Peak Time Rebates

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.