Supercharged: Seattle City Light moves to 'Time-of-Use' Electrical Rates
Want to reduce your carbon footprint? Dry your clothes at 10 pm? If you live in Seattle, doing those things will also cut your electricity bill and reduce the risk of blackouts. Seattle City Light is preparing to launch “Time Of Use” electricity rates that fluctuate as
demand rises and falls during the day.
Joe Fernandi, Director of Customer Energy Solutions at Seattle City Light, says the “rates more closely reflect the cost of power to the utility and the rate customers pay.” The new rates, although optional, will undoubtedly generate skepticism among some users
because the flexible rates are a break from the approach to electricity rates that have existed since the late 1800s.
Traditionally, utility rates have been set by regulators to protect customers from price fluctuations. Customers over-use electricity when it is expensive because they have little incentive not to. The utility pays higher costs during peak hours to serve customer
demand which are passed along to consumers in the form of increased average rates. Consumers accordingly choose convenience in how they use appliances.
The new tiered-price system is a more accurate reflection of costs and gives consumers more control over their bills. Since some customers will see the new system as manipulative, Seattle City Light ran a pilot project that found participants saved an average of $144 a year using the new rates. Electric vehicle owners saved even more.
https://www.postalley.org/2025/12/02/supercharged-seattle-city-light-moves-to-time-of-use-electrical-rates/
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