Skip to content Skip to navigation menu
Desktop banner for Time of Day 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. Mobile banner for Time of Day 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Desktop banner for Time of Day 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. Mobile banner for Time of Day 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.
About the Rate
Rate Details

More Choice, More Control

Choose when you use your energy and gain more control over your bill with our Time of Day 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. rate. When you adjust your habits and do laundry and dishes or cool your home in off-peak hours, you can take advantage of a lower rate. It's good to know you don't need to make any changes: Our low off-peak rate extends 20 hours on weekdays and all weekend long.

Designed with the State of Michigan to manage the demands of an increasingly electrified world, the Time of Day 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. rate lets you take advantage of lower rates, so we can manage energy supply. When you have more choice and more control, everyone wins.

Join Today

Select This Rate

Please note: You may already be on this rate. Sign in to see your rate.

How the Time of Day 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. Rate Works

When you adjust your habits and do things like laundry, dishes or run your air conditioner in off-peak hours, you benefit from a lower electricity rate.

Stated off-peak and peak base rates shown include three factors: (1) capacity and (2) non-capacity charges within power supply charges and (3) distribution within delivery charges. All other surcharges, including Power Supply Cost Recovery (PSCR), are not included in the stated base rate.

You're in Control of Your Energy Usage

Our newest tools work together to help you take control and maximize savings on the new Time of Day rate.

Your Energy Usage Toolbox

The new Time of Day base rate is easy to understand and manage with our suite of helpful tools and resources.

Our tools let you:

  • Analyze your energy usage by the hour
  • Determine if a different DTE electric rate option is better for your lifestyle
  • Project your energy bill based on changes you make to your energy use habits
  • See which appliances use the most energy in your home
  • Learn how new appliances, light bulbs and heating habits can reduce your bill

With this information, you can adjust your habits and learn how to make the best energy choices for you.

See a Breakdown of Your Bill by Cost and Hourly Usage

The Bill Analyzer Tool provides a snapshot of your energy bill from all angles. With your personalized dashboard, you can quickly see your bill history, your current bill compared to one year ago and a projection of your next bill. You can even do a deep dive into your bill contributors and see a breakdown of how much energy you use for laundry, cooling, heating and lighting.

The Bill Analyzer Dashboard also provides insights, such as average weather and billing period length, to explain contributing factors affecting your electric and gas bills.

Analyze My Bill
man washing clothes man washing clothes

Try On a New Rate with Your Current Bill

DTE offers a family of rates to fit every budget, lifestyle and need. Explore Rate Types and "try on" a different rate to find what's best for your household.

With this tool, you can see how your actual energy use would look with different rates and see a projected monthly bill.

Explore Rate Types
family enjoying time family enjoying time

See How Appliances and Other Changes Impact Your Bill

Within our Bill Simulator, you can see how changes to your home and appliance habits and adding or replacing appliances will impact your energy usage.

See — in dollars and cents — how changes can impact your monthly bill or yearly costs.

Simulate Upgrades & Changes
mother and daughter mother and daughter

Download the Free DTE Insight App for Real-Time Tracking

The DTE Insight App helps you understand, manage and control the energy that powers your home. You can receive recaps, set budgets and track goals on your phone or tablet. Upgrade to the premium experience with the Energy Bridge. The Energy Bridge works with your AMI smart meter to help make your home more efficient. You can also use PowerScan to see how much energy any device uses before you purchase.

The DTE Insight App works great on phones and tablets so you can easily monitor your energy use.

Learn More about the DTE Insight App
DTE's Insight App DTE's Insight App

Optimize Your Energy Usage

While a lot of what we do requires electricity 24/7 — like running your fridge and freezer — other appliances cycle on and off throughout the day. To take advantage of lower rates, look to shift large appliance use to off-peak hours as much as possible.

fruit bowl icon

Do Laundry on Weekends

With off-peak hours all day Saturday and Sunday, weekends are a great time to catch up on laundry.

Tips: Use the cold or cool water setting for washing. Heating water accounts for up to 90% of the energy used in each wash. And fill - but don't overfill - your dryer for each load. Small loads use the same amount of energy as large ones.

Tips

With off-peak hours all day Saturday and Sunday, weekends are a great time to catch up on laundry.

Tips: Use the cold or cool water setting for washing. Heating water accounts for up to 90% of the energy used in each wash. And fill - but don't overfill - your dryer for each load. Small loads use the same amount of energy as large ones.

tasks clock icon

Set a Thermostat Schedule

You can reduce heating and cooling costs by setting a schedule on your smart thermostat during on-peak hours.

Tips: In the winter, the ideal range to program your thermostat is between 68 and 70 when you're home and use those smart features to lower the temperature to 65 when you're not home.

Tips

You can reduce heating and cooling costs by setting a schedule on your smart thermostat during on-peak hours.

Tips: In the winter, the ideal range to program your thermostat is between 68 and 70 when you're home and use those smart features to lower the temperature to 65 when you're not home.

fruit bowl icon

Run Dishwasher at Night

The best way to save money and energy is only running your dishwasher when it's full before 3 p.m. or after 7 p.m. on the weekdays.

Tips: Most dishwashers have a delay setting. Fill it up after dinner and set it to run overnight to take advantage of off-peak pricing.

Tips

The best way to save money and energy is only running your dishwasher when it's full before 3 p.m. or after 7 p.m. on the weekdays.

Tips: Most dishwashers have a delay setting. Fill it up after dinner and set it to run overnight to take advantage of off-peak pricing.

tasks clock icon

Save with Smart Strips & Plugs

Many of our modern devices from cellphones to televisions still use energy even when not in use. Installing a smart power strip can help you manage your energy use by better regulating these devices.

Tips: A smart plug controlled by a smartphone app lets you power off lamps, TVs, printers and gaming consoles when not in use.

Tips

Many of our modern devices from cellphones to televisions still use energy even when not in use. Installing a smart power strip can help you manage your energy use by better regulating these devices.

Tips: A smart plug controlled by a smartphone app lets you power off lamps, TVs, printers and gaming consoles when not in use.

Managing Your Usage

If you can, plan your appliance usage and make the most of your Time of Day 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. rate. Use this Appliance Energy Costs table to estimate how much you could save with each appliance when you choose to use them during off-peak hours before 3 p.m. or after 7 p.m. on weekdays, or any time on the weekends.

Appliance Energy Costs

Get a Free Smart Thermostat with SmartCurrents

You can maximize savings on Time of Day Rate 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. with a free Wi-Fi-enabled ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium (a $249 value) by enrolling in SmartCurrents.

Using your SmartCurrents thermostat year-round makes your Time of Day Rate 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. work even more effectively to manage home comfort and savings.

Your smart thermostat will help you automatically reduce some of your electricity use during SmartCurrents Peak Events.

Find out more about SmartCurrents

Image is not available Image is not available

More Choice, More Control

With our new Time of Day rate, everyone wins. You can take advantage of lower rates by making simple adjustments in your daily life. Together, we can make sure you have reliable, affordable energy to power your lives now and in the future.

Join Today

Select This Rate

Please note: You may already be on this rate. Sign in to see your rate.

Our Family of Rates

We offer multiple pricing options to fit every budget, every lifestyle and every need.

Want a personalized rate recommendation? Use the Personalized Rate Finder to help you compare energy rates and find the best fit for your lifestyle.

These are your base rate options for providing electricity to your home. Explore our full family of rates — including add-ons — to compare and choose what's best for your unique household.

Time of Day
3 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Our standard base rate, favored by most, with the shortest time commitment for peak pricing.

Time of Day
11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Alternative base rate to save during evenings and weekends with moderate savings during off-peak hours.

Learn More

Overnight
Savers

Alternative base rate to save the most overnight with three-tiered pricing for most savings during super off-peak hours.

Learn More

Dynamic Peak
Pricing

Alternative base rate for flexible, budget-minded people with multi-tiered pricing for notable savings during off-peak hours.

Learn More

Find More Ways to Save

Get personalized recommendations for saving money and energy.

Explore our Marketplace and discover tips, offers and smart home products you can use to save money and energy in your home.

find-ways-to-save find-ways-to-save

New Rate FAQ

What is driving customer demand and why do Time of Day rates help?

Electric power is playing a bigger and bigger role in our lives. From the cars we drive to the electric appliances and devices we power around the clock, customers expect more and are using more energy. Time of Day keeps the grid balanced while helping you save through more control and more choice.

Can I save money on a Time of Day rate?

By shifting your energy use to before 3 p.m. or after 7 p.m. you can manage your bill. Get a programable thermostat and pre-cool your home before 3 p.m., start a load of laundry after 7 p.m. or run your dishwasher as you leave the house in the morning.

Does the new Time of Day rate affect other DTE programs and payment plans?

Customers on the new Time of Day 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. base rate can expect similar energy costs to the previous rate. The Bill Management tool shows you how you're using energy by week/month, as well as how you're trending for the current month. You can also take advantage of the Insight App to see an hour-by-hour breakdown of your energy use. Pair it with an Energy Bridge to see your use and make adjustments in real time — all from the app.

For customers on payment plans like Budgetwise Billing, the new Time of Day 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. rate is unlikely to impact your monthly payment amount.

Can I change my Time of Day rate?

All DTE electric customers will move to the new Time of Day 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. base rate in March 2023. There are two alternative rates available to customers in addition to the Time of Day 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. base rate. Customers are encouraged to choose the rate that best supports their lifestyle and household needs. If an alternative rate is selected, the change will take affect in the next billing cycle. However, once a new rate has been selected you will not be able to change your rate again until 12 months have passed.

Tools and programs are available to learn more about your energy use and understand what rate best fits your lifestyle and energy needs.

How do I find the best rate options for my household that fit my lifestyle?

You can pick the best rate for your lifestyle. With two Time of Day rates and a Demand Response rate, you can choose the plan that suits your needs. With our Explore Rate Types Tool, you can see what different rates can do for your bill. We also have helpful tools to analyze your bill and appliances as well as our DTE Insight app.

How much will it cost to run my appliances during peak or off-peak hours?

You can manage your bill, and even save money, by adjusting when you use appliances on the Time of Day 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. rate. Every appliance uses a different amount of energy. Use this Appliance Energy Costs table to estimate how much you could save with each appliance when you choose to use them during off-peak hours (before 3 p.m. or after 7 p.m. on weekdays, or any time on the weekends).

Appliance Energy Costs