What peak-hour restriction does, when it applies to private charge points, and what drivers experience, with a worked example.
Peak-hour restriction stops charging on a private charge point during the busiest hours of the local grid. Monta sets these hours per country. This article explains when it applies, what a driver experiences, and how to turn it on or off.
Not the same as Fuse / Peak Protection. Fuse Protection slows charging down to protect your home fuse. Peak-hour restriction is different: it blocks charging entirely during set grid busy-hours on private charge points. Same word, different feature.
When it applies
A charge point is only subject to peak-hour restriction when both of these are true:
| Condition | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Your country has peak hours | Monta has defined peak-hour windows for the charge point's country. If your country has none, the restriction never applies. |
| The charge point is private | Public charge points are never restricted this way. |
Because of this, the "Eligible for peak hour" field is read-only. It shows Yes when your country has peak hours and the charge point is private, and switches to No as soon as you make the charge point public.
Where it applies today
Peak-hour restriction is currently enabled in Great Britain only. Charge points in other countries are not affected today, though Monta may add more countries over time.
| Country | Peak windows (local time) |
|---|---|
| Great Britain | Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 11:00 and 16:00 to 22:00 |
The two settings you'll see
| Setting | What it does | Can you change it? |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible for peak hour | Shows whether this charge point is in scope at all (country has peak hours and it's private). | No, it's calculated for you. |
| Allow charging during peak hours | The actual switch. Turn it off to block charging during peak windows; turn it on to allow it. | Yes, when the charge point is eligible. |
If you make the charge point public, or your country has no peak hours, charging during peak hours is automatically allowed again.
What happens during a peak window
When a charge point is eligible and charging during peak hours is not allowed:
| Situation | Result |
|---|---|
| A driver tries to start a charge during a peak window | The charge is declined ("In peak hour, cannot start charge"). |
| A charge is running when a peak window begins | The session is stopped automatically. |
| An auto-start / schedule would land in a peak window | It's pushed to the end of the window instead of starting and being stopped. |
This applies no matter how the charge is started, including with a connected car (vehicle ID).
Example
Say your country's peak window is weekdays 17:00–20:00 (the real windows vary by country), your charge point is private, and "Allow charging during peak hours" is off:
| Time | What the driver does | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 16:00 | Plugs in and starts charging | Charges normally (before the window). |
| 17:00 | Still plugged in as the window begins | The session is stopped. |
| 18:30 | Tries to start a new charge | Declined, because it's inside the peak window. |
| Schedule set for 18:00 | Auto-start planned inside the window | Deferred to 20:00, then starts. |
| 20:05 | Starts a charge after the window | Charges normally. |
Frequently asked questions
Who decides the peak hours? Monta, per country. They are a fixed schedule, not a live grid signal, and no external grid operator is involved.
Can I set my own peak hours? No. The windows come from Monta's per-country configuration. You only control whether charging is allowed during them, and only on private charge points.
Why can't I edit "Eligible for peak hour"? It's calculated from your country and the charge point's visibility. Make the charge point public and it becomes No.
Does this affect public charge points? No. Only private charge points can be restricted this way.
Need help?
Contact Monta support from your Hub if a charge point's peak-hour behaviour looks wrong.