Peak Time Rebates

When you get the whole household involved with Peak Time Rebates, it’s a great way to save a little on your energy bill, help keep energy reliable and support Oregon’s clean energy future.

Make a difference this season

Peak Time Rebates rewards you for shifting your energy use during peak times – when energy demand and prices are highest. It’s your choice how you participate in each event and there’s no cost to join.

Peak Time Rebates summer season starts June 1, and ends September 30, 2024.

What are Peak Time Rebates?

When energy demand and prices are high, you'll have the option to reduce your energy use during the Peak Time Event, which is typically 3 to 4 hours. When you reduce your energy use, you can earn a rebate on your next bill. Plus, shifting your energy away from peak times makes a difference. You’re supporting the use of more sustainable energy resources and helping to keep energy more reliable. It’s a win-win-WIN!

Here’s how it works (It’s easy!)

1. Get notified

Once you're enrolled, we'll send you a text or email the day before and the day of a Peak Time Event. We'll let you know when the event will start and stop and provide savings tips you can use to lower your use.

2. Shift use

During an event, you can reduce your energy use with simple changes like waiting to wash dishes or do laundry and adjusting your temperature setting a few degrees.

3. Earn rebates

If you reduce your energy use during the Peak Time Event, you can earn a rebate on your next bill.

How are Peak Time Rebates calculated?

Your energy use baseline is calculated from your average use over the past 10 similar days during the same hours as the Peak Time Event. You earn $1 per kilowatt hour (kWh) when you reduce below your baseline during a Peak Time Event. 

Stay safe this summer

During Peak Time Events, your health and safety should always come first. On hot summer days, please be sure to keep the temperature in your home safe by exercising discretion during Peak Time Events. Consider health impacts when reducing energy use. Remember, participation in Peak Time Events is completely voluntary. Here’s information about staying safe when the temperature gets warm outside.

Frequently asked questions

Peak Time Events can be called in the morning between 7 and 11 a.m. and in the late afternoon between 3 and 8 p.m. In the winter, you might notice more morning events. During the summer season, Peak Time Events will most commonly occur in the late afternoon. The events can be two to five hours in length, but most often last for three hours. You'll receive a notification the day before the event with the specific times it will occur.

Yes. To be enrolled in Peak Time Rebates, you need to provide PGE with either an email address and/or a mobile phone number to receive Peak Time Event notifications. You can choose to receive notifications by email, text or both — it’s up to you. You must maintain at least one notification channel in order to remain enrolled. For example, if you provide only a mobile phone number and reply STOP to text notifications, you'll be unenrolled from Peak Time Rebates. You can update your notification preferences on the Peak Time Rebates webpage, or call PGE Customer Service at 800-542-8818.

Your energy use baseline is calculated from your average use over the past 10 similar days during the same hours as the Peak Time Event. You earn $1 per kilowatt hour (kWh) when you reduce below your baseline during a Peak Time Event. 

The calculation in four steps:

Step 1: PGE looks at the 10 most recent days that are similar in type (weekday or weekend). . Holidays or any previous Peak Time Event days are not considered similar days and are not included in establishing the 10-day baseline period.

Step 2: Using the selected 10 days for your baseline period, PGE identifies your home’s average use during the same hours as the Peak Time Event.So, if the upcoming Peak Time Event is from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m., PGE will determine your home’s average use during the hours of 4:00 -7:00 p.m.

Step 3: Because the weather on the Peak Time Event day may not be exactly the same as the 10 days selected for the baseline period, PGE applies an adjustment for the difference in temperature for some customers if your historical usage indicates a significant difference in electrical use when the temperature changes. For example, you may have higher use in summer because of air conditioning or in the winter due to electric heating. This will determine your home’s energy usage baseline or “Typical Use.”

Step 4: We subtract the total kilowatt hours you use during the Peak Time Event or “Actual Event Use” from your “Typical Use,” as shown in the calculation below. If your energy use during the event is less than your Typical Use, you earn a rebate at a rate of $1.00 per kilowatt hour.

Customer rebate baseline and rebate calculation:

  • (Typical Use + Weather Adjustment) – Actual Event Use = kWh Savings

    • kWh Savings x $1.00 = Rebate

Example with Peak Time Event data and rebate:

  • (3.67 kWh + 1.1 kWh) – 2.21 kWh = 2.56 kWh

    • 2.56 kWh x $1.00/kWh = $2.56 (Rebate amount that would appear on your bill)

When you enroll in the program, you have the choice to be notified by email and/or text. After each Peak Time Event, you will receive a message one to three days later to let you know if you earned a rebate and for how much. If you earned a rebate, this amount will appear as a credit on your next bill.

Your participation is completely voluntary. Once you’re enrolled, you’re eligible for a bill credit during any event where you successfully reduce your energy use. If you aren’t able to save energy during an event, you’ll still be enrolled and have other opportunities to participate in the future. Your health and safety should always come first, so please consider any health impacts when reducing your energy use.

If you’re a customer who doesn’t use much electricity on a daily basis, it may be more difficult to reduce your use during Peak Time Events. Turning off lights or waiting to charge your phone won’t make much of an impact during a Peak Time Event. You can make the biggest impact by reducing the use of major appliances, using less hot water and turning your thermostat down a few degrees if you have electric heat or air conditioning.

Peak Time Rebates will appear in the “Additional Charges/Credits” area of your bill as “peak time credits.” Rebates should appear on the next bill you receive after the Peak Time Event.

Unfortunately, no — you can't be in both programs at once. However, if you have a smart thermostat, you may want to consider joining the PGE Smart Thermostat program, where you can earn $25 per season for participating. For more information, go to portlandgeneral.com/thermostat.

Every little bit counts

There are typically 5-7 events in the summer and 3-5 events in the winter. While we can’t guarantee savings, customers who participated in our pilot program earned an average of $2 - $3 per event.* And when we all work together, it helps provide reliable energy for everyone. So, your participation can make a difference.

Ready to get started? Sign up for Peak Time Rebates online or call 503-228-6322 or 800-542-8818 weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. View Peak Time Rebates terms and conditions.

*Your actual savings will vary.

Easy ways to be successful this season

Check out these tips and creative ways people on Peak Time Rebates are shifting their energy use to help save a little on their electricity bill.

Savings tips

There’s more than one way to shift your energy

Have a smart thermostat? Consider joining our Smart Thermostat program instead of Peak Time Rebates to make shifting your energy use even easier. Because both Peak Time Rebates and the Smart Thermostat program reward you for shifting energy during a Peak Time Event, you can only be enrolled in one or the other.

Get info here

Energy shifting matters

Today, 22% of PGE customers are participating in energy shifting programs like Peak Time Rebates. This community reduced its energy use during this past summer's high heat to help maintain service reliability and support the use of more sustainable resources.

Learn more about the power of energy shifting.

There is no cost to you to enroll in Peak Time Rebates. Your electric bill will be calculated based on your energy use and may go up or down based on how much electricity you use.