SRP Peak Hours 2026: The Full Schedule Every East Valley Homeowner Needs

Salt River Project peak hours are 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Monday through Friday, year-round. Unlike APS with its 3-hour peak window, SRP's 6-hour window is twice as long, and it comes with demand charges that can add $100 or more to a summer bill. Here is what to know.

SRP peak hours at a glance

Based on SRP's E-27 Time-of-Use plan. Schedule applies year-round (summer and winter).

SRP vs APS peak hours: key differences

The biggest difference: SRP charges you extra for demand, the highest power you draw in any single on-peak hour. APS does not have this charge. Read our full SRP demand charges guide to understand how this works and why it usually matters more than the energy rate itself.

What SRP charges during peak hours (E-27 plan)

When is electricity cheapest on SRP?

The cheapest times to use electricity on SRP are:

• Weekends, all day. No peak pricing, no demand charge risk.
• Weekday evenings after 8pm. Off-peak rates kick in.
• Weekday mornings before 2pm. Off-peak, but late-morning AC use can overlap into peak if the timing slips.
• Holidays. SRP treats holidays as off-peak all day.

The most expensive time is weekday afternoons in July and August, when summer rates, peak pricing, and demand charges all stack up.

Five ways to avoid high peak-hour costs on SRP

1. Run major appliances before 2 PM or after 8 PM

Dishwashers, laundry, and ovens draw 2-5 kW each. Running them during off-peak hours avoids both the higher energy rate and any contribution to your demand charge. Set timers on your dishwasher and washing machine.

2. Pre-cool your home by 1:30 PM

Drop your thermostat to 72-74°F before the 2pm peak window starts. Then let it drift up to 78-80°F during peak. Your AC runs less during the expensive window, reducing both energy costs and demand spikes.

3. Charge your EV after 8 PM

Level 2 EV chargers pull 7-10 kW, more than your AC. Charging during peak hours will spike the demand charge. Every EV has built-in charge scheduling. Set it for 8pm or later.

4. Use a pool pump timer

Pool pumps draw 1-2 kW and often run 6-8 hours. Schedule them for early morning (before 2pm) or overnight. Many Arizona pool owners run pumps from 4am-10am to stay entirely off-peak.

5. Install a home battery

This is the highest-leverage move for SRP customers. A Tesla Powerwall 3 or EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra charges from solar or off-peak grid power, then discharges during the 2-8pm peak window. This can cut your peak demand by 50-70%, saving $50-100/month in demand charges alone.

SRP peak hours for solar customers

If you have solar panels on SRP, you are on the Customer Generation Plan. The peak hours are the same (2-8pm weekdays), but there are important nuances:

• Solar reduces your demand during sunny hours. Panels producing during 2-5pm offset your grid draw.
• Late afternoon is the danger zone. Solar production drops at 6-7pm but the AC is still running, creating a demand spike.
• The $32/month service charge applies to all solar customers on SRP.
• The export rate is only about $0.035/kWh, well below the retail rate, so self-consumption matters more than export.

This is exactly why batteries are essential for SRP solar customers. They cover that 6-8pm gap when solar fades but peak pricing continues.

Tools to cut peak-hour costs on SRP

SRP's 6-hour peak window (2-8pm) and demand charges make peak-hour usage especially expensive. These tools help shift load and flatten demand spikes:

Bottom line: SRP peak hours cheat sheet

Want to see exactly how much you could save by shifting usage or adding a battery? Try our Battery + VPP Calculator. Select SRP as your utility to see demand charge savings with real rates.