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Is Daytime Electricity Free In Southern California?

Last updated October 27, 2026

Daytime electricity in Southern California is only partly cheaper: Clean Power Alliance's two-year TOU-SMART pilot sets its generation charge to 0 cents per kWh from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., but Southern California Edison delivery and surcharges stay in place and average about 27 cents per kWh as of June 2026. Requests to enroll had to be received before October 1, 2026, so you cannot sign up now.

What TOU-SMART Is

The Clean Power Alliance TOU-SMART pilot page describes a two-year pilot with no CPA generation charge from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It started with each customer's first meter read in October 2026.

What Is Free And What Is Not

Only the generation part of the bill is $0 in the daytime. The same page says SCE delivery and surcharges stay in place and average about 27 cents per kWh as of June 2026. So daytime power on this pilot is cheaper, not free.

Time	CPA Generation (Average, July 2026)
8 a.m. to 4 p.m.	0 cents per kWh
4 p.m. to 9 p.m.	28 cents per kWh
9 p.m. to 8 a.m.	9 cents per kWh

Those are CPA's average generation figures from the pilot page. Delivery is added on top of every row, and CPA notes that rates are subject to change.

Nights Cost More To Pay For It

The TOU-SMART pilot FAQ compares TOU-SMART with TOU-D-PRIME, the rate participants were on before. In its winter table (October to May), daytime generation drops from 3.578 cents to 0 per kWh, while overnight generation rises from 3.578 cents to 6.830 cents. In summer, daytime drops from 4.658 cents to 0 and overnight rises from 4.658 cents to 6.830 cents. The 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. rate is the same on weekdays.

A rough rule from those numbers: in winter you come out ahead if your daytime use is at least about 91 percent of your overnight use, since each overnight kWh costs 3.252 cents more and each daytime kWh costs 3.578 cents less. In summer the bar is lower, about 47 percent. This counts generation only, which is the only part the pilot changes.

Who Is In The Pilot

The FAQ says CPA randomly selected customers who were on TOU-D-PRIME, and the pilot page says requests to enroll had to be received before October 1, 2026, so you cannot sign up now. If your bill would have been lower on your old rate, the FAQ says CPA credits you the difference at the end of each 12-month period, and you can leave at any time.

What It Means For EVs, Batteries, And Solar

• EV charging: the pilot page's own tip is to charge your electric vehicle from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. That only helps if the car is home and plugged in during the day.
• Home batteries: the 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. price is unchanged on weekdays, so covering the evening peak, the main job of a home battery, is worth about the same as before. Charging a battery from the grid at midday saves the generation part only, since delivery still applies.
• Rooftop solar: solar already covers the daytime hours this pilot makes cheaper. Neither CPA page says anything specific about solar customers, so ask CPA how your own account is billed before changing anything.

What To Watch

The pilot tests whether a price signal changes when people use power. If CPA or other providers offer a rate like this to everyone, using power at midday becomes more valuable, and so does a system producing at full output in those hours. A dirty or shaded array loses the most then. See Solar Panel Cleaning and Add A Battery To Solar.

Common Questions

Is daytime electricity really free in Southern California?

No. Only the Clean Power Alliance generation part of the bill is $0 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Southern California Edison delivery and surcharges still apply and average about 27 cents per kWh as of June 2026.

What does the TOU-SMART pilot cost at night?

Overnight generation rises. In the winter table (October to May) it goes from 3.578 cents to 6.830 cents per kWh, and in summer from 4.658 cents to 6.830 cents. The 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. rate is the same on weekdays.

Can I still join the Clean Power Alliance TOU-SMART pilot?

No. Clean Power Alliance randomly selected customers who were on TOU-D-PRIME, and requests to enroll had to be received before October 1, 2026. Participants can leave at any time.