The 2005 Federal Energy Policy Act extends Daylight Saving Time four weeks in the spring and one week in the fall. To ensure that you are billed the appropriate rates for energy usage during the additional weeks of Daylight Saving Time, the time periods for electric time-of-use rates will begin and end one hour later.
Prior to 2007, Daylight Saving Time started the first Sunday in April and ended on the last Sunday in October. Now, Daylight Saving Time starts on the second Sunday in March (March 8) and ends on the first Sunday in November (November 1).
Rather than incur the tremendous costs to reprogram the clocks in thousands of electric meters that would have to be recovered from our customers, SDG&E developed a less expensive solution that simply shifts time-of-use billing periods during the additional weeks of Daylight Saving Time.
The change to the On-Peak, Semi-Peak and Off-Peak time periods affects you only if you are on a time-of-use electric rate, meaning your electric charges are based on the day of the week and the time of day you use electricity. If you are not sure if you are on a time-of-use rate schedule:
From March 8 through April 4 and October 25 through October 31, the On-Peak, Semi-Peak, and Off-Peak winter time periods for business customers are the following.
On-Peak, Semi-Peak, and Off-Peak winter time periods
On–Peak
6 p.m. – 9 p.m. Weekdays
Semi–Peak
7 a.m. – 6 p.m. Weekdays
9 p.m. – 11 p.m. WeekdaysOff–Peak
11 p.m. – 7 a.m. Weekdays, Weekends and Holidays
The summer time periods are between May 1 and September 30.
Summer Time Periods
On–Peak
11 a.m. – 6 p.m. Weekdays
Semi–Peak
6 a.m. – 11 a.m. Weekdays
6 p.m. – 10 p.m. WeekdaysOff–Peak
10 p.m. – 6 a.m. Weekdays, Weekends and Holidays
The winter time periods are between October 1 and April 30.
Winter Time Periods
On–Peak
5 p.m. – 8 p.m. Weekdays
Semi–Peak
6 a.m. – 5 p.m. Weekdays
8 p.m. – 10 p.m. WeekdaysOff–Peak
10 p.m. – 6 a.m. Weekdays, Weekends and Holidays
If you are on a time-of-use rate schedule, you need to be aware of the change to the peak time periods during the additional weeks of Daylight Saving Time so you can adjust your energy consumption accordingly. View the Business Daylight Saving Adjustment Calendar which highlights the On-Peak, Semi-Peak and Off-peak time periods.
If you use an Energy Management System or time clocks to manage your electricity use, please remember to reprogram them for the new time periods during the extended Daylight Saving Time.
In addition to adjustments that you normally make for Daylight Saving Time and seasonal rate changes, with Daylight Saving Time starting earlier, you’ll need to reprogram your Energy Management System or time clocks one additional time this spring.
The change to the time-of-use periods will be effective for 2009. SDG&E will notify customers if there will be a change to the time periods beyond this year.
If you have questions about the new times, or time-of-use rates in general
We’re available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to answer your questions.