6 min read
How to Read a Time-of-Use Electric Bill
Understand peak, off-peak, and super off-peak charges on your electric bill — and where hidden savings hide.
What time-of-use billing means
A time-of-use (TOU) electric rate charges different prices depending on when you use electricity. Peak hours — when grid demand is highest — cost the most. Off-peak and super off-peak hours cost less, sometimes dramatically so.
Utilities use TOU rates to shift demand away from congested afternoon and evening periods.
What to look for on your bill
Most TOU bills break usage into peak, off-peak, and sometimes mid-peak or super off-peak buckets, each with its own kWh total and rate. Compare how much of your usage falls in each bucket — heavy peak usage is the biggest sign you're overpaying. Gleam's electricity usage calculator can help estimate total household kWh when you do not have a full year of bills handy.
Also check your rate plan name. Many homeowners stay on a default plan when an EV or battery-specific plan would save money.
Turning bill data into savings
Upload your utility bill to Gleam and it extracts your rate plan, usage by period, and specific opportunities — like shifting EV charging to off-peak hours or switching to a better rate plan.
Put this into practice
Gleam connects your utility, EV, and solar data to find personalized savings — off-peak charging windows, rate plan comparisons, and bill analysis. Free to start.
Or estimate first: Electricity usage · EV charging · Solar savings
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