You can save as much as 15% per month on your electric bill by using high-demand appliances during the times of day when there's low demand for electricity.
Electricity is most expensive to produce during the hours of peak usage — times on weekdays that generally correspond with business hours. When you select a Time-of-Use option to use a greater amount of electricity during hours when power is less costly to produce, we pass along the savings to you. You don't have to reduce the amount of electricity you use. What's important is the time of day you use it.
Time-of-Use can be as easy as doing a couple of loads of laundry in the evening or on Saturday morning. It may be as simple as using timers to reduce electric heat or air conditioning when you're at work and don't need it. In fact, Time-of-Use savings hours are in effect 73% of the time, so a simple change or two in when you use electric appliances can result in substantial savings.
Compare the rates you currently pay with the following Time-of-Use rates:
| Regular Customer Rate | |
|---|---|
| $0.08487 per kWh | The current rate if you're an Urban Customer |
| $0.08970 per kWh | The current rate if you're a Rural Customer |
| Time-of-Use Savings Rates | |
|---|---|
| $0.04491 per kWh | Rate for Urban Customers during Time-of-Use electric savings hours |
| $0.04771 per kWh | Rate for Rural Customers during Time-of Use electric savings hours |
| $0.17961 per kWh | Time-of-Use rate for Urban Customers during peak usage hours |
| $0.19082 per kWh | Time-of-Use rate for Rural Customers during peak usage hours |
NOTE: Prices are available to MICHIGAN customers only.
There is a Time-of-Use electric savings option to meet your needs and lifestyle. Choose one of the three convenient savings schedules listed below and you'll save during those hours. And remember, Saturdays, Sundays and major holidays are around-the-clock savings days. Holidays include New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Friday following Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
The following table shows the hours that lower Time-of-Use rates are in effect for each option. Customers must choose the same option for both the summer and winter periods.
| Option 1 | Option 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Summer: (May-Sept.) |
7 p.m. - 9 a.m. | 8 p.m. - 10 a.m. |
| Winter: (Oct.-April) |
Noon - 4 p.m. & 9 p.m. - 8 a.m. |
Noon - 4 p.m. & 10 p.m. - 9 a.m. |
Each month, you pay a Customer Charge that covers fixed costs associated with billing and service. Under Time-of-Use, your monthly Customer Charge will include an additional $2 charge for special metering costs associated with Time-of-Use service.
When you apply for Time-of-Use, a WPS representative will replace your existing meter with a special meter that measures the electricity you use during Time-of-Use savings hours and peak-usage hours.
We ask that new Time-of-Use customers commit to the program for a minimum of one year. Customers who leave the Time-of-Use program are not eligible to reinstate Time-of-Use for one year.
If less than 35% of your electricity use occurs during the hours when there's peak usage, you'll save money with a Time-of-Use plan. Of course, your savings will continue to grow as you increase the amount of electricity used during Time-of-Use savings hours, instead of the more costly peak-usage hours.
Do you have an electric heating system? If so, you can achieve significant savings under a Time-of-Use plan if you use either manual or automatic timing to limit operation during peak-usage hours.
If you have an electric water heater, clothes dryer or range, limiting their use during peak-use hours also will give your Time-of-Use savings a big boost.
Timers can make it easy to concentrate much of your electricity use during Time-of-Use savings hours. For a modest price, you can purchase plug-in appliance timers at most hardware, discount and home improvement outlet stores. Timers have the greatest impact on electric bills when used to control dehumidifiers, second refrigerators, room air conditioners and pool pumps during peak-usage hours.
You also may choose to have WPS install a peak interruptor on your electric heater, water heater, spa heater or central air conditioner. Peak interruptors have an override switch that allows you to bypass the timer, should you need to use a timed appliance during the normal shut-off period.
There is a fee for peak interrupters, but given an average monthly Time-of-Use savings of 15%, timers normally pay for themselves in just a few months.
You can sign up for Time-of-Use online or by calling us at 800-450-7260.