How SCE Time-of-Use Rates Change When You Should Heat and Cool
The same kilowatt-hour costs more at 6 PM than at 2 PM. Here is how to run your system around that.
By Piggies Air Conditioning HVAC Team · Updated · 5 min read · Bills & Incentives
The short answer
On an SCE time-of-use plan, electricity costs the most during the evening peak window, usually late afternoon into the evening on weekdays. Pre-cooling the house before that window, letting the thermostat drift a few degrees during it, and shifting heat pump water heating and laundry to off-peak hours lowers the bill without lowering comfort.
What time-of-use actually means
Most SCE residential customers are now on a time-of-use (TOU) plan rather than a flat rate. The price per kilowatt-hour changes by time of day and by season. Summer afternoons and early evenings cost the most because that is when the whole region is running air conditioning and solar production is fading.
SCE offers several TOU plans. The peak window differs by plan, and households with an electric vehicle or a heat pump may qualify for a plan designed around off-peak charging and heating. Plan names, windows and prices change, so confirm the current details for your account on SCE's site before you build a schedule around them.
Why your HVAC is the biggest lever
In a San Gabriel Valley home, cooling is usually the largest single electrical load in summer, and a heat pump is the largest in winter. Shifting even part of that load out of the peak window matters more than unplugging phone chargers ever will.
- Pre-cool: set the thermostat two or three degrees lower than normal for the hour or two before peak pricing starts. A well-insulated house holds that cool through the expensive hours.
- Coast through peak: raise the setpoint a few degrees during the peak window. The system cycles far less, and the house usually stays comfortable because it started cold.
- Recover off-peak: let the normal setpoint return once the window closes. Smart thermostats can do all three steps on a schedule.
- Heat pump water heaters, pool pumps and laundry belong in off-peak hours too.
What makes pre-cooling work or fail
Pre-cooling depends on the house holding its temperature. Attic insulation, sealed ducts and shaded west-facing windows make the strategy work. A leaky, under-insulated house will give the cool back within an hour and you will have paid off-peak prices for nothing.
Variable-speed and inverter systems handle this better than single-stage equipment because they can run long and slow during the cheap hours instead of short, hard cycles.
Where to check your own numbers
Your SCE online account shows hourly usage. Compare a hot weekday with and without pre-cooling and you will see the shift. If the peak hours still dominate, the fix is usually the envelope (insulation, duct sealing) rather than the thermostat.
What to remember
- 1 Find your plan's peak window first; everything else follows from it.
- 2 Pre-cool before peak, coast through it, recover after.
- 3 Insulation and sealed ducts are what let the house hold the cool.
This guide is general information for homeowners in Baldwin Park and surrounding communities. Codes, rates and incentive programs change; confirm current terms with the agency or program before relying on a date or amount. For your specific system, book a visit or call us.
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