Best time to run appliances on SCE time-of-use
The rule that covers most of it: stay out of your plan’s evening peak window on summer weekdays — 4–9 p.m. on TOU-D-4-9PM and PRIME, 5–8 p.m. on TOU-D-5-8PM. On the 4-9PM plan that window costs 58¢/kWh against 34¢ off-peak. Two details most guides miss: summer weekends are far cheaper in the same hours, and winter mid-day is the cheapest window of the year.
Quick answer
- Stay out of your plan’s peak window on summer weekdays — 4–9 p.m. on TOU-D-4-9PM and PRIME, 5–8 p.m. on TOU-D-5-8PM. On TOU-D-4-9PM that window costs 58¢/kWh against 34¢ off-peak.
- Summer weekends are much cheaper in the same hours — 46¢ instead of 58¢ on 4-9PM, and 54¢ instead of 74¢ on 5-8PM. Shift what you can to Saturday.
- Winter has no on-peak at all, and adds a super-off-peak of 33¢ or less. It is the cheapest window of the year.
- TOU-D-PRIME has the lowest off-peak (26¢ summer, 24¢ winter) but earns no baseline credit — a plan question, not a scheduling one.
- Season definitions are SCE’s: summer is June through September, winter is October through May.
The rate grid this schedule is built on
Every recommendation below comes from these numbers, not from general advice.
| Plan | Season / day | Peak window | Peak | Off-peak | Super off-peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOU-D-4-9PM | Summer weekday | 4–9 p.m. on-peak | 58¢ | 34¢ | — |
| TOU-D-4-9PM | Summer weekend | 4–9 p.m. mid-peak | 46¢ | 34¢ | — |
| TOU-D-4-9PM | Winter, all days | 4–9 p.m. mid-peak | 51¢ | 37¢ | 33¢ |
| TOU-D-5-8PM | Summer weekday | 5–8 p.m. on-peak | 74¢ | 34¢ | — |
| TOU-D-5-8PM | Summer weekend | 5–8 p.m. mid-peak | 54¢ | 34¢ | — |
| TOU-D-5-8PM | Winter, all days | 5–8 p.m. mid-peak | 60¢ | 38¢ | 32¢ |
| TOU-D-PRIME | Summer weekday | 4–9 p.m. on-peak | 59¢ | 26¢ | — |
| TOU-D-PRIME | Summer weekend | 4–9 p.m. mid-peak | 40¢ | 26¢ | — |
| TOU-D-PRIME | Winter, all days | 4–9 p.m. mid-peak | 56¢ | 24¢ | 24¢ |
Source: SCE — Time-of-Use Residential Rate Plans. Verified August 17, 2026. Summer is June through September; winter is October through May. Rates are whole-cent approximations as published and exclude the baseline credit, which applies to the standard plans but not to PRIME.
The appliance schedule
The window differs by plan, so the schedule does too. Find your plan’s column — using the wrong one costs money.
| Appliance | TOU-D-4-9PM | TOU-D-5-8PM | TOU-D-PRIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| EV charging | after 9 p.m. | after 8 p.m. | after 9 p.m. |
| Air conditioning | pre-cool before 4 p.m. | pre-cool before 5 p.m. | pre-cool before 4 p.m. |
| Clothes dryer | before 4 p.m. or after 9 p.m. | before 5 p.m. or after 8 p.m. | before 4 p.m. or after 9 p.m. |
| Dishwasher | delay to after 9 p.m. | delay to after 8 p.m. | delay to after 9 p.m. |
| Pool pump | avoid 4–9 p.m. | avoid 5–8 p.m. | avoid 4–9 p.m. |
| Heat-pump water heater | heat before 4 p.m. | heat before 5 p.m. | heat before 4 p.m. |
Windows follow each plan’s published peak period: 4–9 p.m. on TOU-D-4-9PM and PRIME, 5–8 p.m. on TOU-D-5-8PM. On the 5-8PM plan the hours from 4 to 5 p.m. and after 8 p.m. are already off-peak — advice written for the 4–9 p.m. window does not apply to it. Source: SCE — Time-of-Use Residential Rate Plans, verified August 17, 2026.
In winter, all three plans add a super-off-peak block starting at 8 a.m. and running until that plan’s mid-peak window opens — 4 p.m. on TOU-D-4-9PM and PRIME, 5 p.m. on TOU-D-5-8PM. That mid-day block is the cheapest electricity of the year on every plan.
These are bundled SCE rates — SCE delivery plus SCE generation. If your generation comes from a Community Choice Aggregator or a Direct Access provider, your total per-kWh price differs, though the timing of SCE’s delivery periods still applies.
Three things the grid tells you that most advice misses
Summer weekends are a genuine discount, not a rounding error
The evening window does not disappear on Saturday and Sunday — it drops from on-peak to mid-peak. On TOU-D-4-9PM that is 46¢ instead of 58¢. On TOU-D-5-8PM the gap is far larger: 54¢ instead of 74¢, roughly a quarter off. If a load genuinely cannot move out of the evening, moving it to the weekend is the next best thing.
Winter mid-day is the cheapest electricity you will buy all year
All three plans add a super-off-peak period in winter: 33¢ on 4-9PM, 32¢ on 5-8PM, 24¢ on PRIME. Winter also has no on-peak at all — the evening window is mid-peak every day, weekday or weekend. Anything flexible and heavy, from pool pumps to water heating, belongs in that mid-day block from October through May.
The 5-8PM plan punishes mistakes hardest
Its window is only three hours, but at 74¢/kWh on summer weekdays it is the most expensive residential period SCE publishes. The plan rewards households that can reliably clear a narrow window and penalises those that cannot. If your evenings are unpredictable, the wider but gentler 4–9 p.m. window is the safer structure.
If you have solar or a battery
The schedule above is written for the electricity you buy. Solar changes which hours you are buying in, not what those hours cost.
- Solar without storage: your production peaks around mid-day and falls away before the 4–9 p.m. window opens. That is precisely why the evening rule still applies to you — those are the hours you are most likely to be importing.
- Solar with a battery: the goal is to arrive at 4 p.m. with a full battery and discharge through the expensive window. Most systems can be configured to do this automatically.
- Which plan you are on is a separate decision from scheduling. We compare them in SCE time-of-use plans compared, and the block of usage priced most favourably is covered in the SCE baseline region lookup.
What this page cannot determine
- Your exact savings. That depends on how much of your usage currently falls in the peak window, which only your interval data shows.
- Which plan you should be on. Scheduling and plan selection are different questions; this page assumes your plan is fixed.
- Holiday treatment. SCE’s published period table does not spell out how legal holidays are classified. Confirm with SCE if a holiday materially changes your week.
- Rates after the next revision. These are 2026 published figures, verified on the date shown.
Frequently asked
What is the worst time to use electricity on SCE?
Your plan’s evening window on a summer weekday. On TOU-D-4-9PM and PRIME that is 4–9 p.m.; on TOU-D-5-8PM it is 5–8 p.m. TOU-D-4-9PM charges 58¢/kWh in that window against 34¢ off-peak; TOU-D-5-8PM’s window is narrower but costs 74¢/kWh, the highest published residential rate. These are bundled SCE rates.
When should I charge my EV on an SCE plan?
After your plan’s peak window ends — after 9 p.m. on TOU-D-4-9PM and PRIME, after 8 p.m. on TOU-D-5-8PM. Off-peak is 34¢/kWh on the standard plans and 26¢ on PRIME in summer, against 58–74¢ during peak. In winter the mid-day super-off-peak is also cheap. These are bundled SCE rates; CCA and Direct Access customers pay a different generation component.
Are SCE weekends cheaper than weekdays?
Yes, in summer. The evening window drops from on-peak to mid-peak: 46¢ instead of 58¢ on TOU-D-4-9PM, and 54¢ instead of 74¢ on TOU-D-5-8PM. In winter there is no on-peak at all, so weekday and weekend evenings are priced the same.
When is SCE electricity cheapest?
Winter mid-day. October through May all three plans have a super-off-peak period priced at 33¢ on TOU-D-4-9PM, 32¢ on TOU-D-5-8PM and 24¢ on PRIME — the lowest rates SCE publishes for residential customers.
What months count as summer for SCE?
June through September. Winter is October through May. Those are SCE’s own season definitions on its time-of-use rate plan page.
Does pre-cooling the house actually save money?
It shifts the cost rather than removing it: you buy the cooling at off-peak rates before your plan’s peak window opens — before 4 p.m. on TOU-D-4-9PM and PRIME, before 5 p.m. on TOU-D-5-8PM — instead of at peak rates during it. Whether that nets out ahead depends on how well your home holds temperature.
Related reading
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page come from the primary sources below and, where noted, from Cali Energy calculations using the stated assumptions. Rates, incentives, and program terms change; each was verified August 17, 2026.
About this reference
Cali Energy is a licensed California contractor (CSLB #1032379) in Northridge. We publish this page as a reference and date it to the day each figure was checked against its source.
Prepared by Cali Energy, August 17, 2026. This article is for general educational purposes only and is not legal, tax, financial, engineering, or utility advice. Rates, incentives, codes, permit requirements, equipment specifications, prices, and program terms may change; figures and timelines are estimates, not guarantees. Confirm current requirements with the applicable utility, AHJ, program administrator, manufacturer, or a licensed professional. See our Content Disclaimer. Cali Energy · 19201 Parthenia St, Ste E, Northridge, CA 91324 · CSLB #1032379 (B, C-10, C-39)