SDG&E Expands Lower-Cost Daytime Pricing
- SDG&E announced an expansion of its lower-priced daytime electricity hours beyond the previous March and April window. - The change increases affordable midday pricing availability for customers, aiming to reduce bills and shift energy usage. - The rate adjustment could lower costs for many residents as part of broader energy and climate discussions (patch.com).
San Diego Gas & Electric has made its cheapest daytime electricity window a year-round feature, extending lower “super off-peak” prices beyond the March-April period used before. (sdge.com) The new weekday super off-peak period runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to SDG&E’s 2024 General Rate Case Phase 2 filing and local reporting published April 20. (sdge.com) SDG&E’s April 2026 rate alert said the average bundled residential electric rate rose about 0.7 cents per kilowatt-hour, to 46.4 cents from 45.7 cents, but a “greater portion” of monthly use now falls into the lower-cost super off-peak period. (sdge.com) For a typical bundled household using 400 kilowatt-hours a month on the TOU-DR1 plan, SDG&E estimated the average monthly bill would drop to $194 from $195 for non-CARE customers and to $111 from $113 for CARE customers. (sdge.com) Time-of-use pricing charges more when the grid is busiest and less when demand is lower. SDG&E says peak pricing for its common residential plans still runs from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., while super off-peak periods offer the lowest prices. (sdge.com) The company’s pricing pages say TOU-DR1 is aimed at customers who can shift usage into super off-peak hours, and TOU-ELEC is aimed at homes with electric vehicles, batteries or heat pumps that can be programmed to run in those cheaper windows. (sdge.com; sdge.com) The California Public Utilities Commission says utility rate changes are typically implemented through advice letters that carry out earlier commission decisions. SDG&E’s April 2026 alert ties this change to Advice Letters 4791-E and 4791-E-A and to rate design updates approved in its 2024 general rate case. (cpuc.ca.gov; sdge.com) The expanded midday window also applies to customers served by community choice programs in San Diego County, including San Diego Community Power and Clean Energy Alliance, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. (sandiegouniontribune.com) The practical change is simple: laundry, dishwashers, electric-vehicle charging and some cooling can now cost less in the middle of the day for more months of the year. The expensive hours remain the evening stretch from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. (sdge.com; sandiegouniontribune.com)
