To meet goals for providing clean, sustainable and affordable energy to all of our customers, PSE launched a Time-of-Use (TOU) pilot program last fall.

Through the pilot, a limited number of commercial electric customers on Rate Schedule 24 enrolled in the two-year program to study the impacts of encouraging them to shift when and how they use energy in their business.

The purpose of the pilot is to help us develop a time-of-use rate structure that can effectively shift power use away from peak demand times – to maintain reliability, conserve energy, and potentially drive cost savings for businesses that have the flexibility to shift weekday operations away from peak periods when rates are higher.

Time-of-Use

While active recruitment for the pilot has ended, some commercial electric customers may still enroll in a TOU rate plan, pending availability. Find out if your business is eligible.

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If you already enrolled in the TOU pilot program, you can log in to your PSE account to view your energy usage and manage your participation.

When and how you use electricity matters

Time-of-use (TOU) rates are an easy way for electric customers who have the flexibility to shift when they use energy-intensive appliances, equipment, machinery and electric heating/cooling systems away from “peak” periods to save money on their monthly bill. Peak periods are from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. during winter months (Oct-Mar) and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. during summer months (Apr-Sep) on weekdays when demand and costs are highest. On a TOU rate plan, customers will also pay less for electricity during “off-peak” periods on weekdays and all day on weekends and holidays.

What are peak time rebate events or Peak Time Rebates?

This TOU rate plan features additional opportunities to earn “Peak Time Rebate” bill credits for further reducing electricity use during periodic peak time rebate events. No more than 20 peak time rebate events will be called each year, and customers will be notified by email and/or text message at least one day ahead to allow time to prepare as necessary. Participation in these events is voluntary. Customers who enroll in a TOU rate plan featuring Peak Time Rebates are not eligible to simultaneously participate in PSE’s other Demand Response/Flex Smart programs and will be opted out accordingly.

For more information about Time-of-Use (TOU) and Peak Time Rebates, visit the TOU FAQ page.