Looking for ways to reduce the cost of your next set of bills? Did you know that you could save energy and potentially reduce your power bill by using appliances at odd hours?

That’s what off-peak electricity could potentially do for you.

Off-peak refers to lower, discounted electricity prices during specific times. Off-peak times are generally when residential homes and businesses use less electricity.

Off-peak electricity can also refer to electricity being used by a stand-alone appliance, like an electric hot water service on a dedicated circuit. This appliance is metered separately and can be billed on off-peak rates.

Off-peak times will vary depending on your location and meter type, but for most people, it usually means at night or on weekends.

Off-peak times can also differ between energy providers.

For instance, according to Australian Power and Gas (APG), the peak times to use electricity are generally 4 pm to 8 pm on weekdays. Then there are ‘shoulder’ times, which sit between peak and off-peak times.

The APG considers shoulder times to be between:

• 7am- 4pm and 8pm – 10pm on weekdays
• 7am – 10am on weekends

Hours outside of those times are considered off-peak. It’s worth checking with your energy provider to find out the exact peak, shoulder and off-peak times for your plan, and which kind of tariff you’re on.

A time-of-use tariff works by charging several different rates based on the time of day energy is consumed. Generally, this means you’ll need either a digital or smart meter, the availability of which differs depending on where you live in Australia.

However, some basic meters may have the capability to support this tariff. You can usually find out which kind of tariff you have by looking at your latest electricity bill or getting in touch with your provider. In addition to using time-of-use tariff electricity, many appliances now have timers and delay start features which can help you take advantage of off-peak times.

To learn more about off-peak electricity, you can speak with your energy provider for more information.