Hourly, market-based electricity prices are driven largely by demand for electricity and tend to follow predictable, seasonal patterns. The graph below illustrates the typical electricity price pattern for average summer and winter days.

Fall, Winter and Spring Price Patterns

Compared with summer prices, fall, winter and spring prices are generally lower, and the price pattern is more stable. During the cooler months, there tends to be a small price spike in the morning and another slightly larger spike in the evening. However, the highest prices of the day are generally lower than the highest prices during the summer.

Summer Price Patterns

Electricity prices typically fluctuate most during the summer, driven in large part by demand for air conditioning. Normally, the highest prices in the summer will be in the late afternoon and early evening. Depending on weather and other conditions, some days will have higher overall prices than others. On these days we will alert you the evening before with a High Price Notification.