Time-of-Use Rates
Rate effective March 1, 2026
Residential time-of-use rate comparison calculator
The time-of-use program is a rate option available to Tideland EMC's residential members. Savings are not guaranteed so you must be vigilant about maintaining an off-peak lifestyle to reap benefits from the program. The time-of-use rate does require that we replace your existing meter with one programmed to track energy use during the on-peak and off-peak hours.
TIME-OF-USE RATE SCHEDULE (Rates 2 and 4)
Basic Facilities Fee: $32.00 (overhead) $34.30 (underground)
All Off-Peak Kilowatt Hours Year Round: 8.069¢
All On-Peak Kilowatt Hours: 50¢
*All Tideland EMC rate schedules are subject to the wholesale power cost adjustment factor and NC sales tax. Time-of-use basic facilities fees are the same as our standard residential rates.
ON-PEAK HOURS
Winter (October 16-April 15)
6 am to 8 am
Summer (April 16-October 15)
3 pm to 6 pm
WHAT IS TIME-OF-USE?
The time-of-use concept is really nothing new. If you ever delayed making a phone call until long distance rates went down, then you have already benefited from time-of-use savings. If you went to a movie matinee to save on the cost of admission, you've reaped the rewards of off-peak pricing.
Tideland EMC, like you, purchases electricity which is delivered to our substations via the transmission grid. Generally it is quite inexpensive to generate and buy electricity. However, when electricity is in greater demand, older, less efficient power plants are used to meet the additional load requirements. To handle peak demand, the delivery system that we call the grid must also be beefed up with more substations, larger transformers, and higher capacity transmission structures to handle the load. At these times, called “peak periods,” electricity can be very expensive and the costs are passed on to Tideland EMC and our members.Therefore, the best way to reduce everyone’s power bill is to avoid an electric system “traffic jam”. We can do this by shifting the use of electric appliances to off-peak hours.
HOW DO I SAVE WITH TIME-OF-USE?
The off-peak time-of-use kilowatt hour rate of 8.069¢ is 42% lower than Tideland's summer residential rate (13.844¢) and 37% lower than our winter residential rate (12.746¢). Fortunately, 90% of the hours in a year are off-peak. That provides what could be a very impressive starting point on your savings journey.
However, all on-peak energy will be charged at a rate of 50¢ per kilowatt hour. That is 261% higher than the standard summer rate and 292% higher than the winter rate. Your success or failure to achieve savings will entirely depend on your willingness and ability to drill down on the 10% of hours in a year that make up the on-peak period. The control is in your hands.
HOW MUCH CAN I SAVE?
We find that our current time-of-use members typically save the equivalent of 1 to 2 electric bills a year. The amount you save will be determined by the commitment you make to maintaining an off-peak lifestyle. However, simply signing up for the time-of-use rate will not automatically lower your electric bill.
Here's a sample calculation:
A 4,500 watt water heater that operates for 1 hour uses 4.5 kilowatt hours of energy
Operating cost on-peak: $2.25
Operating cost off-peak: 36¢
Operating cost standard residential rate (summer): 62¢
Operation cost standard residential rate (winter): 57¢
Here's the formula to use to calculate other household loads:
(watts x hours of operation) ÷ 1,000 = kilowatt hours
We suggest that you simply give the rate a trial run on your own. You can determine daily savings or losses using your energy use data from the member portal and plugging it into our residential time-of-use calculator.
WHAT STRATEGIES DOES TIDELAND RECOMMEND FOR SAVING WITH TIME-OF-USE?
While not required, these strategies can help ensure program success:
- Timers for the following equipment: electric storage water heaters, swimming pool pumps/heaters, and hot tubs
- Programmable thermostats for electric furnaces and air-source heat pumps (in particular heat pumps with electric resistance heat strips); if you have a dual-fuel heat pump where gas is the backup heat source or if you have a geothermal (water source) heat pump, their operation on-peak would not typically be considered detrimental to time-of-use savings. When programming your thermostat we would recommend that you increase the heat setting in the early morning hours prior to 6 am and then reduce the setting from 6 am to 8 am. After the on-peak period has passed, program the thermostat to return to a normal setting. During the summer on-peak hours of 3 pm to 6 pm, consider pre-cooling your home prior to 3 pm then raise the temperature a few degrees above your normal setting. Lower shades and use room fans to maintain comfort until the peak period ends at 6 pm.
- Avoid using your oven, dishwasher, clothes dryer or doing warm/hot water clothes washing during the on-peak period
- Avoid using electric space heaters, electric fireplaces, heat lamps, and other electric resistance heat producing equipment during the on-peak period
- Always charge your electric vehicle off-peak
- If you have a home energy storage system, like a Tesla Powerwall, charge off-peak and discharge on-peak
All that being said, we have had members successfully save on the time-of-use program by simply changing their daily routines to work around the on-peak hours. There are no one-size-fits-all rules of the road. You will find what works for you and your household.
IS THIS RATE FOR EVERYONE?
No. Many families have no choice but to run major electrical appliances during on-peak periods. For example, if you have a storage electric water heater you can put a timer on it to make sure it operates off-peak. If you have an on-demand, tankless electric water heater you don't have that option, this rate would probably not be right for you. Of course you could also make a conscious decision to bathe and/or shower in the evenings during winter and vice-versa during summer.
Tideland’s time-of-use rate may be right for you if you can answer yes to the following:
- Are you willing to learn how much electricity you use, and when you use it?
- Can you delay or minimize major appliance use (electric heat and air, electric range, etc.) during peak periods? Can you shift water heating, clothes drying, baking, dishwashing and pool pump operation to off-peak hours?
- Will all the members of your household (i.e. guests, children, and housekeepers) be able to live and maintain a time-of-use lifestyle?
HOW DO I GET STARTED?
Call Tideland at 252.943.3046 or send an email to mailroom@tidelandemc.com
Someone from energy services will schedule a time to chat about the rate. If you decide to move forward, Tideland EMC will schedule for your meter to be changed to one programmed for the time-of-use rate. There is currently no charge for the meter change.
WANT TO READ EVEN MORE ABOUT THE RATE?
Time-of-use article - February 2026