SCE Peak Hours Are 4–9 PM on Common TOU Plans

What are SCE's (Edison's) peak hours?

Southern California Edison's peak hours are 4–9 PM on its two most common residential plans (TOU-D-4-9PM and the EV/battery-oriented TOU-D-PRIME) and 5–8 PM on TOU-D-5-8PM. On the weekday plans, the full on-peak price applies on summer weekdays; on summer weekends the same evening window is billed at a lower 'mid-peak' rate — cheaper than the weekday peak, but still above off-peak. TOU-D-PRIME charges its peak rate every day in summer.

In winter (October–May) the pattern shifts: the 4–9 PM window drops to a mid-peak price every day, and SCE adds a 'super off-peak' period from 8 AM to 4 PM — the cheapest electricity of the day, priced low because midday solar floods the grid. Everything else, including overnight, is off-peak.

That schedule is exactly backwards from how a home uses power: panels produce midday when rates are lowest, and the peak hits after sunset. A battery closes the gap — it banks cheap midday solar and spends it during the SCE peak, so you avoid Southern California Edison's priciest power. Here are the current SCE residential TOU windows at a glance.

SCE vs. SDG&E vs. PG&E: peak hours compared

All three of California's big investor-owned utilities put their most expensive hours in the same evening block. SCE peaks 4–9 PM (or 5–8 PM on one plan), SDG&E peaks 4–9 PM every day of the week, and PG&E peaks 4–9 PM every day on its standard TOU plan (E-TOU-C) or 5–8 PM weekdays only (E-TOU-D). The cheapest hours differ more than the peaks do: SDG&E's 'super off-peak' runs overnight and, on weekdays, 10 AM–2 PM, while SCE's cheapest window is winter daytime.

Is electricity cheaper at night in California?

Yes. On every major California time-of-use plan, overnight electricity costs less than the 4–9 PM evening peak. SCE's off-peak begins at 9 PM on its most common plan, SDG&E's cheapest 'super off-peak' pricing runs midnight to 6 AM on weekdays, and PG&E's standard plan is off-peak from 9 PM until 4 PM the next day.

But night is no longer always the cheapest time. California's grid now carries so much midday solar that utilities price parts of the day below the night: SCE's winter super off-peak runs 8 AM–4 PM, and in May 2026 SDG&E made its 10 AM–2 PM weekday super off-peak window year-round. Overnight or midday both work for heavy loads — the only consistently wrong time is 4–9 PM.

Are weekends off-peak?

Mostly — but not everywhere, and not entirely. On SCE's weekday plans (TOU-D-4-9PM and TOU-D-5-8PM), summer weekends never hit the full on-peak price: the evening window is billed at a lower mid-peak rate, and the rest of the weekend is off-peak. On PG&E's E-TOU-D, weekends are entirely off-peak.

SDG&E is the exception that surprises people: its residential TOU plans apply the 4–9 PM peak price every day — Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays included. The same goes for PG&E's standard E-TOU-C and SCE's TOU-D-PRIME. So don't assume weekend power is cheap by default; it depends on your specific plan.

Winter vs. summer TOU rates

The clock windows barely change with the seasons — the prices do. Summer is when peak power costs the most: SCE and PG&E define summer as June through September, and SDG&E stretches it from June through October. Winter peak prices are lower, and on SCE the 4–9 PM window softens to mid-peak with an 8 AM–4 PM super off-peak that makes winter daytime the cheapest grid power SCE sells.

For solar owners the seasons cut the other way: winter brings cheaper rates but shorter days and lower production, while summer brings peak production and peak prices at the same time. A system sized only for July overproduces in January for low NEM 3.0 export credits — which is why we size arrays and batteries to your full-year usage, not a single season.

The cheapest time to use electricity

The cheapest grid electricity in Southern California sits in the super off-peak and off-peak windows: overnight (SDG&E's midnight–6 AM on weekdays; SCE's off-peak from 9 PM) and, increasingly, midday (SCE's winter 8 AM–4 PM; SDG&E's 10 AM–2 PM weekdays). The most expensive time is always the same: 4–9 PM, when demand spikes just as solar fades.

Practical moves, in order of impact: charge the EV overnight or midday instead of at dinner time, move the pool pump schedule out of the evening, and run the dishwasher and laundry before 4 PM or after 9 PM. Those three cover most of what a household can shift by habit alone.

Solar with a battery ends the scheduling game entirely: the panels charge the battery on your own power at midday, and the battery carries the house through the expensive hours. That's the design we model in a free estimate — your actual rate plan, your usage, and a system that beats the peak you actually pay.

What time-of-use pricing means

On a time-of-use (TOU) rate plan, the price of a kilowatt-hour changes by time of day. California's investor-owned utilities — PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E — set their most expensive 'peak' window in the evening, commonly around 4–9 PM, with cheaper off-peak rates overnight and midday. The catch: peak is exactly when the sun is low and your panels produce the least.

Why TOU plus NEM 3.0 makes a battery essential

TOU and NEM 3.0 compound each other. Daytime solar you export earns a low credit, while evening power you buy costs the most. A battery bridges that gap: it banks your midday solar and releases it during the 4–9 PM peak so you're not buying expensive grid energy when you cook dinner, run the AC, and charge the car.

A day in the life of a well-designed system

Morning: your panels wake up and start covering the house. Midday: panels overproduce, topping off your battery. Late afternoon into evening: the 4–9 PM peak hits, the battery discharges to power your home, and you draw little or nothing from the grid at its priciest. Overnight: if needed, you backfill from cheaper off-peak rates. That daily rhythm is what produces real savings under current rules.

Designing for your specific rate and usage

Different TOU plans have different peak windows and price spreads, and your savings depend on matching the system to your plan and habits — when you're home, your EV charging schedule, AC use. We read your utility bill and usage data to size the array and battery for your actual rate plan, rather than a generic template, so the system is tuned to beat the peak you actually pay.