Many people ask when is electricity cheapest. This article will help you understand what to do and what not to do to help you save money on electricity.
Electricity is cheapest during the off peak power times. Most provinces, countries or states have programs in place to reduce their energy production during a specific time period of the day and pass the savings on to you.
Let’s take you through the facts to better understand each use.
13 Facts When Is Electricity Cheapest
- What Time Is The Peak Rate?
- When Is The Off Peak Rate?
- Water Saving Methods
- What Time Should I Cook?
- Should I Join A Tariff Program?
- How Electricity Is Produced?
- When Is Electricity Cheapest With Solar?
- How Can Electricity Be Produced Cheaper?
- Cheapest Time Of Day To Run A Dishwasher
- Off Peak Hours For Laundry
- Larger Or Smaller Loads Of Laundry
- When Is Electricity Cheapest For Heating?
- Observing Energy Rate Increases
1.When Is Electricity Cheapest And What Time Is The Peak Rate?
The peak rate is a rate in which the power utility charges to offset their peak power production times. It is not recommended to use large amounts of power during these periods.
The peak time varies from province to province or state to state. Most generally it is first thing in the morning and supper time or late afternoon.
These are increased power usage times that the power company needs to generate more electricity. This is usually done by bringing another generator online to the grid.
As this is more cost to the power company they usually pass this cost onto you the user.
Try to refrain from using large power loads during these times like clothes drying, washing etc. This usually only applies to consumers who have a time of use meter and on that rate. The peak rate is up to 1.5 times the regular rate.
2. When Is Electricity Cheapest And When Is The Off Peak Rate?
The peak rate is a rate in which the power company offers you the consumer a reduced rate for off peak power times . These time are usually nights from 11 pm to 7 am.
Weekends from Friday at 11 pm through until Monday morning at 7 am. This also applies to holidays.
During these times the amount of power that needs to be produced by the power companies are less. This means they can usually take a generator offline passing the cost savings onto you.
It is a bit of a lifestyle change meaning shifting your power usage to the nights and weekends. If done correctly you can save up to 40% off your power bill.
There are a number of time of use power saving programs you can apply for through your local power company. These programs will qualify you for a time of use meter. They will also have timers installed to help automate shifting your power loads to the night time. For more on these programs click here.
3.When Is Electricity Cheapest Water Saving Methods
Water saving methods, simple really. Everyone knows nowadays to install low flow toilets, shower head etc. In addition to that you can move you water needs to the night time to match the off peak power programs. Install a timer on your hot water, install a timer on your dish washer.
Use timers on your water sprinklers so your pump is running during the night. You can also buy low flow sprinkler heads. This will reduce the amount of water used during watering times.
4.When Is Electricity Cheapest What Time Should I Cook?
It is okay to do your basic cooking when you need to. However we do not recommend that you cook a Turkey in the oven during the peak power times.
Try using the microwave or small toaster oven during the peak power times instead of using your large stove or range.
Your range can actually draw 8.8 kW per hour runtime. 20 cent per kWh this could be a cost of $1.70 per hour. This can quickly add up and get out of control.
5. Should I Join A Tariff Program?
Some countries have tariff programs that you can join or be apart of. A tariff program is a small community of consumers the get together to finance alternative energy equipment.
Wind power farms are prime example of alternative energy communities. Sometimes these wind farms cannot be financed by the local government.
A number of consumers for investors will get together to invest and finance the project.
A special tariff agreement is that arranged with their local power utility just sell the energy back to the grid at a higher rate. This can become very financially lucrative. This also applies for large solar farms.
6.How Is Electricity Produced?
Without getting too technical all electricity with the exception of solar is produced from magnets. Rare earth magnets pass by a copper coil of wire or vice versa. This induces electricity in to the wire.
The electricity is produced in the form of what we call 3 phase. It is then pumped onto the grid add are very high voltage. The voltage is known as AC. Or alternating current so we refer to. This allows the voltage travel great distances through transmission lines.
This 3 phase electricity is actually produced by 3 phase generator . This generator is turned buy a number of different methods. Fossil fuels, hydro or water, nuclear, coal oil etc.
Solar electric electric energy otherwise referred to as PV which stands for photovoltaic is the process of converting sunlight into DC electricity through the collection of photocells.
This DC electricity is then converted to 3 phase AC and pumped onto the grid.
7.When Is Electricity Cheapest With Solar?
The obvious answer to this question would be when the sun is shining at its brightest. This means during the peak sun season. The more sunlight that the solar panels collect the more energy is pumped back onto the grid offsetting the cost out regular energy from the grid.
This method up delivery to the grid is known as grid tie. A dc inverter changes the power over to ac and locks onto the grid selling back.
8.How Can Electricity Be Produced Cheaper?
Electricity can be produced cheaper by using more alternative energy green sources. We are getting there over the last 15 years or so but we still have a long way to go.
Check out some of the rebate programs on the Internet today . These rebate programs can offer a significant amount up money back to install solar on your home. For more about these rebate programs click here.
9.Cheapest Time Of Day To Run A Dishwasher
Use a timer to time your dishwasher to come on at night. You can also set the time delay on them if it has one. You can do this as you are loading it up.
There is however on most dishwasher a heat dry cycle. This keeps the elements on after the dishes are complete to dry them. Simply shut this off as it burns a lot of electricity.
10. Off Peak Hours For Laundry
Ok so In my home full of kids, laundry is done daily.Every evening I throw a wash in around 8 pm on a cold cycle. After that I put them in the dryer and enable the time delay cycle so that it does not come on until after 11 pm during the off peak time period.
If you are going to use this method make sure that you clean your dry vent on a regular basis as they are know to cause fires. You wouldn’ t want a fire while you are in bed.
As for the weekend it’s kind of a free for all as the off peak rate applies from Friday until Monday morning.
11.Larger Or Smaller Loads Of Laundry?
Larger loads are always better as you will use less water. It’s important not to overload the washer or the dryer as it will just kick out on weight over load.
Most newer washers and dryer have that feature. Remember you can always hang your clothes on the line on a nice day.
12. When Is Electricity Cheapest For Heating?
Heating your home at night is the best option and also the cheapest if you’re on one of these time of use metres . The trick is to make sure that you install enough heat to get you through the peak period.
Thermal storage is the way to go. This can be in floor heat a large mass that can be heated at night. Of it can be thermal storage brick heaters. Otherwise known as ets or electric thermal storage. These heaters taking charge during the off peak and hold it during the peak periods.
You can find out more on heating products we recommend …
13.Observing Energy Rate Increases
Keep an eye on your power bill to observe energy rate increases. Power companies can be sneaky in doing anything increases on your bill without you even knowing.
Sometimes they only put it up a fraction of a cent or even estimate the meter reading.
Is electricity cheaper at night?
Electricity is usually much cheaper at night than it is during the day, and this is because utilities generate energy when demand is low and so they can charge less. The price of electricity spikes when more people use it during peak hours.
But off peak power times vary from place to place, and sometimes the difference in price can be as much as 20 cents per kilowatt-hour (or kWh).
Take the province of Alberta, for instance: It’s peak time for electricity use around 5 PM and all through the evening until 9PM. For those 7 hours, power prices range from 9.6 cents to 11.5 cents per kWh—that’s a significant increase!
Off peak power periods in Alberta are between 1 AM and 6 AM (right now), with rates at 4.8 cents per kWh at this time of day.
Is it cheaper to run dishwasher at night?
Yes, dishwashers are usually the most energy efficient appliance to run at night.
If your dishwasher has a sensor on it that measures how dirty the load is, you might want to run it during the day so it can complete its cycle before getting too full. You’ll also save more energy by running this way because some of the dishes will be clean by nighttime.
Why is my night electricity usage so high?
If your electricity bill is higher during the night than the day, you might be wondering why this is happening.
Some electrical appliances use up more electricity when they are turned on during the evening instead of the morning. This is because some appliances work better at certain temperatures like refrigerators and freezers.
It’s also possible that your house is designed for cooling purposes which means that there are fewer windows during the evening to let in natural light and release heat.
The difference in temperature between inside and outside also affects how much power your home uses during a given time period. Your home may be cooler or warmer depending on the time of day which means that it will need more or less energy for heating or cooling respectively.
Another reason for a large evening bill could be a malfunctioning thermostat. If the thermostat isn’t set correctly, it could lead to increased power usage by your air conditioner or heater.
What appliance in your house uses the most electricity?
The answer may surprise you.
Your refrigerator is the appliance that uses the most electricity, followed by your air conditioner and then your furnace.
While you can’t control how much power your fridge or AC unit use, you can take steps to reduce the amount of electricity used by your furnace. One way to do this is by setting up a timer on it so that when it’s not being used, it automatically shuts off. When it’s time for your furnace to turn on, the timer will automatically switch back on and start heating up the house.
Another way is to find a programmable thermostat that can help control how much power is being used at a given moment in time. With a programmable thermostat, you have the ability to set different temperatures at different times during the day or night so that when you’re not home, the house won’t be as warm if it’s hot outside or freezing inside if it’s cold outside.
How can I reduce my electric bill?
You have probably heard that “electricity is cheapest during the off peak power times”. But what does this mean, and how can it help me save? Electricity is most expensive when demand is at its highest. If you are using an appliance in your house that requires a lot of electricity, then you are likely paying more for that power because it is in high demand, or during on-peak hours.
Electricity is most expensive when demand is at its highest.
The time of day you use electricity makes a big difference to your electric bill. Most provinces, countries or states have programs in place to reduce their energy production during a specific time period of the day and pass the savings on to you. So if you brush your teeth after 9pm, make sure to turn off your lights by 10pm!
What is the cheapest way to generate electricity?
During off peak power times, like late night or early morning, most provinces, countries or states have programs in place to reduce their energy production and pass the savings on to you.
This is because during these periods of the day, there is no need for as much electricity and the cost of producing it is lower.
For example, the Ontario government’s “Off-Peak Electricity Program” allows customers to save on their electricity bill by lowering their consumption at night and on weekends.
You can choose to participate in this program and save up to $1,150 a year!
Here is a great tool we find for mobitering your usage….
