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SMUD Peak Hours: 5–8 PM Weekdays
SMUD's peak hours are 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, all year, on its standard Time-of-Day (5-8 p.m.) rate. Weekends and holidays are off-peak all day. At the widest gap (summer), power costs 37.65¢ per kWh in peak hours and 15.5¢ in off-peak hours.
Checked by hand against SMUD Time-of-Day rate details on . Prices effective January 1, 2026. Utilities change these rates, so check your bill or SMUD before you plan around them.
SMUD peak hours, hour by hour
Plan: Time-of-Day (5-8 p.m.) Rate (R-TOD). SMUD's standard rate for homes. Eligible customers can choose a fixed rate instead.
PeakMid-peakOff-peak
| Hour | Summer weekdays June 1–September 30 | Non-summer weekdays October 1–May 31 | Weekends and holidays All year |
|---|---|---|---|
| midnight–1 a.m. | Off-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| 1 a.m.–2 a.m. | Off-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| 2 a.m.–3 a.m. | Off-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| 3 a.m.–4 a.m. | Off-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| 4 a.m.–5 a.m. | Off-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| 5 a.m.–6 a.m. | Off-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| 6 a.m.–7 a.m. | Off-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| 7 a.m.–8 a.m. | Off-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| 8 a.m.–9 a.m. | Off-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| 9 a.m.–10 a.m. | Off-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| 10 a.m.–11 a.m. | Off-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| 11 a.m.–noon | Off-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| noon–1 p.m. | Mid-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| 1 p.m.–2 p.m. | Mid-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| 2 p.m.–3 p.m. | Mid-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| 3 p.m.–4 p.m. | Mid-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| 4 p.m.–5 p.m. | Mid-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| 5 p.m.–6 p.m. | Peak | Peak | Off-peak |
| 6 p.m.–7 p.m. | Peak | Peak | Off-peak |
| 7 p.m.–8 p.m. | Peak | Peak | Off-peak |
| 8 p.m.–9 p.m. | Mid-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| 9 p.m.–10 p.m. | Mid-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| 10 p.m.–11 p.m. | Mid-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
| 11 p.m.–midnight | Mid-peak | Off-peak | Off-peak |
Off-peak all day on SMUD holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples' Day/Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
SMUD time-of-use prices
| Season | Period | Weekday hours | Weekends and holidays | Price per kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer June 1–September 30 | Peak | 5 p.m.–8 p.m. | — | 37.65¢ |
| Summer June 1–September 30 | Mid-peak | noon–5 p.m. and 8 p.m.–midnight | — | 21.39¢ |
| Summer June 1–September 30 | Off-peak | midnight–noon | all day | 15.5¢ |
| Non-summer October 1–May 31 | Peak | 5 p.m.–8 p.m. | — | 17.76¢ |
| Non-summer October 1–May 31 | Off-peak | 8 p.m.–5 p.m. | all day | 12.85¢ |
Total price per kWh from SMUD's rate schedule. SMUD's monthly fixed charge is extra. Fixed charge: A System Infrastructure Fixed Charge of $27.00 a month ($27.80 from January 1, 2027).
Electric vehicle owners get a 1.5¢ per kWh credit on all use from midnight to 6 a.m.
SMUD has already set its prices for January 1, 2027: summer 38.78¢ peak, 22.03¢ mid-peak, 15.96¢ off-peak; non-summer 18.29¢ peak and 13.24¢ off-peak.
What an hour of use costs: peak vs off-peak
One hour of each appliance at SMUD's summer prices (37.65¢ vs 15.5¢ per kWh), using the typical wattage from our appliance usage pages.
| Appliance | kWh per hour | Peak | Off-peak | You save |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central AC | 3.5 | $1.32 | $0.54 | $0.78 |
| Clothes Dryer | 3.0 | $1.13 | $0.47 | $0.66 |
| Dishwasher | 1.5 | $0.56 | $0.23 | $0.33 |
| Electric Vehicle Charger | 7.2 | $2.71 | $1.12 | $1.59 |
Other SMUD plans
- Fixed Rate: No peak hours, for eligible customers who opt out of Time-of-Day.
How SMUD prices compare with the California average
The average home in California paid 29.75¢ per kWh in the latest month of EIA data, all charges included and averaged over every hour of the day. See California's month-by-month price history.
EIA data for , updated · Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration
All California utilities · Average electric bill in California
Questions about SMUD peak hours
What are SMUD peak hours?
SMUD's peak hours are 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, all year, on its standard Time-of-Day (5-8 p.m.) rate. Weekends and holidays are off-peak all day.
Are weekends off-peak with SMUD?
Yes. On SMUD's Time-of-Day (5-8 p.m.) Rate, weekends and holidays have no peak hours. Off-peak all day on SMUD holidays: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples' Day/Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
What is the cheapest time to use electricity with SMUD?
The off-peak hours: midnight–noon on weekdays, and all day on weekends and holidays in summer (June 1–September 30), at 15.5¢ per kWh, against 37.65¢ in the peak hours. The lowest price all year is 12.85¢, in the off-peak hours (8 p.m.–5 p.m. weekdays and all day on weekends and holidays) in non-summer (October 1–May 31).
How much more does electricity cost during SMUD peak hours?
37.65¢ per kWh in peak hours in summer (June 1–September 30), 2.4 times the off-peak price of 15.5¢. Total price per kWh from SMUD's rate schedule. SMUD's monthly fixed charge is extra.
Do SMUD peak hours change with the seasons?
No. The peak hours are 5 p.m.–8 p.m. weekdays, all year; only the prices change between summer (June 1–September 30) and non-summer (October 1–May 31).
Sources
We read SMUD's own rate pages and tariffs on Nov 11, 2026 and copied the hours and prices by hand. These are the published prices for one plan, not a quote; your bill also depends on taxes, riders and how much you use. How we work.