What are the peak and off-peak ...?

Question

Which hrs are the peak and off-peak to save energy?

For example, what are the best hrs to start running your clothes dryer and stuff like that?

Answer 1

If you aren't concerned about saving money with a lower rate and just want to lessen your impact on forcing the power company to burn natural gas back up instead of baseline coal then do your heavy energy uses late in the evening or very early in the morning.   After nine or before seven should be good enough.

Answer 2

Peak hours are defined in the tariff rates by utility companies.  

Each utility company will look to have different times depending on the profile of the consumption, the types of power plants supplying the power, and the electrical grid.  Energy rates in these tariffs change based on time-of-day, day-of-week, and season.  Each tariff (even if it is custom for just one customer) must be filed with the FERC and is usually available via the utility companies' websites.

There is also another distinction between energy (kWh) and demand (kW - the rate of energy consumption).  The peak vs. off-peak times vary for both consumption and demand.

Today, these really only effect big consumers of electricity (industrial plants), but in the future all rates could differ based on time-of-day.

In general, the lowest energy consumption is early AM (12A-4A) and that is when electrical rates are the lowest.

Answer 3

peak times are the times when most people consume power or energy.For example, people get up in the morning,use lights, hot water, cooking.  then business start up and all the offices start consuming.  Then in the evening more power used at home

Off peak are the time when less power is used, like at night.  Power companies charge lower rates for power used at night. BUT, her es the big one, you have to have a power company that has permission to sell power cheaper to non business consumers, then if they have permission, you have to have a special meter installed to take advantage of this.

NOW, as people start using this feature, the power used at night will be equal to that used in the daytime, so the discount will be dropped.  The warning here is, do not go out and pay a lot of based on the savings as those savings will go away and you will be left with equipment you can't use.