Every month there’s one hour when electricity demanded from Platte River Power Authority (our wholesale electric supplier) is highest, known as the peak hour. “Coincident Peak” is Platte River’s rate of energy use during the peak hour.

Electricity charges for both the utility and for our Coincident Peak customers during peak hours are significantly higher than normal – meaning it’s financially prudent to avoid high electricity use during peak hours.

When peak hours occur

Peak hours typically occur on weekdays during the afternoon or evening, depending on the season of the year:

• June-September: Typically between 4-6pm on hot days
• November-March: Typically between 5-7pm on cold days
• April, May, and October: Typically between 4-6pm on a warm day or 6-8pm on a cold day

Here’s a chart showing the times of our peak hours by month, over the past decade:

Peak hour notification system

Until September 30, 2023, we were able to notify our Coincident Peak customers of peak hours as soon as we were able to forecast them via text and email – typically between 30 minutes and 6 hours of the peak hour’s start time – in order to help customers mitigate their electricity use. This was possible thanks to a collaboration between the electric utilities of Loveland, Longmont, and Fort Collins and managed by Fort Collins Utilities.

As of October 1, 2023, these notifications are temporarily unavailable due to staffing issues. We expect this free service to resume by summer 2024.