How to Use Off-Peak Charging to Save Money Every Month (NY/TX/LA/CHI)
Owning a Tesla is already cheaper than fueling a gas car. Most owners figure that out in the first month & feel good about it. What fewer owners realize: when you charge matters almost as much as that you charge.
In most US cities, electricity costs 3-5x more during peak evening hours than in the middle of the night. Charging at 6pm instead of midnight can cost you hundreds of dollars a year for zero benefit.
Here's the breakdown by region, & how to set up your car to fix it automatically.
Why Peak vs. Off-Peak Matters
Electricity grids experience their heaviest demand in the late afternoon & early evening, roughly 4-9pm on weekdays in most markets. That's when everyone gets home, runs the AC, starts dinner, & increasingly plugs in an EV.
Utilities respond to that demand with Time-of-Use (TOU) pricing: rates go up during peak hours & come down when the grid is quiet, usually late at night & early morning.
The spread between peak & off-peak varies a lot by location. In some places it's modest. In others, it's dramatic enough to change the whole financial picture of EV ownership.
What It Looks Like in Your City
Los Angeles / Southern California (SCE or SDG&E):
SCE's TOU-D-5-8PM plan charges up to $0.74/kWh during summer weekday peak hours. Off-peak rates drop to roughly $0.16-$0.24/kWh. That is an enormous spread.
Charging a Model Y Long Range (75 kWh, filling 50 kWh) at peak: ~$37. Overnight: ~$10-12.
SoCal EV owners who charge at peak daily are leaving serious money on the table.
San Francisco / Bay Area (PG&E):
PG&E's EV2-A plan has peak hours from 4-9pm daily. Summer peak rates hit ~$0.48/kWh. Off-peak drops to roughly $0.13-$0.18/kWh. With PG&E's Base Services Charge restructuring (effective March 2026), per-kWh rates shifted slightly, but the overnight advantage remains significant.
The takeaway for Bay Area owners: charge after 9pm or before 3pm. Midnight is ideal.
New York City / Con Edison:
ConEd's TOU Rate III plan has peak hours from 8am-midnight June through September. Yes, all day. The rest of the year the peak window is narrower. Super off-peak is 11pm-7am year-round.
NYC owners on TOU: set charging to start at 11pm, no exceptions.
Texas (Deregulated Market):
Texas is different from everywhere else, it has a deregulated electricity market where you choose your provider & plan. Several Texas providers offer free nights plans where power from 11pm-6am is literally $0.
If you're in Texas & not charging on a free-nights plan, you're probably paying more than you need to. Shopping providers on sites like Power to Choose (powertochoose.org) takes 10 minutes & can get your overnight charging cost to zero.
Chicago / ComEd (Illinois):
ComEd's standard TOU has a peak window roughly 2-7pm on weekdays in summer. Off-peak rates are significantly lower. Illinois also has an EV-specific rate plan worth investigating, if you're on a standard residential rate & not TOU, you may be leaving savings on the table.
Phoenix / Arizona (APS or SRP):
APS peak hours run roughly 3-8pm on weekdays. SRP has a similar structure. Off-peak rates (especially overnight) are meaningfully lower. Arizona's high summer bills combined with generous off-peak windows make this one of the better overnight charging setups in the country.
What the Savings Actually Look Like
Let's use a realistic scenario: a Model Y Long Range charged 4 nights a week, adding ~50 kWh per session.
At SoCal Edison peak rates ($0.55/kWh average):
4 sessions × 50 kWh × $0.55 = $110/week → ~$5,720/year
At off-peak rates ($0.20/kWh average):
4 sessions × 50 kWh × $0.20 = $40/week → ~$2,080/year
Difference: $3,640/year. From doing nothing except plugging in at 11pm instead of 6pm.
That's an extreme example, most people's usage & rates aren't quite that severe. But even in moderate markets, the difference is $300-$800/year.
The Five-Minute Fix: Scheduled Charging in the Tesla App
This is how you automate it.
Option A: Scheduled Charging (simple)
Open the Tesla app → tap Charging
Tap Schedule
Select Scheduled Charging
Set start time to 11pm (or whenever your off-peak window starts)
Plug in every night when you get home. The car sits idle until the off-peak window opens, then charges automatically.
Option B: Scheduled Departure (smarter)
Open the Tesla app → tap Charging → Schedule
Select Depart By
Set your usual morning departure time (say, 7:30am)
The car works backward: charges at the cheapest overnight rate, finishes just before you leave, & pre-warms the cabin & battery in the process. This is the better option if you want a warm car in winter or a pre-cooled one in summer.
Set it once. It runs every night.
How to Know Your Actual Rate Plan
Step 1: Log into your utility's online account (PG&E, SCE, ConEd, ComEd, APS, etc.)
Step 2: Find your current rate plan. It should be visible on your bill or account dashboard.
Step 3: Look up whether an EV-specific TOU plan is available. Most major utilities offer one, & they're usually the best deal for EV owners.
Step 4: Switch if a better plan exists. Most utilities let you change plans online in a few minutes. Some require 30 days to take effect.
If you're in a deregulated market (Texas, parts of Illinois, New York), you're shopping providers rather than rate plans. Start at your state's electricity shopping portal.
Tip: Other Appliances Worth Shifting
Once you're optimizing charging, the same logic applies to anything with a timer:
• Dishwasher: Run it overnight. Most have delay-start settings.
• Laundry: Wash & dry after 9pm or on weekends.
• Pool pump (if you have one): Shift to off-peak. It runs for hours, the savings add up fast.
A household that shifts its EV charging AND its largest appliances to off-peak can save $600-$1,500/year over charging at peak times. Just from timing.
What rate plan are you on & where do you live? Drop it in the tip section, we're building a city-by-city comparison of the best EV charging setups in North America.
