Benno, what is peak load all about?
First things first.
Peak loads can quickly lead to considerable additional costs, especially in energy-intensive companies.
The peak load describes the highest energy consumption value that a company reaches within a month over a period of 15 minutes. This peak value is recorded by the energy suppliers and serves as the basis for calculating peak loads. These 15-minute trend values are crucial because they serve as a benchmark for how heavily a company loads the grid at peak times. The highest consumption value of the month is referred to as the peak load and leads to additional costs, as grid operators charge fees of between CHF 9.00 and CHF 13.00 net per kilowatt, depending on the level of the peak load.
Who is affected?
Companies with an annual energy consumption of more than 50,000 kWh are particularly affected by the costs of peak loads. These include companies from various sectors such as industry, commerce and service companies with energy-intensive processes. These load peaks occur particularly during periods of high production or intensive use of machines and devices, which significantly increases the cost of electricity usage. Without targeted control and monitoring of energy consumption, this can lead to unforeseen expenses for affected companies, which can place a heavy burden on operating costs.
How can I save money and what can I do about it?
Dynamic load management can be used to reduce costs caused by peak loads. This involves permanently monitoring the power drawn by a company so that there is a precise overview of current and expected consumption. A trend calculation is used to forecast whether the power consumption will reach a critical limit within the next 15 minutes. If the forecast value exceeds this threshold, load management intervenes.
There are two main mechanisms:
- Power level reduction: certain machines or systems temporarily operate at a lower power level to reduce overall consumption.
- Load shedding: Non-essential consumers are switched off completely for a short period of time to prevent the specified load limit from being exceeded.
These measures help to control and effectively reduce the costs of peak loads. A realistic reduction in peak loads is around 10 % to 15 %, which in many cases already means significant cost savings.
By implementing dynamic load management, companies can benefit significantly from reduced peak loads and therefore lower energy costs. Our solutions offer an effective way of intelligently controlling energy consumption and reducing peak loads.
Benno Unternährer
Many thanks Benno, for answering the questions
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