According to Decision 963/QD-BCT dated April 22, 2026 of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, peak hours are expected to be concentrated in the evening from 5:30 PM to 10:30 PM daily, while off-peak hours are from 0:00 AM to 6:00 AM.
However, to date, this plan has not been applied in practice, the peak hours are still divided into two phases as before, including 9:30-11:30 and 5:00-10:00 daily (excluding Sunday), and the peak hours are from 10:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
According to the current price list for voltage from 22kV and above, the electricity price during peak hours is 1,609 VND/kWh, while during peak hours it reaches 5,025 VND/kWh, about 3.12 times higher.
Before the information about the proposal to change the time frame and electricity price, many people began to recalculate their living habits to save costs.
Ms. Le Khanh Linh, who is renting a room in Ha Dong ward (Hanoi), said that if the new peak hours are applied, she plans to limit staying in the rented room in the evening. After work hours, she can stay at the shopping center to avoid the heat instead of going back to her room to turn on the air conditioner.
Ms. Vu Thu Loan (Phu Dien ward, Hanoi) said that recently her family often goes to the shopping center in the evening to avoid the heat combined with eating and shopping.
Initially, the whole family only intended to go shopping, but the weather was too hot, so we rushed in early to eat and rest" - Ms. Loan shared.
From a business perspective, many service households are also concerned that operating costs will increase sharply if peak hour electricity prices are applied.
According to Mr. Nguyen Huy Chuyen - owner of a hair salon on Trung Kinh street (Hanoi), the busiest hours of the store coincide with the expected peak electricity price application time.
From business reality, Mr. Chuyen proposed: "The application of peak hour electricity prices should gradually increase over time, based on a progressive mechanism. For example, essential services such as hairdressing usually only operate until about 8 pm. Meanwhile, entertainment types such as karaoke operate later and consume more electricity at night" - Mr. Chuyen proposed.
