Is FD or RTA cheaper?

FD and RTA cost about the same for a typical Alabama home (within $2 a year). FD is cheaper below about 1,100 kWh a month and RTA above it, with the same daily pattern of use. Adding an EV driven 1,000 miles a month and charged at each plan’s cheapest hour, RTA gives the lower total ($231 against $238 a month).

What is the difference between FD and RTA?

FD is tiered: the price per kWh rises with monthly use, with a fixed charge of $16.00 a month. RTA is time-of-use (summer weekdays: Peak 1 pm–7 pm; lowest price 7 pm–1 pm next day), with a fixed charge of $26.50 a month.

HomeWattCost

Alabama Power FD vs RTA

FD and RTA cost about the same for a typical Alabama home (within $2 a year). FD is cheaper below about 1,100 kWh a month and RTA above it, with the same daily pattern of use.

Utility Alabama PowerTariffs checked 2026-09-28Typical use 1,125 kWh/mo, Alabama

Head to head

Scenario	FD	RTA	Cheaper
Typical home, per month	$196	$196	Tie
All-in price per kWh	17.4¢	17.4¢	RTA
Home + EV, charged at the cheapest hour	$238	$231	RTA
Home + EV, plugged in at 6 pm	$238	$242	FD
Fixed charge	$16.00	$26.50

Typical home: Alabama average use by month (EIA), shaped hour by hour (NREL ResStock), before taxes. EV: Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD, 1,000 miles a month; cheapest start any hour on FD, 12 am on RTA.

Month by month

Typical-home bill each month on each plan.

Plan	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
FD	$225	$198	$155	$150	$167	$218	$266	$241	$213	$165	$158	$197
RTA	$204	$178	$141	$134	$149	$251	$302	$276	$245	$147	$143	$178

FD: price by hour

July weekday.

Same price all day

RTA: price by hour

July weekday.

Off-peakPeak

How the two plans work

FD: Family Dwelling Service

In July the first 1,000 kWh a month cost 16.4¢ each; then 16.6¢ above 1,000 kWh a month.
An average Alabama home (1,517 kWh in July) goes past the first tier, so extra load such as an EV is priced higher.
Fixed charge: $16.00 a month.

RTA: Residential Time Advantage (Energy)

Peak 1 pm–7 pm on July weekdays; 6 of 24 hours carry the top price of 33.1¢.
The cheapest July weekday hour costs 13.1¢, so moving 1 kWh out of the top hours saves 20.0¢.
January weekdays range from 12.8¢ to 14.8¢.
Weekends follow a different schedule from weekdays.
Fixed charge: $26.50 a month.

Your own pattern of use decides the winner: compare every Alabama Power plan on your usage, or see all Alabama Power plans, sources and peak hours.