TEP peak hours and holidays

First, find the plan name on your bill

TEP places the pricing-plan name in the Service Information section. Its bill-reading guide shows where to look. Match the whole name:

• Basic: usage prices do not depend on the hour. Reducing total electricity use can help; shifting the same use to another hour does not earn a time discount.
• Time-of-Use: electricity used during peak hours costs more per kilowatt-hour (kWh). This plan does not add a demand charge.
• Peak Demand: the peak window determines which hours can set your monthly demand charge. Its usage price does not switch between peak and off-peak within the day.
• Demand Time-of-Use: both the time-based usage price and a demand charge matter.

If your bill names a different or legacy plan, ask TEP which schedule applies before using this guide. These hours do not establish the rules for UniSource, APS, SRP or a cooperative.

Summer and winter hours

The schedule below applies Monday through Friday except the holidays listed next. Off-peak means outside the peak window; it does not mean free electricity.

Watch the evening change: 7:30 p.m. is off-peak in summer but on-peak in winter on an ordinary weekday. An appliance timer set for summer may need changing for October.

Sources: TEP’s current schedule page and Time-of-Use tariff, sheet 102-1. The tariff states that all remaining hours are off-peak, including after 9 p.m. in winter.

Which 2026 holidays are off-peak?

TEP’s tariffs list six holidays. If one falls on Saturday, the preceding Friday is off-peak; if it falls on Sunday, the following Monday is off-peak. Other school, bank or federal holidays are not automatically included.

For example, the Friday after Thanksgiving is an ordinary weekday under this list. Do not extend Thursday’s holiday schedule through Friday.

Plan the whole appliance run

Choose a flexible task, estimate its full run time, and check both its start and finish. Starting before a peak window does not keep the rest of the run off-peak.

TEP suggests shifting flexible uses such as laundry, dishwashing and EV charging. Follow equipment instructions and household needs when scheduling. For charging-use estimates, see our EV electricity calculator; enter your own applicable price.

On a demand plan, one busy hour can matter

TEP’s Peak Demand tariff and Demand Time-of-Use tariff use the highest measured one-hour demand during on-peak hours in the billing period. This is measured in kilowatts (kW), separately from the total energy used in kWh.

Running several large electric appliances together can raise that hourly peak. Moving flexible tasks outside the window, or spacing them apart, can help manage it. A quieter hour later does not erase a higher measured hour earlier in the same billing period.

A demand number alone is not proof of a charge. TEP also shows demand readings for information on other plans. Check the actual charge lines and plan name.

Before switching plans, check TEP’s Pricing Planner if eligible. It requires 12 consecutive months of billing history at your address and sufficient usage data; private solar customers and certain plans are excluded. If it is unavailable, ask TEP for help comparing plans and about switching restrictions. A schedule alone cannot tell you which plan will be cheapest for your household.

Need a broader bill check? See why an electric bill can rise. If the immediate issue is paying it, use our Arizona bill-help contacts.

Common questions

Checked September 11, 2026 against TEP’s current pages and residential tariff sheets 102, 103 and 104, effective September 1, 2023. This review covers schedules and billing structure; it does not calculate rates, riders, solar credits or a complete TEP bill.