Time Advantage Rates

If your lifestyle allows you to avoid using electricity during the peak periods, using one of the Time Advantage rate plans may be the right choice for your household. A Time Advantage rate plan will help you take more control over your energy use and help save you money.

The Time Advantage rate plans make it possible for you to save money in two ways:

1. By using electricity in off-peak hours with the Time Advantage-Energy Rate Plan.

2. By not using your major appliances at the same time with the Time Advantage- Demand Rate Plan.

Unlike other rate plans, the Time Advantage rate plans reward you for these choices by offering lower rates.

Once you switch to a Time Advantage rate plan, we strongly encourage you to start managing how you use energy in your home. Here are some ways to do this:

Look for ways to stop or minimize energy use during the summer peak hours of 1-7 p.m. (Monday – Friday).

Set your thermostat to 78-80 degrees in the summer during the summer peak hours of 1-7 p.m. (Monday – Friday).

Use your major appliances (washer, dryer, pool pump, dishwasher) in the mornings, at night and on the weekends.

Use a programmable thermostat.

Increase your use of ceiling fans.

Use a timer on your water heater to prevent it from heating during the summer peak hours of 1-7 p.m. (Monday – Friday).

Use a timer on your pool pump to turn it off during the summer peak hours of 1-7 p.m. (Monday – Friday).

Limit the demands you put on your energy by staggering your major appliance use with the Time Advantage – Demand Rate Plan.

Once you’ve started managing your energy use, there are some additional things you can do to increase your savings:

Use energy-efficient appliances.

Increase the insulation in your home.

Use insulated windows and doors.

Upgrade your heating and cooling systems to higher-efficiency models.

By changing when you use your electricity to when the Time Advantage rate plan is lower than our standard rate, you could save on your power bill.

The service agreement for the Time Advantage rate plans is for a 12-month term; however, you are able to cancel the plan according to our rules and regulations for electric service. If you want to cancel your Time Advantage rate plan before the end of your 12-month term, the electricity you’ve used once the plan is canceled will be billed at the standard rate. If the standard rate amount is higher than the amount you were billed while on the Time Advantage rate plan, you will be expected to pay the difference.

Peak hours:
June 1 – Sept. 30: peak hours are Monday – Friday from 1-7 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST).
Nov. 1 – March 31: peak hours are Monday – Friday from 5-9 a.m. Central Standard Time (CST).

Off-peak hours:
Weekends, holidays and all other hours are considered off-peak or economy hours.

When you’re under a Time Advantage rate plan, all hours on the following holidays are considered off-peak or economy hours: New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. When any of these holidays fall on a Sunday the following Monday will have economy hours.

Controlling demand in your household requires you to manage your use of major appliances like the washer, dryer, pool pump and dishwasher. Rather than using them at the same time, you should use no more than two at a time.

Your meter will be read every month. Once your meter has been read, your demand will be reset. When you receive your bill, check the grey shaded box labeled “Usage Information” on the right side to see when your meter has been read.