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The biggest off-peak spreads in current coverage

A dated look at the widest differences between peak and off-peak electricity prices in current Cheapest Hours coverage.

Published

A price spread is the difference between the most expensive and least expensive energy period on a time-of-use plan. The wider the spread, the more timing can matter.

Current Cheapest Hours coverage is intentionally limited to San Diego Gas & Electric while the utility mapping pipeline expands. Within that coverage, EV-focused plans can show especially large summer spreads. The ranking pages calculate the values directly from the latest approved residential records in the OpenEI bulk export.

A wide spread is not automatically the best plan. It increases the value of moving flexible use, but it also raises the cost of using electricity during peak hours. A household that charges an EV overnight may benefit, while a household with heavy evening air-conditioning and cooking use may not.

The annual estimates on each rate page use a published movable-energy assumption. For EV charging, that is 300 kilowatt-hours per month with 90 percent movable. The estimate multiplies movable annual energy by a month-weighted average spread. It does not include fixed fees, taxes, demand charges, or a full comparison with the household’s current rate.

This post is dated . Use the live ranking for the current data in the configured coverage area.