Time of Day (ToD) Tariff in India — 2026 Explainer

From 1 April 2024, the Ministry of Power's amended Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules made Time of Day (ToD) tariffs mandatory for all commercial and industrial consumers above 10 kW, and for all domestic smart-meter consumers from 1 April 2025. By 2026, if you have a smart meter, your household is almost certainly on ToD — whether you noticed it or not.

What is ToD tariff?

Instead of one flat ₹/unit rate, ToD splits the day into bands — typically three — and prices each differently:

• Solar hours (usually 8 AM – 4 PM or 10 AM – 4 PM): 20% cheaper than the normal rate.
• Peak hours (usually 6 PM – 10 PM, sometimes + 5 AM – 8 AM): 20% costlier.
• Normal / off-peak hours (rest of the day, including overnight): base rate.

The exact windows vary by DISCOM — Maharashtra (MSEDCL), Delhi (BRPL/BYPL/TPDDL), Gujarat (UGVCL/MGVCL/DGVCL/PGVCL), Karnataka (BESCOM) and Tamil Nadu (TANGEDCO) all publish their own.

Who is on ToD in 2026?

• All smart-metered domestic consumers (rollout accelerating under RDSS).
• All commercial and industrial connections above 10 kW.
• All agricultural consumers, in most states.
• Solar rooftop consumers on gross/net metering.

If you have a conventional electromechanical meter, ToD doesn't yet apply — but the smart-meter replacement is scheduled before March 2027 for most states.

The savings playbook

Moving just two loads out of peak hours typically cuts a household bill by 15–25%:

1. Geyser: Set timer for 5 AM instead of 6 PM shower prep. Saves 30–50 units/month × 20% = ~₹120–250.
2. Washing machine & dishwasher: Run during solar hours (11 AM – 3 PM). Saves 20–40% on those cycles.
3. EV charging: Schedule overnight (11 PM onwards). Peak charging a 30 kWh EV daily costs ₹1,800 extra/year vs off-peak.
4. Pre-cool rooms: Run AC 30 min before 6 PM, ride on thermal inertia until 7 PM.
5. Induction cooking at lunch instead of dinner peak.

When does ToD NOT help?

If your household's electricity usage is already concentrated at night (e.g. late-night work, always-on servers, aquarium pumps), ToD can raise your bill. Run your bill through our calculator in "Meter Reading" mode with peak/off-peak split to see which way it cuts for you.

Rooftop solar + ToD = best returns

ToD is great news for solar owners. Exported solar during the day earns the cheaper solar-hour rate — but your savings happen in peak evening hours, where avoided grid draw is now at the premium rate. This changes rooftop solar payback from 5 years to 3–4 years in many states.