Winter Time of Use Evening Peak is Killing Me

As of November, winter Time of Use (TOU) applies to billing rates. The problem is that the peak rate applies to 5 to 7 pm which is a prime time for most households, including ours. It gets dark so lights need to come on, people arrive home so the temperature needs to be turned up on cold days, dinner needs to be cooked, homework needs to be done, etc. Of course there are activities that we can delay until after 7 pm like laundry and the dishwasher but most of the activities listed are non-negotiable. I think it is a bit of a cash grab to make 5 – 7 pm a peak time.  The summer peak time makes more sense when residential can adjust their behavior so as not to compete for power with commercial users. I guess I will be bringing out the candles and feeding the kids at 9 pm!