Peakhour

Peak hour, or peak period, is the interval during which demand for a service or system is at its highest. The specific times and duration depend on context, location, and season, and may shift due to holidays, weather, or social patterns. Commonly, peak hours align with daily routines such as morning commuting and evening activities, but this varies by region and sector.

In power systems, peak hours are periods of maximum electrical load on the grid. Utilities track peak demand, often in the late afternoon and early evening on working days; in some regions, morning peaks occur due to heating or cooling needs. The contrast with off-peak periods is important for pricing, reliability, and planning. Peak-load pricing and time-of-use tariffs are used to incentivize consumption reduction during peak hours, while demand response programs encourage customers to shift usage.

In transportation, peak hours are when traffic flow is highest and road capacity is stressed. Typical windows are morning and late afternoon/evening rush hours, though exact timing varies by city and season. Infrastructure planning, congestion pricing, and bus rapid transit schemes target peak periods to improve efficiency.

In telecommunications networks, peak hours describe times of highest user activity, impacting bandwidth availability and latency. Providers allocate capacity, implement congestion management, and sometimes price or throttle during peak periods, though regulatory approaches vary.