get no reward for shifting usage to off-peak times. You are essentially subsidizing peak demand even if you personally use very little electricity during expensive hours.

Tiered Rate

Tiered rates charge a low rate for a baseline amount of electricity (say, the first 400 kWh per month) and progressively higher rates as you use more. Tier 1 might be $0.22/kWh, Tier 2 might be $0.30/kWh, and Tier 3 might be $0.45/kWh.

Best for: Low-usage households that stay within the cheapest tier. If you live in a small home, do not have an EV, and keep your usage moderate, tiered rates are often the cheapest option.

Downside: If you have high usage from an EV, pool pump, or electric heating, you will quickly hit the expensive upper tiers regardless of when you use electricity. The total bill climbs fast.

Time-of-Use

TOU rates reward you for when you use electricity, not just how much. High-usage households can have lower bills than on tiered rates if they shift usage effectively.

Best for: Households with flexible loads that can be shifted (EVs, pool pumps, smart thermostats), solar owners, battery owners, and anyone willing to be somewhat intentional about timing.

Downside: If you cannot shift usage, your bills could be higher than on a flat or tiered plan, especially if your heaviest usage naturally falls during peak hours.

How to Decide

Most utilities let you model different rate plans using your actual usage data. Call your utility or check their website for a rate comparison tool. Many will show you what your last 12 months of bills would have looked like under each available plan.

As a general rule:

Low usage, no EV, no solar: Tiered or flat rate is usually cheapest
Moderate usage with flexible loads: TOU likely saves money
High usage with EV and/or solar: TOU is almost always the best option
Solar plus battery: TOU is the clear winner due to arbitrage potential

Is TOU Right for You?

TOU rates are not for everyone. Here is an honest assessment.

TOU Works Well If You:

Have flexible loads you can shift. Laundry, dishwashers, pool pumps, and EV charging are easy to reschedule. If these represent a significant share of your usage, TOU gives you real savings.
Work outside the home during the day. If your house is mostly empty during peak hours, you are naturally aligned with TOU pricing. You are not running the AC full blast or cooking dinner at 5 PM.
Own an EV. Scheduled overnight charging on a TOU plan is one of the simplest, highest-impact money-saving moves you can make.
Have solar panels. Combined with a battery and strategic self-consumption, solar homeowners can turn TOU into a powerful financial tool.
Have a home battery. Rate arbitrage makes your battery work harder and pay for itself faster.
Like optimizing things. If you enjoy tracking your energy usage and making small adjustments, TOU rewards that behavior.

TOU Might Not Be Right If You:

Cannot shift major loads. If medical equipment, a home office with heavy AC needs, or other non-negotiable loads run during peak hours, your bills could increase.
Have very low overall usage. If your monthly usage is under 300 kWh, the absolute dollar savings from shifting loads might be minimal, only $5 to $10 per month.
Are rarely home in the evenings. If you are not using much electricity during peak hours anyway, TOU may not save meaningfully more than a flat rate.
Live in an area with a small peak/off-peak spread. If the difference between peak and off-peak rates is under $0.05/kWh, the savings are too small to bother with.

The Bottom Line on Savings

For the average household that switches to TOU and makes a moderate effort to shift loads, savings typically range from $150 to $500 per year. Households with EVs, solar, or batteries can save $500 to $2,000+ annually by fully optimizing around TOU pricing.

The effort required is modest. Set your EV to charge at 9 PM. Run the dishwasher before bed. Do laundry on weekends. Set up a smart thermostat with a pre-cooling schedule. Once you establish these routines, the savings happen automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I find out if I am on a TOU rate?

Check your most recent electricity bill. It should list your rate plan name. If you see abbreviations like "TOU-C," "TOU-D," "EV-TOU," or similar, you are on a time-of-use plan. You can also log into your utility's online account or call customer service to confirm your rate plan and ask about alternatives.

Can I switch between TOU and flat/tiered rates?

In most cases, yes. Utilities that offer multiple rate plans typically let you switch once per year, sometimes more often. California customers on default TOU can opt out to a tiered rate at any time. Contact your utility to find out the switching rules and whether there are any restrictions.

Do TOU rates apply to natural gas too?

Generally, no. TOU pricing applies to electricity. Natural gas rates are typically flat or tiered based on usage volume, not timing. However, if you have an all-electric home with a heat pump and induction range, TOU pricing applies to your entire energy bill since it is all electricity.

What happens if I have a rooftop solar system and TOU rates?

Your solar exports will be credited based on the TOU rate at the time you export. Midday solar exports typically earn off-peak or shoulder credits (lower value), while any power you import during peak hours costs the peak rate. This is why battery storage is so valuable for solar homeowners on TOU. It lets you store midday solar and use it during expensive peak hours. See our net metering guide for the full breakdown.

Are weekend rates always off-peak?

In most TOU plans, yes. Weekends and major holidays are typically off-peak for the entire day. However, this varies by utility, so check your specific rate schedule. A few utilities apply a reduced version of TOU pricing on weekends rather than full off-peak rates.

Can renters benefit from TOU rates?

Yes, though with some limitations. If you pay your own electricity bill, you can often switch to a TOU plan through your utility. Your ability to shift loads depends on your level of control. You may not be able to change the water heater schedule or install a smart thermostat, but you can still shift laundry, dishwasher use, and device charging to off-peak hours. If you have an EV, scheduled charging works the same whether you rent or own.

Do smart meters support TOU billing?

Yes. Smart meters are what make TOU billing possible. They record your electricity usage in 15-minute intervals, allowing the utility to apply different rates to different time periods. If your home has a smart meter, which over 80 percent of US homes now do, your utility can offer you TOU pricing. If you still have an analog meter, you may need a meter upgrade before switching to TOU.

How does TOU affect demand response programs?

TOU and demand response are complementary. Demand response programs pay you (in bill credits or direct payments) for reducing your usage during specific grid emergency events, usually a handful of times per year. TOU is an ongoing rate structure that applies every day. Many utilities offer both, and you can participate in demand response while on a TOU plan for additional savings. If you have a smart thermostat or home battery, some demand response programs will make small automated adjustments during peak events.

What is real-time pricing, and is it better than TOU?

Real-time pricing (RTP) takes the TOU concept further. Instead of set time blocks, the price changes hourly based on wholesale electricity market conditions. ComEd in Illinois is the most prominent utility offering RTP to residential customers. RTP offers the maximum savings potential since prices can drop very low, or even go negative during periods of high wind or solar generation, meaning you get paid to use electricity. But it also carries more risk since prices can spike during extreme weather. RTP is best for tech-savvy consumers who are comfortable monitoring prices and automating their usage in response. For most people, TOU provides a good balance of savings and simplicity.

Will TOU rates become the default everywhere?

The trend is clearly heading that way. Regulators at both the state and federal level are pushing utilities toward time-varying rates because they better reflect the true cost of electricity and help integrate renewable energy. As smart meter deployment reaches near-universal coverage and more states modernize their rate designs, expect TOU to become the standard residential rate structure over the next decade. If you are not on TOU yet, there is a good chance your utility will offer it, or default you to it, within the next few years.

Getting Started With TOU

If you are ready to take advantage of time-of-use pricing, here is a quick action plan:

Check your current rate plan. Log into your utility account or call them. Find out what rate options are available to you.
Review your usage patterns. Look at your utility's hourly usage data online. Most utilities with smart meters provide this. Identify when your biggest loads run.
Model the savings. Use your utility's rate comparison tool to see what your bills would look like under TOU versus your current plan.
Set up scheduled charging. If you have an EV, this is the single highest-impact change. Program it to charge during off-peak hours.
Shift flexible loads. Start running the dishwasher, laundry, and other deferrable loads during off-peak hours.
Program your thermostat. Set up a pre-cooling or pre-heating schedule that reduces HVAC usage during peak.
Consider a home energy monitor. Seeing your real-time usage by circuit helps you identify which loads to target. Our guide to the best home energy monitors covers the top options.
Explore battery storage. If you have solar or high usage, a battery maximizes your TOU savings through rate arbitrage. Our home battery guide walks through the economics.

The shift to time-of-use pricing is not going away. It is expanding. The sooner you learn to work with it, the more money you will save, and the less you will be caught off guard when your utility makes the switch. A few small timing changes to your daily routine can add up to hundreds, even thousands, of dollars per year. That is real money for doing nothing more than running the dryer a few hours later.