Time-of-use tariffs turn the clock into part of your solar design. Midday generation is valuable when it replaces expensive imports — or wasted when your plan still prices evenings as the only peak that hurts.
Map peaks to your life
If peaks fall at 3–9pm, west-facing modules, batteries, and timers matter. If your plan’s shoulder rates are gentle, obsessive load-shifting yields less.
| TOU pattern | Solar implication | Habit / tech response |
|---|---|---|
| Evening peak heavy | Midday export less valuable | Battery, west array, timers |
| Hot summer peaks | Cooling coincides with solar | Pre-cool; efficient HVAC |
| Flat tariff | Simpler maths | Focus on total self-use |
| Solar soaker midday | Rewards daytime loads | EV and hot water timing |
- Download interval data if your retailer provides it
- Price a plan change after three months of solar data
- Align dishwashers, laundry, and pool pumps to sun hours
- Revisit TOU annually — retailers tweak windows
Self-consumption is a timetable as much as a technology.
Avoid FIT tunnel vision
A slightly higher feed-in rarely beats cutting a 40c evening kilowatt-hour. Rank tariff lines by dollars, not by marketing badges.
Seasonal retuning
Winter schedules differ from summer. Automations should flex; set-and-forget clocks drift out of sync with daylight.