Best Time to Run the Dishwasher and Laundry in Ontario (TOU and ULO)

The best time to run the dishwasher and laundry in Ontario on Time-of-Use (TOU) pricing is weekdays after 7 p.m. or before 7 a.m., or any time on weekends and statutory holidays, when electricity costs 9.1¢/kWh. On the Ultra-Low Overnight (ULO) plan, the cheapest window is 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. every day at 3.7¢/kWh, but avoid weekdays from 4 to 9 p.m., when the price is 37.7¢.

Those prices are the Regulated Price Plan rates set by the Ontario Energy Board for 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027. Here is what each load costs at different times, and how much shifting is actually worth.

When is off-peak electricity in Ontario?

Time-of-Use (most households):

Period	Winter weekdays (Nov 1–Apr 30)	Summer weekdays (May 1–Oct 31)	Price
Off-peak	7 p.m.–7 a.m.	7 p.m.–7 a.m.	9.1¢
Mid-peak	11 a.m.–5 p.m.	7–11 a.m. and 5–7 p.m.	14.6¢
On-peak	7–11 a.m. and 5–7 p.m.	11 a.m.–5 p.m.	18.9¢

Weekends and statutory holidays are off-peak all day, all year.

Ultra-Low Overnight (same all year):

Period	Hours	Price
Ultra-low overnight	11 p.m.–7 a.m. every day	3.7¢
Weekend off-peak	7 a.m.–11 p.m. weekends and holidays	9.1¢
Mid-peak	Weekdays 7 a.m.–4 p.m. and 9–11 p.m.	14.6¢
On-peak	Weekdays 4–9 p.m.	37.7¢

On the Tiered plan, the time of day does not matter. Not sure which plan you are on? It is printed on your bill. Our guide to Ontario electricity price plans explains all three.

Best time to run the dishwasher and laundry: cost per load

We assume a dishwasher uses about 1.4 kWh per load (including its internal heater and drying) and a conventional electric dryer about 3.3 kWh, within the typical 2.5–4 kWh range. Washer motors use little electricity; the energy in a hot or warm wash is mostly in the hot water. These are commodity costs only.

Load	TOU off-peak (9.1¢)	TOU mid-peak (14.6¢)	TOU on-peak (18.9¢)	ULO overnight (3.7¢)	ULO on-peak (37.7¢)
Dishwasher, 1.4 kWh	12.7¢	20.4¢	26.5¢	5.2¢	52.8¢
Electric dryer, 3.3 kWh	30.0¢	48.2¢	62.4¢	12.2¢	$1.24
Washer, about 0.3 kWh (motor)	2.7¢	4.4¢	5.7¢	1.1¢	11.3¢

If you have an electric water heater, a hot wash adds more electricity, which makes timing more valuable. With a gas water heater, the hot water portion shows up on your gas bill instead.

How much can shifting save over a year?

Take a family that runs 5 dishwasher loads, 5 washer loads and 5 dryer loads a week. That is about 25 kWh a week, or 1,300 kWh a year.

Scenario	Calculation	Annual commodity cost
All loads during TOU on-peak	1,300 kWh × 18.9¢	$245.70
All loads during TOU off-peak	1,300 kWh × 9.1¢	$118.30
ULO: dishwasher and washer overnight, dryer on weekends	442 kWh × 3.7¢ + 858 kWh × 9.1¢	$94.43
ULO: all loads in the weekday 4–9 p.m. peak	1,300 kWh × 37.7¢	$490.10

Moving from on-peak to off-peak on TOU saves about $127 a year. On ULO, careful timing saves a little more, but running the same loads during the evening peak would cost about four times as much as off-peak TOU. Before switching to ULO, read is Ultra-Low Overnight worth it.

Note: Most households do not start with every load on-peak, so real savings are usually smaller than the full $127. For a household that does a lot of laundry after work on weekdays, the change is closer to the full figure.

Safety: what not to run overnight

Delay-start buttons make off-peak timing effortless, but clothes dryers are a leading cause of home appliance fires. Fire services generally advise against running a dryer while you are asleep or out of the house.

• Dryer: run it on TOU weekday evenings after 7 p.m. or on weekends, while someone is home and awake. Clean the lint filter every load and the vent duct at least once a year.
• Dishwasher and washer: overnight delay-start is common. Make sure smoke alarms work and the appliance is in good condition. Some fire services also suggest not running dishwashers unattended; use your judgement.
• Everything: do not overload circuits or use extension cords for major appliances.

Other ways to cut laundry and dishwasher costs

1. Run full loads of dishes and laundry.
2. Wash clothes in cold water. Most of a washer's energy use goes to heating water.
3. Use a high spin speed so clothes go into the dryer with less water.
4. Air-dry on a rack when you can, especially in summer.
5. Consider a heat pump dryer when your dryer needs replacing; it uses roughly half the electricity. See our heat pump dryers guide.
6. Skip the heated dry on the dishwasher and let dishes air-dry.

For a full list of quick wins, see our checklist to reduce your hydro bill, and for what a typical bill looks like, the average hydro bill in Ontario.

All costs in this post are estimates for illustration. Confirm current prices at oeb.ca (opens in a new tab).