What do the terms On-Peak and Off-Peak mean?

Off-peak hours occur when demand for electricity is at its lowest, and on-peak hours are when demand is at its highest. On-Peak hours tend to begin when commuters get home from work, turn on household items, cook, do laundry, and may also plug in their electric vehicles. This creates a higher demand for power to keep everything running, and its up to your local utility to meet that need, no matter how high or low.

While your utility loves that you are now coming to them to “fuel” your car, they want to make sure you do so at a time where the demand for electricity isn’t so high. Those off-peak hours are between 9pm and 12pm the next day. Simply put, once we go to bed, we use less electricity.

Getting EV owners to schedule to charge off-peak helps EV drivers reduce the cost of charging and resiliency – keeping electricity service more affordable and reliable! This also makes sure the energy we use includes cleaner energy. When peak demand reaches past a certain point, utilities have to get the power from somewhere to keep up, and that may mean having to rely more on generators powered by fossil fuels.

 

This doesn’t just put more money in your pocket, but it also helps keep the grid cleaner and more efficient!

If you have any questions, comment below, or contact us!

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