Time-of-use rates: scheduling mining around the clock
ToU tariffs price electricity by window — cheap at night, expensive at dinner. Mining can pause, but paused rigs earn nothing: optimize the margin per window, not the electricity bill alone.
Windows, prices, and the real question
A ToU tariff defines periods — e.g. off-peak $0.08/kWh, mid-peak $0.12, on-peak $0.20 — with a calendar set by your utility (seasons, weekends, holidays). The tempting move is 'run only at night'. The correct move is comparing margin per window: revenue in that window minus its energy cost.
Round numbers: a 3 kW miner nets $0.90/hour of revenue at current difficulty. On-peak at $0.20/kWh costs 3 × 0.20 = $0.60/hour → margin $0.30/hour. Still positive! Skipping on-peak saves $0.60/hour of bill but gives up $0.90/hour of revenue — you 'saved' your way to $0.30/hour less profit.
When skipping actually wins
- The on-peak margin is negative (expensive window, weak coin) — then pausing is free money.
- Demand charges interact: some tariffs bill peaks only in certain windows (see demand lesson).
- Your miner restarts cleanly — check firmware behavior before trusting unattended schedules; hard power cuts are not a control method.
- Fixed fees don't disappear with scheduling — they stay in the monthly budget.
See it live on pow.family
The electricity tool's two-tariff mode prices day/night schedules — plug the window rates from your tariff sheet and compare against a 24/7 baseline.