Clean Power Alliance, a Southern California community choice aggregator, is testing a rate with a zero generation charge in the daytime. The pilot is called TOU-SMART. It runs two years, and CPA says more than 4,000 households are taking part. The announcement came October 1, 2026.
Why It Matters to You
If you’re in the pilot, moving things like EV charging, pool pumps or heat pumps into the sunny hours can cut your generation charges, and CPA’s bill protection credits you if you end up paying more than on your previous rate. For everyone else, there’s no way in right now: voluntary enrollment closed before October 1, 2026, and this is a two-year trial.
How the rate works
Participants pay CPA nothing for the generation part of their electricity between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. every day. It isn’t free electricity. Southern California Edison still delivers the power, and CPA’s page says SCE delivery charges and surcharges, which average about 27 cents per kWh as of June 2026, do not change. The other periods cost more than the households’ previous rate.
| Period | Hours | CPA generation charge |
|---|---|---|
| Daytime (super-off-peak) | 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., every day | 0 cents per kWh |
| Overnight (off-peak) | 9 p.m. to 8 a.m., every day | 9 cents per kWh |
| Evening (on-peak) | 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Monday to Friday | 28 cents per kWh |
Source: Clean Power Alliance TOU-SMART page. These are average generation charges as of July 2026 and are subject to change.
California often produces more solar power at midday than the grid needs. The U.S. Department of Energy calls this mismatch the duck curve, first published by the California ISO in 2013: solar peaks at midday when demand is lower, then falls as evening demand rises. CPA CEO Ted Bardacke said: “We’re giving thousands of customers a meaningful financial incentive to use electricity when solar power is abundant.”
Who’s in it, and what could go wrong
Most participants didn’t sign up on their own. CPA randomly selected customers and mailed two enrollment notices before the start, and placement begins with each customer’s first meter read in October 2026. The CPA page says nothing about a waitlist. Customers with questions can call (888) 585-3788 or email [email protected]. A UCLA team led by Professor Magali Delmas is running the research, which will measure whether customers shift usage, what motivates them, how long the changes last and whether cost or environmental messaging works better. Delmas called the pilot “a rare opportunity to run a rigorous field experiment” on daytime price signals; results aren’t available yet.
On the money: CPA estimates customers could save “hundreds of dollars a year” by moving some overnight use to the daytime, and possibly more by shifting on-peak use, but no household-specific figure is published. By our arithmetic from the rate table, a 30 kWh EV charge overnight at 9 cents would cost about $2.70 in CPA generation charges. At midday that charge is zero, though SCE delivery charges still apply. The pilot also raises evening and overnight generation charges, so households that can’t shift use could pay more until bill protection credits the difference at year’s end. Customers keep any savings and can leave the pilot at any time. The rates are July 2026 averages and may change.
Quick answers
Is daytime electricity really free, and can I join now?
Only the CPA generation charge is zero. SCE delivery charges and surcharges remain. The voluntary enrollment window closed before October 1, 2026, and customers selected by CPA are placed on the rate starting with their first October meter read.
What if my bill goes up, and who benefits most?
CPA says it will credit the difference compared with your previous rate once a year, and you can leave at any time. CPA says homes with EVs, pool pumps or heat pumps may have more chances to move use into daytime hours.
Sources
- Clean Power Alliance: Time-of-Use SMART Pilot (accessed Oct 13, 2026)
- Webull News (PR Newswire release): Clean Power Alliance Tests Zero-Cost Daytime Electricity (Oct 1, 2026)
- U.S. Department of Energy: Confronting the Duck Curve (Oct 12, 2017)