Q. Why do power costs fluctuate so much?

It’s basically supply and demand. When people use a lot of electricity — typically when we start our day and around dinnertime — the market cost of electricity is much higher. But at night, on weekends, and on holidays — when overall demand for power goes down — real bargains are available. PGE is putting the information, technology and incentive in your hands to help us take advantage of those bargains.

Q. Why should fluctuating wholesale prices matter to me?

PGE must pay significantly more for power during the high demand periods of the day. And our costs, in the long run, get passed along to you. So the more you shift energy use to the low-cost, low-demand times, the less you end up paying for secret to success in the future will be to use as much of your electricity as possible during the inexpensive times of day.

Q. How will I know if I’m using electricity more efficiently?

Just save your Time of Use electric bills and see if your off-peak electricity usage changes over time, and your on-peak usage goes down. If you find you’re using more kilowatt-hours during the low demand, low-cost times of day, then you’re being a savvy consumer.

Q. How can I shift my energy usage?

There are several ways to shift energy usage, and they depend on individual factors, such as how many people live in your household, how you heat your home, how your hot water is generated, how much energy you use to begin with, and your individual energy usage patterns.

Q. Can Time of Use help me save money if I own an electric vehicle?

If adding an electric vehicle significantly changes your home electricity use, you may be able to save money by choosing our Time of Use rate plan rather than the Basic Service plan. As a guide, if you drive your electric vehicle 1,000 miles a month, you would use approximately 250 kWh of electricity per month just for your vehicle.

On this site, you will find helpful information such as a list of energy usage by common household appliances, tips for shifting energy, and our Time of Use calculator, which can help you estimate the effect of Time of Use pricing on your monthly electric bill.