Does APS Count Weekends and Holidays as Off-Peak Hours in 2026? What Phoenix Solar Owners Need to Know

The question sounds simple: do weekends and holidays count as off-peak on an APS time-of-use plan? The short answer is yes to weekends and yes to six specific holidays, but that second yes comes with a list that is shorter than most people expect. Getting the details wrong costs money in ways that are invisible until you actually read your bill.

Does APS Count Weekends as Off-Peak?

Yes, completely. Every Saturday and Sunday is off-peak on any APS time-of-use plan, all day, regardless of season. The on-peak window applies only to weekdays, and your meter tracks the difference automatically. There is no time on a weekend when APS charges on-peak rates.

That matters because the gap between on-peak and off-peak pricing on a current APS plan is wide. A household running a dishwasher, a dryer, and an EV charger simultaneously between 4 and 9 p.m. on a Tuesday pays considerably more for those loads than one running the same appliances at noon on a Saturday. The appliances do identical work. The only variable is the clock.

Which Six Holidays Are Off-Peak for APS Customers in 2026?

New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Those are the six. On each of those days, every hour carries off-peak rates, including the hours that would otherwise be on-peak on a weekday. Running the dishwasher at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving works out the same as running it at midnight: off-peak either way.

APS describes this on its rate plan pages as "most holidays," and that language tends to blur in people's memories into "all the big ones." Six is a specific and limited list. If you plan a higher-energy day around a holiday that does not appear on the list, you will pay standard weekday on-peak pricing for afternoon loads.

The Federal Holidays That Do Not Qualify

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Juneteenth, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day are not on the APS holiday list. The on-peak window runs as normal on those dates, from 4 to 9 p.m. A household that assumed Veterans Day qualified and ran laundry at 5 p.m. would receive an on-peak charge for that cycle, same as any other weekday afternoon.

This distinction hits households with flexible schedules the hardest. A federal holiday where adults are home from work is exactly the day when people tend to run appliances during hours they would normally avoid. Without knowing which holidays APS recognizes, that flexibility becomes expensive.

What the APS On-Peak Window Actually Looks Like

Current APS time-of-use plans, the Saver Choice family that APS now offers to new residential customers, set on-peak hours at 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, year-round. The window does not expand in summer or contract in winter. The same five-hour block applies in January and July.

Some APS customers who installed solar a few years ago are on an older schedule called E-26. Under E-26, the on-peak window runs from 3 to 8 p.m. during summer months, which is one hour earlier on each end. The weekend and holiday rules work the same way under E-26, but the on-peak window is shifted. An appliance cycle that starts at 3:30 p.m. on a weekday in July is on-peak under E-26 but would be off-peak under a current Saver Choice plan.

Checking which rate schedule you are actually on takes about thirty seconds: log into your APS account or look at the top section of your printed bill. The plan name is listed there. It is worth confirming before setting up any automated appliance schedules, because the one-hour difference changes the math for afternoon loads.

How Phoenix Homeowners Shift Loads Around the Off-Peak Schedule

Three appliances cover most of the opportunity: dishwashers, laundry pairs, and EV chargers. Each one has meaningful flexibility in when it runs, and each one draws enough power that the timing choice shows up on a bill.

A dishwasher with a delay-start option, which describes most models built in the past ten years, can be set to run at 9:30 p.m. on weekdays. That puts the entire cycle in off-peak territory at a cost of roughly thirty seconds of configuration the first time. On weekends, the timing question disappears entirely, because the 4 to 9 p.m. window does not apply.

Laundry follows the same logic. A load started after 9 p.m. on a weekday evening runs at off-peak rates. A Saturday morning routine avoids the calculation entirely. For households doing three or four loads a week, moving wash day to weekends or late evenings cuts the electricity cost for those cycles without any change in convenience.

EV charging is the largest single lever for most Phoenix households. A vehicle plugged in at 6 p.m. on a weekday draws on-peak power for three hours before the window closes at 9 p.m. The same charging session scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. or later pulls entirely from off-peak supply. Most EV apps and home charger management systems support scheduled departure times, which move the actual charging to overnight without any manual intervention each day.

Gilbert homeowners in APS territory who are running a pool pump should also check that timer schedule. A pump running on automatic during the 4 to 9 p.m. window on weekdays is drawing on-peak power consistently through the summer. Shifting that run to early morning, typically between 6 and 10 a.m., keeps it in off-peak hours and can reduce pool-related electricity costs noticeably over a full Phoenix summer.

Does Solar Change How You Think About APS Off-Peak Hours?

In daylight hours, solar changes a lot. A rooftop system in Phoenix covers most of the home's draw directly between roughly 8 a.m. and 3 or 4 p.m., so the on-peak versus off-peak question barely registers during peak generation hours. The panels are supplying the load; the grid rate does not come into play.

The evening is where the details matter again. Once the sun drops, every watt drawn from the grid carries a cost tied to the time of day. A solar home pulling from the grid between 4 and 9 p.m. on a weekday is billed at on-peak rates for that consumption, the same as any non-solar house. Shifting appliances out of that window still saves money, regardless of the panels on the roof.

A home battery paired with solar can change this further. A battery that stores afternoon solar generation can discharge into the home during the 4 to 9 p.m. window, reducing or eliminating grid draw during on-peak hours entirely. That combination addresses the evening cost directly rather than working around it with scheduling. For a Phoenix home running a large HVAC system during summer evenings, the battery discharge during on-peak hours can be the difference between a manageable bill and a high one.

To model how a solar system or battery changes your APS usage pattern, use the Solar Calculator to estimate your numbers before you talk to any installer.

Is Phoenix Valley Solar an Independent Solar Advisor in Phoenix?

Yes. Phoenix Valley Solar works as an independent solar broker in Phoenix, which means the advice is not attached to a specific installer or panel brand. If you want to understand how your APS rate plan interacts with a solar addition, or whether a battery makes sense for your household's specific usage, that analysis comes without a sales push for one particular system.

An independent solar consultation in Phoenix through Phoenix Valley Solar means getting quotes from multiple qualified installers compared side by side, along with a read on which plan, system size, and financing structure actually fits. That is different from a single-company quote, where the recommendation reflects what that company offers rather than what your household needs.

The team is available for direct conversations at Phoenix Valley Solar's contact page, and the advising approach is explained in more detail on the About page. A related breakdown of load-shifting strategy for APS customers is available in What Are APS Off-Peak Hours in 2026 and How Can Phoenix Solar Owners Shift Load to Save?.

The Prepaid Lease Option for APS Homeowners Who Want Solar Without a Large Upfront Cost

For APS homeowners who want to add solar but are not ready to write a large check, the prepaid solar lease from Phoenix Valley Solar brings the system in at 30 percent off standard pricing. The Section 25D residential solar credit ended after December 31, 2025, for homeowners who pay for their system with cash or a loan. Leased and prepaid systems can pass through the 48E corporate-level credit, and that pass-through is how Phoenix Valley Solar's 30-percent prepaid pricing holds even now. This is not tax advice, and the right step is to confirm the current rules with a qualified tax professional before deciding.

The prepaid approach pairs naturally with load-shifting habits. The panels handle daytime consumption while you manage the evening grid draw by scheduling appliances around the off-peak window and the six APS-recognized holidays. Together, those two strategies address the full day of an APS summer bill rather than just one slice of it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do APS weekends count as off-peak all day?

Yes. Every Saturday and Sunday is entirely off-peak on any APS time-of-use plan. The on-peak window of 4 to 9 p.m. applies only to weekdays, so you can run appliances at any hour on a weekend without paying on-peak rates.

Which holidays does APS treat as off-peak in 2026?

APS recognizes six holidays as off-peak in 2026: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. On those days, all hours are off-peak. Other federal holidays like Veterans Day and Presidents Day are not included.

What are the on-peak hours on APS Saver Choice plans?

On current APS Saver Choice plans, on-peak hours are 4 to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday, year-round. The window is the same in summer and winter and does not apply to weekends or the six recognized APS holidays.

How to choose a solar installer in Phoenix?

Work with an independent solar broker in Phoenix who can gather competing quotes from multiple installers. This gives you side-by-side pricing and system proposals without the bias of a single-company recommendation. Phoenix Valley Solar provides that kind of unbiased solar advice in Arizona at no extra cost.

Can I still get a 30% discount on solar in Phoenix if I missed the 2025 tax credit?

Yes. The Section 25D residential credit ended after 2025 for cash and loan-financed solar. Leased and prepaid systems can pass through the 48E corporate-level credit, and that is how Phoenix Valley Solar's prepaid pricing holds 30% off. Confirm your specific situation with a qualified tax professional before deciding.