Your electric bill is not a fixed thing. Most homeowners think of electricity as a flat commodity — you use a kilowatt-hour, you pay the going rate. But if you own an EV, there's a better deal available from almost every major utility in the country. It just takes a phone call and five minutes of setup to unlock it.

What Time-of-Use Rates Actually Are

A time-of-use (TOU) rate plan charges you different amounts for electricity depending on when you use it. The logic mirrors how the grid actually works: electricity is cheap to produce when demand is low (nights, weekends) and expensive when everyone's air conditioner is running simultaneously (weekday afternoons in summer).

Under a standard flat-rate plan, you pay one blended rate that averages all of this out. Under a TOU plan, you pay the real price at each time — which means you can dramatically reduce your bill by shifting when you run high-draw appliances. For most households, a dryer or dishwasher runs once or twice a day. An EV charger can draw 7–11 kW for 4–8 hours every night. The opportunity to time that correctly is significant.

The Numbers From Real Utilities

Here's what time-of-use pricing actually looks like at some major utilities:

Southern California Edison (SCE) — TOU-D-Prime:

Super Off-Peak (9 PM – 8 AM): $0.06/kWh
Off-Peak (8 AM – 4 PM weekdays): ~$0.16/kWh
On-Peak (4 PM – 9 PM weekdays): ~$0.45/kWh

Con Edison (New York City) — EV TOU rate:

Overnight (midnight – 8 AM): $0.03/kWh
Standard on-peak: ~$0.20/kWh

ComEd (Illinois) — Hourly Pricing / Real-Time:

Typical overnight average: $0.04–$0.05/kWh
Peak summer afternoons: $0.10–$0.50+/kWh

PG&E (Northern California) — EV2-A rate:

Off-peak overnight: $0.12/kWh
On-peak: $0.36/kWh

Xcel Energy (CO, MN, TX) — EV Subscription rate:

Overnight EV charging: $0.065/kWh flat (separate meter)

The pattern is consistent: off-peak overnight rates run 50–80% cheaper than peak rates, and often 40–60% cheaper than flat residential rates.

How Much You Actually Save

Take a driver with a Hyundai Ioniq 5 using 3,400 kWh per year for home charging. Compare the annual cost under different rate scenarios:

Rate Plan	Rate	Annual Cost	Monthly Cost
Flat rate (national avg.)	$0.13/kWh	$442	$36.83
SCE flat rate	$0.22/kWh	$748	$62.33
SCE Super Off-Peak	$0.06/kWh	$204	$17.00
Con Ed overnight	$0.03/kWh	$102	$8.50
ComEd off-peak avg.	$0.05/kWh	$170	$14.17

The difference between charging at peak SCE rates ($748/year) and off-peak SCE rates ($204/year) is $544 per year — just by changing when you plug in.

Even compared to a flat national average, switching to overnight TOU charging typically saves $200–$400 per year for a standard EV. In high-rate states like California or New York, the savings can reach $500–$600 annually.

Do You Need a Smart Charger to Use TOU Rates?

No. This is worth saying clearly because it's a common misconception.

Every major EV on the market — Tesla, Hyundai, Ford, Chevrolet, Rivian, Kia, BMW — has a built-in charging schedule you can configure from the car's touchscreen or app. You set a departure time (say, 7 AM), and the car figures out when to start charging to be ready by then, using the cheapest overnight window. The charger itself can be a basic Level 2 unit — no internet connection or smart features required.

That said, a smart charger does make life easier:

Automatic scheduling: You set it once; the charger handles it without needing the car's app.
Real-time pricing integration: Chargers like the ChargePoint Home Flex or Emporia Vue can integrate with utility APIs to charge automatically during the cheapest hours, even when rates fluctuate hour to hour.
Usage visibility: You can see exactly how many kWh you've drawn each session and track monthly costs.
Utility rebate eligibility: Many utilities (SCE, PG&E, Xcel) offer rebates specifically on certified smart chargers, which can offset $100–$500 of the purchase price.

If you're already comfortable setting a schedule in your car's app, a basic EVSE works fine. If you want a set-it-and-forget-it experience — or your utility offers a smart charger rebate — it's worth considering the upgrade.

Dedicated EV Rates vs. Standard TOU Plans

Some utilities have gone further than standard TOU plans and created dedicated EV rate programs. These are worth understanding separately.

PG&E EV2-A is a whole-home TOU rate where everything in your house shifts to time-based pricing. It requires some behavioral changes beyond the EV (like running your dishwasher at night), but the off-peak EV charging rate is compelling.

Xcel's EV Subscription program installs a separate meter just for your EV charger. You pay a flat monthly rate for unlimited overnight charging — typically around $30–$40/month regardless of how much you charge. For high-mileage drivers, this is an excellent deal.

SCE EV Rate (TOU-EV-1) is a dedicated EV rate that's separate from your home's standard rate. It's specifically designed for EV owners and offers some of the lowest overnight rates in the country.

Not every utility offers these, but it's worth asking. When you call to switch rate plans, ask specifically: "Do you have a dedicated EV rate or a separate EV meter program?"

How to Actually Switch Rate Plans

The process is simpler than most people expect:

Check your utility's website for available rate plans. Most utilities list them under "Rate Plans," "My Account," or "Energy Programs."
Use your utility's rate comparison tool if they have one. Many (PG&E, SCE, Con Ed) let you plug in your last 12 months of usage to estimate savings on different plans.
Call or switch online. Rate plan changes are typically free and take effect on your next billing cycle. You don't need an electrician or any new hardware.
Configure your car's charging schedule or your smart charger's schedule to charge during off-peak hours.
Check your first few bills to confirm you're being billed on the new plan and that your charging is landing in the off-peak window.

One caution: if your household has high daytime electricity use — an electric water heater that runs constantly, a home office with lots of equipment, or a pool pump — review whether a TOU plan makes sense for your whole home. The savings on EV charging can be partially offset by paying more for daytime appliances. Some utilities let you put just the EV on a separate meter to avoid this tradeoff.

The Simple Version

If you take nothing else from this article: call your utility, ask to switch to a time-of-use rate plan, and set your car to charge after 9 PM. That one change typically saves EV owners $200–$600 per year with no additional hardware and about ten minutes of setup. It's one of the highest-return, lowest-effort things you can do as an EV owner.

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