Idaho Power Schedule 1 vs Schedule 5: Which Plan Is Cheaper?

Idaho Power Schedule 1 vs Schedule 5

Utility Idaho PowerTariffs checked 2026-09-28Typical use 906 kWh/mo, Idaho

Head to head

Scenario	Schedule 1	Schedule 5	Cheaper
Typical home, per month	$121	$132	Schedule 1
All-in price per kWh	13.4¢	14.5¢	Schedule 1
Home + EV, charged at the cheapest hour	$155	$158	Schedule 1
Home + EV, plugged in at 6 pm	$155	$176	Schedule 1
Fixed charge	$15.35	$15.35

Typical home: Idaho 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 Schedule 1, 12 am on Schedule 5.

Plan	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Schedule 1	$145	$118	$109	$98	$96	$119	$164	$152	$118	$95	$109	$131
Schedule 5	$150	$123	$114	$103	$101	$138	$190	$176	$136	$100	$114	$136

Plan

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Schedule 1

$145

$118

$109

$98

$96

$119

$164

$152

$118

$95

$109

$131

Schedule 5

$150

$123

$114

$103

$101

$138

$190

$176

$136

$100

$114

$136

Schedule 1 or Schedule 5: common questions

Is Schedule 1 or Schedule 5 cheaper?

For a typical Idaho home using 906 kWh a month, Schedule 1 is cheaper by about $129 a year ($121 against $132 a month). Schedule 1 is cheaper at every level of use from 200 to 2,500 kWh a month, with the same daily pattern of use. Adding an EV driven 1,000 miles a month and charged at each plan’s cheapest hour, Schedule 1 gives the lower total ($155 against $158 a month).

What is the difference between Schedule 1 and Schedule 5?

Schedule 1 is tiered: the price per kWh rises with monthly use, with a fixed charge of $15.35 a month. Schedule 5 is time-of-use (summer weekdays: Mid-peak 3 pm–7 pm, Peak 7 pm–11 pm; lowest price 11 pm–3 pm next day), with a fixed charge of $15.35 a month.

How the two plans work

Schedule 1: Residential Service

In July the first 800 kWh a month cost 13.0¢ each; then 14.2¢ above 800 kWh a month, then 15.6¢ above 2,000 kWh a month.
An average Idaho home (1,112 kWh in July) goes past the first tier, so extra load such as an EV is priced higher.
Fixed charge: $15.35 a month.

Schedule 5: Residential Time-of-Day

Mid-peak 3 pm–7 pm, Peak 7 pm–11 pm on July weekdays; 4 of 24 hours carry the top price of 31.3¢.
The cheapest July weekday hour costs 8.3¢, so moving 1 kWh out of the top hours saves 23.0¢.
January weekdays range from 10.1¢ to 14.8¢.
Summer pricing applies Jun–Sep; winter pricing Oct–May.
Fixed charge: $15.35 a month.

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