More Than 2 Million SoCal Edison Residential Customers Being Transitioned To 'Time-Of-Use' Rate Plans

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - Southern California Edison, which provides electricity to millions of customers in Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange, San Bernardino and Ventura Counties, will move many residential subscribers to new time-of-use plans, which charge more for power during the peak hours of 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The transition starts this months for some customers, with the utility company transitioning others over the next six months.

An estimated 2.3 million residential customers will be affected.

The new time-of-use plans, which differ from tiered rate plans that charge solely on how much electricity is consumed by a customer, feature different rates for power based on the time of day it's used. According to the utility, customers that can shift the majority of their electricity use out of the 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. "on-peak" period, when the electrical grid is most stressed, will likely benefit from the change.

SoCal Edison is offering three different time-of-use plans, with customers automatically placed on the lowest cost plan based on the history of their power consumption. The options listed on Edison's website include:

• TOU 4-9 p.m. for customers that can reduce their power use during the peak hours
• TOU 5-8 p.m. for customers that can decrease their energy consumption between the hours of 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.
• TOU PRIME for customers with electric or hybrid vehicles, as well as those with a residential battery or electrical heat pump system for water or space heating

The utility company is notifying customers about the new plans by mail, with the letter arriving several months before the rate plan is automatically switched. Customers are able to opt out of the time-of-use plans before they're switched by returning the reply card that comes with the letter, filling out online form or calling 877-287-2140.

"If you pay more on a TOU rate plan for the first 12 months than you have pain on your previous tiered rate plan, SCE will provide you a one-time bill credit for the difference," SoCal Edison says on it's website.