The Best Time to Run Your AC, Washing Machine, and Geyser
India’s new Time-of-Day tariffs mean the clock on your wall now decides your electricity bill. Same appliance, different hour — thousands of rupees in difference.
Key Takeaway
Under India’s new Time-of-Day tariff, electricity costs 10–20% less during solar hours (roughly 9 AM–5 PM) and 10–20% more during peak evening hours. Running your geyser and washing machine during solar hours and pre-cooling your home before peak hours can save ₹3,000–5,000 per summer — without changing a single appliance.
Your Electricity Meter Has a Clock Now
You come home from work at 7 PM. It is 42°C outside. You crank the AC to 18°C. Your wife starts a load of laundry. Your mother heats water in the geyser for the evening bath. By 9 PM, your household is pulling 4,000–5,000 watts from the grid — all during the most expensive hours of the day.
Until recently, it did not matter what time you ran your appliances. A unit at 2 PM cost the same as a unit at 8 PM. That era is ending. The Central Government’s Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Amendment Rules, 2023 introduced Time-of-Day (ToD) tariffs. As of April 2025, this applies to all consumers (except agricultural) in states that have adopted it. Already, 16 states have some form of ToD pricing in place.
The principle is simple: electricity generated from solar is cheapest during the day. The grid is most stressed during evening peak hours (6 PM–10 PM). So the government is doing what every country with solar capacity eventually does — making daytime power cheaper and evening power more expensive. And if you do not adjust when you run your heavy appliances, you are paying a premium every single evening for nothing.
What ToD Tariffs Actually Mean for Your Wallet
The Central Government mandates: solar-hour rates must be 10–20% below normal tariff, and peak-hour rates 10–20% above. Here is what that translates to in rupees:
Solar Hours
0%
cheaper than normal rate
Peak Hours
0%
more expensive than normal
Net Swing
0%
difference between cheapest & costliest hour
State-Wise ToD Snapshot
| State | Solar Hours | Peak Hours | Rebate / Surcharge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bihar | 9 AM – 5 PM | 5 PM – 11 PM | -20% solar / +10% peak |
| Madhya Pradesh | 9 AM – 5 PM | 5 PM – 11 PM | -20% solar / +10% peak |
| Maharashtra | 9 AM – 5 PM | 6 PM – 10 PM | ₹0.80/unit rebate (flat) |
| Gujarat | 11 AM – 3 PM | 6 PM – 10 PM | ₹0.60/unit rebate (flat) |
| Chhattisgarh | 10 AM – 5 PM | 5 PM – 11 PM | -20% solar / +10% peak |
| Haryana | 10 AM – 4 PM | 6 PM – 10 PM | Seasonal (5 months/year only) |
Source: State Electricity Regulatory Commission tariff orders, 2024–25. Check your state’s SERC for latest rates. Smart meter required for ToD billing.
AC: The Pre-Cooling Trick That Saves ₹3,000 Per Summer
Your 1.5-ton 5-star inverter AC consumes about 0.9 units per hour. A 3-star non-inverter? About 1.5 units per hour. Run either one for 8 hours a night, and you are looking at 7–12 units per day — roughly ₹50–85 per night at ₹7/unit.
Now here is where timing gets interesting. Most families turn the AC on at 9–10 PM, right in the middle of peak tariff hours. The compressor works hardest in the first 30–45 minutes because the room is at its hottest after absorbing an entire day’s heat. Those first 45 minutes are the most expensive minutes of your AC’s day — high wattage, high tariff, maximum waste.
The smarter move: pre-cool the room at 5–6 PM, when it is still solar hours in most states. The AC fights the heat while power is cheapest. By the time peak hours start, the room is already 24°C and the compressor is running at minimum load. You are paying peak rates on 300–400 watts of maintenance cooling instead of 1,500 watts of initial blast cooling.
Each 1°C increase in AC set-point saves roughly 6% on cooling energy. Pre-cooling to 24°C during solar hours means your compressor idles through the expensive evening. Over a 5-month summer, this timing shift alone saves ₹2,500–3,500 depending on your state’s ToD rates.
AC Cost Per Hour
At ₹7/unit average. Your mileage varies with state tariff and room conditions.
The Pre-Cool Window
Turn AC on at 5–6 PM (solar hours). By 8 PM (peak hours), your room is already cool. The compressor idles at 300–400W instead of blasting at 1,500W. You pay peak rates on a fraction of the power.
Geyser: The 15-Minute Window That Saves ₹200 Per Month
What Most Families Do
Turn geyser on at 6:30 AM for 30 minutes, turn off, then on again at 7:15 AM for the next person
Multiple on-off cycles waste energy on reheating from cold each time — the first 10 minutes burn the most power
Evening bath at 7–8 PM: geyser runs during peak tariff hours, costing 10–20% more per unit
Thermostat set to max (75°C) — water is so hot you mix cold water anyway, wasting the extra energy
Cost: ~2.5 units/day = ₹525/month
The Smarter Schedule
Heat water once, back-to-back baths. A 15L geyser takes 15–20 minutes to heat. Everyone bathes in sequence — one heating cycle serves all.
Summer shortcut: water in the overhead tank is already 30–35°C by afternoon. Run the geyser for just 8–10 minutes instead of 20.
Set thermostat to 50–55°C instead of max. You will not mix as much cold water, and the geyser reaches temperature faster.
If your state has ToD tariff, schedule bath time during solar hours (before 5 PM) or early morning (before peak starts).
Cost: ~1.2 units/day = ₹252/month
A standard 2,000W geyser consumes 1 unit for every 30 minutes it runs. The difference between the sloppy schedule (multiple on-off cycles, evening peak hours, thermostat at max) and the optimized one is roughly 1.3 units per day. At ₹7/unit, that is ₹273/month or ₹1,365 over a 5-month summer. Not life-changing, but not nothing — especially when you combine it with AC and washing machine savings.
Washing Machine: Why Sunday 11 AM Beats Tuesday 8 PM
A washing machine uses 0.5–2 kWh per cycle depending on the programme and water temperature. Hot water cycles are the villain here — heating water eats up to 90% of the energy in a single wash. Here are 4 timing and setting changes that add up fast:
Cold Water Wash
Switching from hot to cold water saves up to 90% of the cycle’s energy. Modern detergents (Surf Excel, Ariel) are formulated for cold water. Your clothes come out just as clean. The only time hot water is justified: heavily oiled kitchen towels or stained bedsheets.
Saves: ~1.2 kWh per hot-water cycle avoided
Full Loads Only
A half-load uses nearly the same electricity as a full load — the motor, drum rotation, and water pump run identically. Running 4 half-loads per week instead of 2 full loads doubles your washing machine’s electricity consumption for the same amount of clothes.
Saves: 50% of wash cycles = ~2 kWh/week
Solar Hour Scheduling
With ToD tariff, a wash cycle during 11 AM–3 PM costs 10–20% less than the same cycle at 8 PM. Weekend midday is the sweet spot: you are home, it is solar hours, and you can hang clothes to dry in afternoon sun — saving the dryer cycle entirely.
Saves: ₹0.10–0.40 per unit consumed
Eco & Quick Wash Modes
Eco mode washes at lower temperatures and saves up to 50% energy per cycle. Quick wash (15–30 min) uses up to 60% less energy than a full cotton cycle. For lightly worn daily clothes, quick wash is all you need.
Saves: 0.3–0.8 kWh per cycle
Smart Meter Reality Check
ToD tariffs only apply if your area has smart meters installed. As of January 2026, India has installed about 53 million smart meters out of a 250-million target. If your meter is still the old electromechanical type, you are on flat-rate billing and timing does not affect your per-unit cost yet. But the rollout is accelerating — check with your local DISCOM. Even without a smart meter, the other tips (pre-cooling, cold wash, geyser scheduling) still save energy and money on any billing structure.
Your Optimized Weekly Appliance Schedule
Here is a concrete schedule for a typical Indian household. Adjust solar hours to match your state. The principle is universal: heavy loads during solar hours, light loads during peak, nothing on standby overnight.
6:00 – 6:30 AM: Geyser On (Single Heating Cycle)
One person turns it on, everyone bathes back-to-back within 45 minutes. In summer, water is already 30–35°C in the overhead tank — the geyser only needs 8–10 minutes to reach 50°C. Thermostat set to 50–55°C, not max. Turn off immediately after the last bath.
11:00 AM – 1:00 PM: Washing Machine (Solar Hours)
Run full loads only. Cold water, eco or quick-wash mode. This is the cheapest electricity of the day in ToD states. Hang clothes to dry in afternoon sun instead of using the dryer. Even without ToD, midday drying means clothes dry faster.
5:00 – 5:30 PM: Open Windows for Cross-Ventilation
The outside temperature starts dropping. Open windows on opposite sides of the house for 20–30 minutes to flush out trapped hot air. This reduces the heat load your AC has to fight, shortening the initial cooling phase by 15–20 minutes.
5:30 PM: AC On at 24°C + Ceiling Fan (Pre-Cool Phase)
Start the AC during solar hours while rates are still cheap. Close all windows and doors. Draw heavy curtains on sun-facing windows. The room reaches 24°C in 30–45 minutes. By the time peak hours start (6 PM), the compressor is already idling at minimum power.
11:00 PM: AC Sleep Mode / Timer Off at 3 AM
Peak hours end around 10–11 PM in most states. If your AC has a sleep mode, activate it — it gradually raises temperature by 1°C every hour, matching your body’s natural cooling during sleep. Set a timer to turn off at 3–4 AM. The room stays cool for 2–3 more hours from thermal mass alone.
Always: Kill Standby Loads
Your TV, set-top box, phone charger, and microwave on standby consume 50–80 units per month collectively. Switch off at the wall socket before bed. It does not save as much as the big three (AC, geyser, washing machine), but at ₹7/unit, standby power costs ₹350–560/month for doing literally nothing.
More Ways to Cut Your Summer Bill
These guides go deeper into specific appliances and strategies that pair perfectly with smart scheduling.
Why Your AC Bill Doubled
The 5 fixable mistakes that turn a ₹2,000 bill into ₹5,000.
Stop Setting AC to 16°C
The compressor science that makes 16°C pure waste.
Inverter vs Non-Inverter AC Bill
Real electricity numbers, not marketing claims.
Pre-Cool Before a Heatwave
Thermal mass strategies for extreme heat days.
The Science of 24 Degrees
Why 24°C is the sweet spot for comfort and savings.
5-Star Fridge Using 3x Power?
Your fridge runs 24/7 — make sure it is not leaking money.
Same appliances. Different hours. ₹5,000 saved.
Set one phone alarm for pre-cooling at 5 PM. Schedule laundry for Sunday noon. Bath time back-to-back in the morning. That is all it takes.