TOU — Time-of-Use Rates
Also known as: Time-of-UseTOU pricingpeak / off-peak rates
Time-of-Use rates charge different prices for electricity depending on the hour of the day, day of the week, and sometimes the season. The idea is that grid demand isn't constant, so the price you pay shouldn't be either — peak hours cost more, off-peak hours cost less.
PG&E offers several TOU rate plans for residential customers, including E-TOU-C (standard residential TOU), E-TOU-D, and EV-2A (a TOU plan specifically designed for EV owners with significant off-peak load).
TOU pricing is the reason batteries make economic sense beyond just backup power. You charge your battery from solar (or from the grid at off-peak rates) and discharge it during peak rate hours — shifting your effective rate down. Without TOU rates, the storage arbitrage wouldn't pencil out.
If you own an EV, you should almost certainly be on EV-2A. If you have solar + battery, run the math on E-TOU-C vs other rate plans — sometimes the choice matters more than people realize. PG&E lets you compare rate plans at sign-up.
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