Free nights plans
Are free nights electricity plans worth it in Texas?
A free-nights plan is worth it only if a big enough share of your usage falls in its free hours. These plans charge a higher price in the day, so the free hours have to make up for it.
Published
The two plans cost the same when 40% of your usage falls in the free hours. Below that, the free-nights plan costs more.
Example plans, all charges included: 15¢ per kWh at every hour, or 25¢ in the day and nothing at night. Illustrative, not a current offer.
How does a free-nights plan work?
A free-nights plan charges nothing for energy in set night hours, such as 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. each day. In all the other hours, you pay its day price, which is higher than on a plan with one price.
The plan's EFL, the Electricity Facts Label (the plan's official price sheet), lists the exact free hours. It also shows the day price, and you need that number for the math below.
How much of my usage has to be at night?
Take two example plans. One charges 15¢ per kWh at every hour, and the other charges 25¢ in the day and nothing at night.
At 1,000 kWh a month, the one-price plan's estimated bill is $150. The free-nights plan costs the same only when 40% of your usage falls in the free hours.
The share of your usage that falls in the free hours is your night share. Below 40%, the free-nights plan costs more. With 20% of your usage at night, it costs about $50 more a month.
You can find this break-even share for any two plans. Real plans differ, so use the two labels in front of you. Divide the one-price plan's price by the day price, then subtract the answer from 1.
Here, 15 divided by 25 is 0.6, and 1 minus 0.6 is 0.4, or 40%.
Use prices with delivery charges included for both plans. If the one-price plan has a bill credit, its average price counts a credit you may not earn. If the night hours still carry a charge, you need even more of your usage at night.
How do I find my own night share?
Your smart meter records your usage every 15 minutes, which makes 96 readings a day. You can see them at Smart Meter Texas (smartmetertexas.com).
To sign up, you need your ESI ID, your meter number and your provider's name. They are usually on your electric bill.
On the dashboard, pick the report called Energy Data 15 Min Interval and choose your dates. Then export it as a spreadsheet file (CSV).
Add up the kWh in the plan's free hours, and divide by the total for the month. That is your night share, and it is the number to compare with the break-even.
Some labels also print the night share their average price assumes. Yours may be different, so do not compare average prices alone.
Are free-nights plans good in summer?
Across the U.S., summer power use peaks around 5 or 6 p.m., by U.S. Energy Information Administration data. It climbs all day with the heat, and a free-nights plan charges its day price in those hours.
So check your night share for a summer month, not only a mild one. If it falls below the break-even, the plan can cost more in the months when your bills are biggest.
Bring your own night share
Your readings every 15 minutes show how much you really use after dark.
Find the break-even
Divide two prices and you have the share the plan needs.
Check the hot months too
Summer afternoons run on the day price, so test a summer month.
Common questions
Are delivery charges free at night too?
It depends on the plan, so check the EFL. Some labels list both the night energy charge and the night delivery charge at $0.00. The utility's set monthly charge can still apply.
Are free weekends plans different?
They work the same way, but the free hours fall on the weekend instead of at night. Use the same math with the share of your usage on those days.
Does moving laundry and dishes to night help?
Yes, on these plans any usage you move into the free hours costs nothing for energy. Check the EFL for the exact times the free hours start and end.
Found a free-nights plan you like?
You can check if it will cost you less than our recommendation. Upload its EFL to our cross-check tool, and it does the comparison for you.
Cross-check a planArticles are general information for Texas electricity shoppers. Every cost Power Rate Check shows is an estimate, and the Electricity Facts Label is the provider's official price document — read it before you sign.