Peak-hour power to cost more in Chandigarh soon

The administration is preparing to introduce time-of-day (TOD) electricity charges for all consumer categories, following approval from the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC).

The rollout, led by Chandigarh Power Distribution Limited (CPDL), will begin gradually, starting with industrial users.Under the TOD system, electricity rates will vary based on time of consumption to encourage shifting usage to off-peak periods and align with solar generation. A multiplier ranging from 0.8 to 1.2 will apply to standard energy charges.During the solar/off-peak hours (9am to 5pm), consumers will receive 20% rebate (factor of 0.8), reducing energy charges by about 20%.

This daytime window overlaps with peak industrial operating hours, potentially delivering significant savings for industries equipped with TOD-compatible meters. During the night off-peak hours (11pm to 7am), no TOD charges will apply during the eight-hour period. In peak hours — eight hours daily (7am to 9am in the morning, and 5pm to 11pm in the evening),energy charges will increase by 20% (factor of 1.2) over the normal rate.

A CPDL spokesperson claimed TOD would benefit industries, noting that the daytime rebate aligns with solar hours and typical work schedules, allowing factories to lower costs by shifting operations accordingly.The JERC initially approved TOD charges in July 2024, when electricity distribution was managed by the UT electricity department, but implementation did not occur at the time. After CPDL took over operations on Feb 1, 2025, the company included the already approved TOD framework in its tariff petition. JERC revised and confirmed the structure in Oct 2025.