With optional time-of-day pricing, electricity is more expensive during the evening and cheapest overnight.
Check out our best tips to save money on time-of-day pricing below. If you're not already on this rate plan and would like to be, learn more and change your rate here.
10 ways to shift your electricity use and save
1. Schedule electric vehicle (EV) charging overnight
If you charge an EV at home, that’s one of the best ways to save with time-of-day pricing. Most smart EV chargers allow you to schedule when you want to start or stop your charge via the charger itself or its mobile app.
To get the time-of-day pricing overnight discount on every kilowatt-hour (kWh), set your EV to charge between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m.
2. Dishwasher: load first, run later
If you're on time-of-day pricing, maximize savings by running your dishwasher at 11 p.m. Many dishwashers have a delayed start feature which makes this easy. Load it when you're done cleaning up after dinner, then hit delay start.
If your dishwasher doesn't have this feature, make sure not to run your dishwasher during on-peak hours of 4 to 9 p.m. and you'll avoid the higher pricing.
And to use less energy overall, check out other tips to save in the kitchen.
Do you live in an apartment building? This rate plan may not be right for you.
3. Laundry: avoid on-peak hours
Tackle your loads of laundry during the day before 4 p.m. or in the evening after 9 p.m. to be charged at the standard, off-peak rate and avoid the higher pricing.
If you're an early riser, you might have time to get one load out of the way before 7 a.m. to take advantage of discounted pricing.
To learn how to reduce electricity use, explore our energy-saving laundry tips.
4. Pre-heat or pre-cool your home before 4 p.m.
Comfort and health permitting, you can also adjust your thermostat to use less energy during on-peak hours.
This is easy if you have programmable or smart thermostats that you can schedule. Even better, many smart thermostats have a one-click setting that'll automatically optimize the schedule to save money according to our time-of-day pricing periods.
If you have manual thermostats, you can do it yourself.
- In the winter, pre-heat your home to your desired temperature before 4 p.m. Then at 4 p.m., turn it down two or three degrees below to save energy until 9 p.m.
- In the summer, pre-cool your home with your air conditioner the same way. And from 4 to 9 p.m. turn the setpoint up a few degrees higher to save energy.
5. Stay warm – or cool – in other ways
Adjusting the thermostat to use less electricity during on-peak hours gives you a big opportunity to save. And to stay comfortable in the process, try these low- or no-cost tips.
In the winter:
- Layer up during on-peak hours with a sweater, blanket and/or slippers.
- Make sure windows and window coverings are closed to help retain heat.
- Lower the thermostat to 18°C while cooking, cleaning or exercising.
In the summer:
- If it's cooler outside than in, open windows and use fans rather than air conditioning.
All year:
- Don't heat or cool rooms that aren't in use.
6. Plug electronics in to charge at 11 p.m.
Phones, laptops and other small electronic devices that you plug in to charge don’t use a lot of electricity, but you can still shift and save.
If you're able to, plug them in at 11 p.m. to charge up overnight on discounted pricing.
7. Plan your shower time
If your home has an electric water heater, we suggest that you don't run a bath during on-peak hours (4 to 9 p.m.) and if you need to shower during those hours, keep it short. Heating the water uses a lot of electricity.
If you tend to get up early or stay up late, showering between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. will get you cleaned up on discounted pricing.
To use less water heating overall, check out our water tips.
8. Turn off unnecessary lights
This is good practice any time of the day, but especially during on-peak hours.
Turn off all lights in rooms you're not using and use task lighting – lamps and undercounter lights – to light what you need, instead of ceiling lights.
9. If it's flexible, do it off-peak
For housework, hobbies or other tasks around the house that use electricity, try to do them during off-peak hours to avoid the on-peak surcharge. This might be things like:
- Using power tools
- Heating up a hot tub
- Vacuuming or ironing
And timers are on your side. Any device that gives you scheduling abilities is worth looking into if you're on time-of-day rate plans. Consider them for things like:
- Lighting
- Sump pumps
- Pool pumps
- Bathroom fans
10. Track your progress with our online tools
Time it right and savings will be in sight. Keep an eye on your household's progress by regularly checking your consumption data.
MyHydro usage graphs
Log in to your online MyHydro account to see your usage right down to the hour, up to the previous day. For guidance, see our time-of-day MyHydro tracking tips.
HydroHome app
Interested in more detailed data? Our free HydroHome mobile app includes features that help you stay on track with time-of-day pricing.
- Customize alerts based on the time of day, budgeting, and more.
- Get a breakdown of usage by system or device.
- Purchase a hub to unlock more advanced features including real-time electricity use data.
How much you could save
If you're not signed up for time-of-day pricing yet, check out our rate estimator to compare electricity costs on each rate plan.
And if you're interested in more detailed calculations, our appliance cost calculator allows you to calculate the costs of running appliances and devices in your home.