Attention, Fort Collins Utilities electric customers. If you’re paying attention to the electricity you use during “peak hours,” Monday marks the switch to summer hours.
Peak hours, when electricity costs three times as much as it does in nonpeak hours, are 2 to 7 p.m. weekdays starting May 1. This lasts through September.
What is time-of-day pricing and why do we have it?
The city of Fort Collins has to pay more for the electricity it buys from Platte River Power Authority during the hours of the day it is in most demand, when people are more often at home and doing things like cooking and turning up their heat or air conditioner.
So in 2018, the city implemented time-of-day pricing as a way of passing on those costs to customers while incentivizing them to use less electricity during peak times.
According to previous Coloradoan reporting, city staff said the intention of the new pricing system wasn’t to make more money. They predicted that the city’s lower costs for wholesale power would offset reduced revenue from customers who used less electricity or changed the timing of their use, and an initial report showed customers were saving money.
When are peak hours?
In summer, from May through September, on-peak hours are 2 to 7 p.m.
In nonsummer hours, from October through April, it’s 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Weekends and major holidays are exempted from peak usage pricing:
- New Year’s Day
- Memorial Day
- Fourth of July
- Labor Day
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas
Fort Collins Utilities estimates that most households use 17% of their electricity during peak times.
How much is the cost difference between peak and nonpeak electricity?
Nonpeak pricing is 8 cents per kilowatt hour, while peak-time pricing is 25 cents per kilowatt hour.
Prior to this change, prices were the same at all hours of the day but were higher during what we now call nonpeak hours and lower during the peak hours.
A time-of-day estimator tool at www.fcgov.com/utilities/residential/rates/electric shows how a bill might be affected by the season and type of heating system you use.
How can I cut my use and costs during peak hours?
You can save money by using appliances that require the most electricity during nonpeak hours, which are the 19 hours between 7 p.m. and 2 p.m.
That can mean pre-cooling your home by running air conditioning in the lead-up to when peak hours begin so you can use it less during peak hours. Or choosing to prepare a late dinner in summer. Or delaying starting up your dishwasher or clothes dryer until later in the evening.
You can find more tips at www.fcgov.com/utilities/time-of-day-tips.
FAQ:How to save money with Fort Collins electricity rates
Which appliances use the most electricity?
Appliances that use the most electricity include heating and cooling systems, dryers and stoves. Here’s how they rank, according to Fort Collins Utilities:
- Electric water heater
- Central air conditioner
- Electric clothes dryer
- All-electric baseboard heating
- Electric oven
- Space heater
- Electric vehicle
- Microwave
- Window/room air conditioner
- Furnace fan (for gas furnace)
- Dishwasher
- Clothes washer
- Inflatable holiday decorations
- LED light strings
- Fan
- Video game console
- Computer/TV
- LED light bulb
- Cell phone charger
Read More:Fort Collins’ peak time-of-day electricity hours are changing
2023-04-30 20:18:02
