Your Solar Battery TOU Schedule California 2026: The One Setting Most Homeowners Miss That Costs $300–$600 a Year
- May 14
- 15 min read
How to Set Up TOU Schedule on Tesla Powerwall and Enphase IQ Battery in California (2026): The Setting That Saves $300–$600 a Year
A contractor I used to supply in Torrance called me last fall, frustrated. He'd installed a Tesla Powerwall 3 for a customer in Irvine eight months earlier — clean job, good roof, solid 9 kW system. The customer called him saying the battery "wasn't doing anything." Bills were barely lower than before solar.
He went back to check. The battery was set to "Self-Powered" mode, default out of the box. It was charging from solar during the day and discharging whenever the house needed power — including at 11 a.m., when SCE charges 26 cents per kWh. Then at 5 p.m., when the rate jumped to 59 cents, the battery was already half empty. The system was buying grid power at peak rates every single evening.
Nothing was broken. The panels were working. The battery was working. The one thing missing was a TOU schedule telling the battery to hold its charge until the expensive hours.
That one setting — taking about five minutes to configure in an app — would have been worth roughly $480 that year on that customer's SCE rate.
Under NEM 3.0, this isn't a minor tweak. It's the difference between a battery that pays for itself in 7–9 years and one that takes 12+. And based on what installers across California are telling me, a significant portion of battery owners never set it up correctly.
Quick Answer
Under NEM 3.0 in California, your solar battery should hold its charge through the day and discharge during the 4–9 p.m. peak window — not drain whenever the house needs power.
The default "Self-Powered" setting on most batteries does not do this.
On a Tesla Powerwall, you need to enable "Time-Based Control" and set a reserve for peak hours in the Tesla app.
On Enphase IQ batteries, you set a "Schedule" profile in the Enphase App with a discharge window from 4–9 p.m.
The right setting is worth $300–$600 per year for most California households on SCE or PG&E TOU rates.
Table of Contents
Why the Wrong Solar Battery TOU Schedule Costs California Homeowners Money Under NEM 3.0
How TOU Peak Discharge Actually Works
Step-by-Step: Tesla Powerwall TOU Schedule Setup (2026)
Step-by-Step: Enphase IQ Battery TOU Schedule Setup (2026)
Other Batteries in California: Franklin WH, SolarEdge, Generac PWRcell
How to Verify Your Solar Battery TOU Schedule Is Actually Working in California
How Much Money Is the Right Setting Worth?
Common Setup Mistakes and How to Fix Them
FAQ
Conclusion
Related Posts
Why the Wrong Solar Battery TOU Schedule Costs California Homeowners Money Under NEM 3.0
To understand why this matters, it helps to see exactly what the default setting does — and what it costs you.
Most home batteries ship with a "Self-Powered" or "Backup Only" default. Self-Powered mode tells the battery to kick in any time solar production can't cover the home's immediate load. On the surface, that sounds right. In practice, under NEM 3.0 TOU rates, it's the wrong strategy.
Here's why. In California on SCE's TOU-D-PRIME rate, electricity costs roughly 26 cents per kWh from midnight to 4 p.m. It jumps to 59 cents between 4–9 p.m. in summer. That's a 33-cent difference — more than double. On SDG&E's EV-TOU-5, the gap is even wider: 12 cents at super off-peak versus 80 cents at peak.
When a battery runs in Self-Powered mode with no TOU schedule, it might discharge 4–6 kWh between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. — hours when the grid is cheap anyway. By 4 p.m. when rates spike, the battery is already partially or fully depleted. The house draws from the grid at 59–80 cents for the next five hours.
A battery with a proper solar battery TOU schedule California 2026 homeowners can configure in under five minutes would hold that charge all day and release it precisely during the 4–9 p.m. window.
Same hardware, same solar production — completely different bill outcome.
The math on a typical SCE household using 8 kWh between 4–9 p.m.:
Without TOU schedule: 8 kWh × $0.59 = $4.72/day from grid during peak
With TOU schedule: 8 kWh from battery × $0 grid cost = $0 during peak
Daily difference: $4.72
Annual difference: $4.72 × 365 = $1,722 (if the battery can cover the full peak window every day)
Most 13.5 kWh batteries won't cover 8 kWh every single evening — some days production is lower, some days the house uses more. In practice, the annual difference for a typical 3–4 bedroom California home lands around $300–$600 depending on usage and utility. That's real money sitting uncaptured because of a default app setting.
How TOU Peak Discharge Actually Works
Before walking through the specific app steps, it's worth understanding the mechanics — because knowing what the setting does makes it easier to configure correctly and catch problems later.
A TOU schedule tells the battery two things: when to charge and when to discharge. Under a well-designed NEM 3.0 setup, the schedule looks like this:
Charging window (10 a.m. – 3 p.m.): The battery charges from solar production. This is when panels are at peak output and grid rates are low. Any solar not used by the house immediately goes into the battery first, then to the grid at 5–8 cents if the battery is full.
Hold period (3 p.m. – 4 p.m.): Some setups include a short hold window before peak hours to make sure the battery reaches a high state of charge before the expensive window begins.
Discharge window (4 p.m. – 9 p.m.): The battery discharges to cover the home's load. Grid power is avoided during the most expensive TOU window. This is where the bill savings happen.
Overnight (9 p.m. – 10 a.m.): Battery holds a backup reserve. Some homeowners set a 20% minimum reserve for outage protection. The rest can discharge overnight or stay held for the next day's cycle.
One important concept: backup reserve. Most apps let you set a minimum state of charge that the battery won't discharge below — typically 10–20%. This keeps power available for outages. Setting reserve too high (50%+) cuts into your TOU savings. Setting it at zero leaves you without outage backup. For most California homeowners, 10–20% is the right balance.
Now, the app-by-app walkthrough.
Step-by-Step: Tesla Powerwall TOU Schedule Setup (2026)
Tesla's app is called the Tesla app (same app used for Tesla vehicles). If your Powerwall was installed by a Tesla-certified installer, you should have received login credentials during commissioning. If not, contact your installer — they can add you as an owner.
What you need: Tesla app (iOS or Android), your home's Tesla Gateway Wi-Fi connection active, Powerwall commissioned and connected.
Step 1: Open the Tesla app and select your Powerwall.
On the home screen, tap the energy icon or navigate to "Energy" at the bottom. Select your home's Powerwall system. You should see a live power flow diagram showing solar production, battery state, home usage, and grid.
Step 2: Go to "Customize."
Tap the settings gear icon or "Customize" button. You'll see three operating mode options: Backup Only, Self-Powered, and Time-Based Control.
Step 3: Select "Time-Based Control."
This is the mode that enables TOU scheduling. Once selected, the app will show a 24-hour grid with your utility's rate periods pre-loaded if Tesla has your utility's TOU schedule in its database. PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E are all supported.
Step 4: Verify the peak and off-peak windows.
Tesla should auto-populate your utility's TOU schedule. For SCE TOU-D-PRIME, the peak window should show 4–9 p.m. on weekdays. For PG&E EV2-A, same window. Check that these match your actual rate schedule — log into your utility account to confirm if needed.
Step 5: Set your backup reserve.
Below the TOU schedule, you'll see a "Backup Reserve" slider. Set this to 10–20% for most households. If you live in a high-fire-risk area with frequent PSPS outages, consider 20–30%.
Step 6: Save and confirm.
Tap "Save." The app will push the new settings to your Powerwall within a few minutes. You can confirm the change is active by watching the power flow — during off-peak hours, the battery should show "Charging." During peak hours (4–9 p.m.), it should show "Discharging" to the home.
Common issue: If "Time-Based Control" doesn't appear as an option, your Powerwall firmware may need an update. Go to Settings → Software Update to check. Firmware version 23.x and later fully support TOU scheduling.
Note on Powerwall 3: The Powerwall 3 (released 2024) uses the same Tesla app interface as Powerwall 2. The TOU scheduling steps above apply to both models.
Step-by-Step: Enphase IQ Battery TOU Schedule Setup (2026)
Enphase uses two apps depending on your system: the Enphase App (for homeowners) and Enlighten (the monitoring portal). TOU scheduling is done through the Enphase App.
What you need: Enphase App (iOS or Android), your system's Envoy or IQ Gateway connected to Wi-Fi, system commissioned and visible in the app.
Step 1: Open the Enphase App and go to "Settings."
On the home screen, you'll see a live energy flow diagram. Tap the menu icon (three lines, top left) and select "Settings," then "Storage Settings."
Step 2: Select "Schedule" mode.
Under Storage Settings, you'll see three options: Self-Consumption, Full Backup, and Schedule. Select Schedule. This activates the TOU discharge programming.
Step 3: Set your discharge schedule.
The app shows a 7-day weekly calendar. For each day, you can define charge and discharge windows. For a standard California NEM 3.0 setup:
Charge window: 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (solar charging priority)
Discharge window: 4:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. (peak TOU hours)
Overnight: set to "Self-Consumption" or hold, depending on your preference
Tap each day to set the windows. You can apply the same schedule to all weekdays at once using the "Apply to All" option.
Step 4: Set your reserve percentage.
Below the schedule, there's a "Reserve for Power Outages" slider. Set to 10–20% for most households. Enphase calls this the "backup buffer" — it's the minimum state of charge the battery will maintain regardless of the schedule.
Step 5: Save and monitor.
Tap "Save." Changes typically take effect within 10–15 minutes. Check the live power flow the following afternoon — during peak hours, you should see the battery icon showing discharge activity and the grid import dropping to near zero.
Note on multiple IQ batteries: If you have two or three Enphase IQ 5P units stacked (a common setup for 10–15 kWh total capacity), the schedule applies to the entire stack. You set it once; all units follow the same profile.
Enphase installer access: Some Enphase systems are set to "installer-only" control mode, meaning homeowners can view data but not change settings. If you tap "Storage Settings" and find it grayed out, call your installer and ask them to transfer control to the homeowner account.
Other Batteries in California: Franklin WH, SolarEdge, Generac PWRcell
Tesla Powerwall and Enphase IQ cover the majority of California residential installs in 2026, but several other systems are common. Here's a quick reference for TOU scheduling on each.
Franklin WH (Franklin Home Power) App: Franklin Home Power app (iOS/Android).
Navigate to Settings → Energy Management → Time of Use. Set peak discharge window to 4–9 p.m. and charge priority to solar hours. Franklin's app is more basic than Tesla or Enphase — if you don't see TOU settings, check for a firmware update or contact Franklin support at franklinwh.com.
SolarEdge Home Battery App: mySolarEdge app.
Go to Smart Energy → Storage → Operating Profile. Select "Time of Use" profile and set peak hours manually. SolarEdge's TOU feature requires the SolarEdge Home Hub inverter — standard SolarEdge inverters don't support battery TOU scheduling without the Hub.
Generac PWRcell App: PWRview app.
Navigate to System → Battery → Operating Mode → Time of Use. Set charge window (solar hours) and discharge window (4–9 p.m.). PWRcell has a robust TOU interface — you can set different profiles for weekdays and weekends separately, which is useful if your household uses more power at home on weekends.
For all systems: if you can't find the TOU setting or it appears locked, contact your installer first. Many installers set systems to a fixed mode during commissioning and don't automatically configure TOU unless the customer requests it.
How to Verify Your Solar Battery TOU Schedule Is Actually Working in California 2026
Setting up a solar battery TOU schedule in California is step one. Confirming it's working correctly is step two — and one most homeowners skip.
Here's how to verify within 24–48 hours of making changes:
Check the power flow during peak hours.
Open your app between 5–7 p.m. on a weekday. You should see:
Battery: discharging (arrow showing flow from battery to home)
Grid: zero or near-zero import
Solar: likely low or zero production (sun is low by late afternoon)
If you see grid import spiking during this window while the battery shows partial charge, the TOU schedule isn't triggering correctly.
Check the battery state at 4 p.m.
Open the app just before 4 p.m. The battery should be at or near its peak charge for the day — ideally 80–95% (minus your backup reserve). If it's at 40% by 4 p.m., it discharged too early, which means the charging/hold window isn't configured correctly.
Review the next day's history.
Both Tesla and Enphase apps show 24-hour history graphs. Look at the battery state-of-charge curve. A correctly configured TOU system looks like this: charge rises from morning through early afternoon, plateaus briefly around 3–4 p.m., then drops steadily from 4–9 p.m. as it powers the home. If the curve drops and rises randomly throughout the day, Self-Powered mode is still active.
Monthly bill check.
After 30 days on the new schedule, compare your bill to the same month last year (adjusting for any major usage changes). A correctly configured TOU setup on SCE or PG&E should show a noticeable drop in the "peak" charge line on your itemized bill.
How Much Money Is the Right Solar Battery TOU Schedule Worth in California?
The value of a correct solar battery TOU schedule in California depends on three things: which utility you're on, how much power your household uses during the 4–9 p.m. peak window, and how often your battery can fully cover that window.
Here's a realistic breakdown by utility:
SCE TOU-D-PRIME (peak: 59¢, off-peak: 26¢)
A household using 6 kWh during the peak window, covered by a 13.5 kWh battery on a correct TOU schedule:
Grid power avoided: 6 kWh × $0.59 = $3.54/day
Off-peak equivalent (if battery discharged early): 6 kWh × $0.26 = $1.56/day
Daily value of correct TOU setting: $3.54 − $1.56 = $1.98/day
Annual value: $1.98 × 365 = $723/year
In practice, the battery won't cover every peak window perfectly — production varies, usage varies. A realistic capture rate of 60–70% brings the actual annual value to $430–$510 for this SCE household.
PG&E EV2-A (peak: 54¢, off-peak: 28¢)
Same 6 kWh peak usage:
Daily value of correct TOU: (54¢ − 28¢) × 6 kWh = $1.56/day
Annual at 65% capture rate: $370/year
SDG&E EV-TOU-5 (peak: 80¢, super off-peak: 12¢)
Same 6 kWh peak usage:
Daily value of correct TOU: (80¢ − 12¢) × 6 kWh = $4.08/day
Annual at 65% capture rate: $968/year
SDG&E homeowners have the most to gain from correct TOU configuration — by a significant margin. A battery running on default settings in SDG&E territory is leaving close to $1,000 per year on the table.
Utility | Peak Rate | Off-Peak Rate | Annual Value of Correct TOU Setup |
SCE TOU-D-PRIME | 59¢/kWh | 26¢/kWh | ~$430–$510/year |
PG&E EV2-A | 54¢/kWh | 28¢/kWh | ~$370–$440/year |
SDG&E EV-TOU-5 | 80¢/kWh | 12¢/kWh | ~$870–$970/year |
Based on 6 kWh average peak window usage, 13.5 kWh battery, 65% daily coverage rate. Results vary by household.
For a deeper look at how NEM 3.0 affects overall solar bill outcomes across utilities, see our guide on 2 Years Into NEM 3.0: What California Solar Bills Actually Look Like in 2026.
Common Setup Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Mistake 1: Leaving the battery in Self-Powered mode.
This is the most common issue. Self-Powered mode prioritizes immediate self-consumption over TOU optimization. It's the right mode for NEM 2.0 or flat-rate customers — not for NEM 3.0 TOU households. Fix: Switch to Time-Based Control (Tesla) or Schedule mode (Enphase) as described above.
Mistake 2: Setting backup reserve too high.
A 50% backup reserve means only half the battery's capacity is available for TOU discharge. On a 13.5 kWh battery, that's 6.75 kWh available — often not enough to cover a full peak window. Fix: Set reserve to 10–20% unless you have a medical device or specific outage concern that requires more.
Mistake 3: Not accounting for weekend rate differences.
Some utilities have different peak windows on weekends. PG&E EV2-A, for example, has no peak window on weekends — peak hours only apply Monday through Friday. If your TOU schedule is set identically for all seven days, you may be holding charge on Saturday and Sunday when you don't need to. Fix: Check your utility's rate schedule for weekend hours and set a separate weekend profile in your app if supported.
Mistake 4: Forgetting to update settings after a utility rate change.
California utilities adjust TOU windows periodically. SCE and PG&E have both modified peak hours in recent years. If your schedule was set in 2023 and you haven't reviewed it, the windows may no longer match current rates. Fix: Log into your utility account once a year, confirm current TOU hours, and update your battery schedule if anything has changed.
Mistake 5: Assuming the installer set it up correctly.
Many installers commission the battery in Self-Powered mode and leave it. Some don't ask about the homeowner's utility rate schedule. Some assume the customer will configure TOU themselves. Don't assume — open the app and check. Fix: Pull up your app right now and look at the current operating mode. If it says anything other than Time-Based Control or Schedule, you likely have an opportunity to improve your bill.
For a broader look at solar savings under NEM 3.0, see our full breakdown of NEM 3.0 California Explained (2026): Solar Costs, Battery Savings & Is It Still Worth It?.
TOU Battery Schedule FAQ
Q: Does setting up a TOU schedule void my battery warranty?
A: No. Configuring TOU scheduling through the manufacturer's official app is a supported and expected use case. Tesla, Enphase, Franklin, and SolarEdge all explicitly support TOU mode. Using the official app to change operating mode does not affect your warranty.
Q: What if my utility isn't pre-loaded in the Tesla app?
A: If Tesla doesn't have your utility's rate schedule in its database, you can manually set peak and off-peak windows under Time-Based Control. Just log into your utility account, find your rate schedule's TOU hours, and enter them manually in the app. SDG&E and LADWP are both supported; smaller municipal utilities may require manual entry.
Q: Can I set different TOU schedules for summer and winter?
A: Yes, on most systems. Tesla's Time-Based Control auto-adjusts to seasonal rate changes if your utility's schedule is pre-loaded. Enphase allows you to create multiple schedule profiles and switch between them manually. SCE and PG&E both have seasonal rate differences — summer peak rates are typically higher, and some utilities extend peak hours in summer months.
Q: My battery is set to TOU mode but my bills aren't improving. What's wrong?
A: A few possibilities: the peak discharge window may not align with your utility's actual peak hours; your household may be using more power than the battery can cover during peak hours (in which case a second battery unit may help); or the battery state of charge at 4 p.m. is too low because production was poor that day. Check the 24-hour history in your app for a week of data — look at whether the battery actually has charge available when peak hours begin.
Q: Should I charge my EV during peak hours if I have a battery?
A: No — if possible, avoid it. EV charging at home typically draws 7–11 kW on a Level 2 charger, which will drain a 13.5 kWh battery in 1–2 hours. Schedule EV charging for overnight (9 p.m.–midnight on most TOU rates) or solar hours (10 a.m.–3 p.m.) to avoid competing with your peak TOU discharge window. Most smart EV chargers let you set a charging schedule — use it.
For more on EV and solar integration, see our guide on Best Solar System Size for EV Owners in California 2026.
Q: Do I need to call my installer to change these settings, or can I do it myself?
A: You can do it yourself through the homeowner app for all major systems. No technician visit required. The exception is if your system is locked to installer-only control mode — in that case, call your installer and ask them to transfer homeowner control or make the change on your behalf.
Q: Does the TOU schedule setting affect my battery's lifespan?
A: Daily cycling during peak TOU windows does add charge cycles to the battery over time, but modern LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries — which include Powerwall 3, Enphase IQ 5P, and Franklin WH — are rated for 6,000+ cycles. At one full cycle per day, that's 16+ years of daily use before reaching the rated cycle count. Proper TOU cycling will not meaningfully shorten the lifespan of a current-generation LFP battery.
Conclusion
The contractor in Torrance called me again a few months after he went back and fixed his customer's settings. Bill dropped by about $40 that month. Nothing changed except five minutes in an app.
That's the thing about solar battery TOU scheduling in California — it's not a complicated fix. The hardware is already there. The savings are already there. The only thing standing between most homeowners and $300–$600 per year is the operating mode their battery is currently set to.
Open your app today. Check what mode your battery is in. If it says Self-Powered or Backup Only, follow the steps in this guide to switch to Time-Based Control or Schedule mode. Set your peak discharge window to 4–9 p.m. Set your backup reserve to 10–20%. Save it.
That's it. Five minutes.
Three steps to do right now:
Open your battery app (Tesla, Enphase, Franklin, or your system's app) and check the current operating mode.
If it's not set to Time-Based Control or Schedule mode, follow the steps in this guide for your specific system.
Check back in 48 hours to verify the battery is holding charge through the day and discharging during the 4–9 p.m. peak window.
For a full picture of how NEM 3.0 is affecting California solar bills across different household types, see our guide on 2 Years Into NEM 3.0: What California Solar Bills Actually Look Like in 2026.
Related Posts
About the Author
James Ree has eight years of experience in electrical, HVAC, and solar wholesale in Los Angeles, supplying equipment to residential and commercial installers. He now writes practical guides on solar, EV charging, battery storage, and home electrical systems for U.S. homeowners and outdoor enthusiasts.
Disclaimer
Product prices and specifications change frequently. Verify current pricing and specs on manufacturer websites and major retailers before purchasing. Prices listed are 2026 reference ranges and may differ from current retail pricing.
