Time-of-Use (TOU)
Time is on your side
Most businesses operate between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Use of lighting, air conditioning, and other equipment during this time creates a peak demand for electricity.
With the TOU program, you receive a reduced electric rate for shifting your energy use from peak periods of the day to off-peak times. TEP benefits as well, due to a more balanced and efficient use of our generating resources.
How it works
TEP replaces your conventional meter, free of charge, with a meter that tracks the times of day you use electricity, then calculates the kilowatt-hour rates for those periods.
One of the requirements with the TOU program is that TEP must have access to the meter at all times. Meter readers must be able to stand directly in front of the meter to read it without interference from locked gates, foliage or other impediments.
You must also stay enrolled in the program for one year. After a year, if you find that the program is not suitable for your business, you can switch back to standard commercial service.
Holidays Excluded from TOU Schedule If a holiday falls on Saturday, the preceding Friday is designated off-peak; if a holiday falls on Sunday, the following Monday is designated off-peak. |
TOU schedule
Peak and shoulder periods only occur during certain hours, Monday through Friday, excluding selected holidays. (See box.)
The definition of peak, shoulder and off-peak varies by season. Under TOU Price Schedule No. 76, the summer hours apply to electricity usage from May through October, and winter hours apply from November through April.
During summer weekdays, the peak period is from 1 to 6 p.m. and the shoulder period is from 6 to 8 p.m.
During winter weekdays, there are two peak periods: a morning peak period from 7 to 11 a.m., and an evening peak period from 6 to 9 p.m. There is not a winter shoulder period.
Pricing
While the service charge is more for the Time-of-use program, the difference may be recovered by using electricity during off-peak hours. The table below compares prices based on schedules set in March of 1996.
| Standard Commercial Price Schedule | ||
| Summer May - October |
Winter November - April |
|
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Service Charge - Single Phase Month Service Charge - Three Phase |
$5.88 $13.24 |
$5.88 $13.24 |
| First 3400 kWh per month All additional kWh per month |
11.3695¢/kWh 10.0343¢/kWh |
11.3695¢/kWh 9.3772¢/kWh |
| Time-of-use Price Schedule | ||
| Summer May - October |
Winter November - April |
|
| Monthly Service Charge - Single Phase Monthly Service Charge - Three Phase |
$6.78 $14.14 |
$6.78 $14.14 |
| On-peak kWh | 22.2943¢/kWh | 15.0244¢/kWh |
| Shoulder kWh | 14.0551¢/kWh | N/A |
| Off-peak kWh | 6.7853¢/kWh | 5.3312¢/kWh |
If you want to sign up your business for Time-of-Use, or if you need further information, please click here to contact our Commercial Customer Care Department.