Reduce costs for grid charges with load management

The energy transition poses many challenges for industry and the real estate sector. Peak loads at energy-intensive companies can drive up grid charges and therefore the power price. With intelligent load management, companies can prevent peak loads and significantly reduce the cost of grid charges.

Grid fees are charges levied by grid operators for the use of their electricity grids. In Germany, they make up a significant proportion of electricity bills. While only the energy price for grid usage applies to household customers, customers with an annual electricity consumption of over 100,000 kilowatt hours must also pay the costs for the maximum annual capacity used.

Grid fees for electricity have risen continuously in recent years, for example by 56 percent in five years in a selected grid area. Grid expansion, the integration of renewable energies and the expansion of power lines as part of the energy transition are driving grid fees even higher. Due to the abolition of the state subsidy, they have risen sharply across Germany in 2024 - from an average of 3.12 cents per kilowatt hour to 6.43 cents per kilowatt hour. This places an additional burden on companies.

Peak loads mean higher costs

The electricity price is primarily made up of the basic price, the energy price and the demand price. The latter also includes the grid fees that the grid operator charges the energy supplier. The performance price is only charged to companies with an electricity demand of more than 100,000 kilowatt hours. Above this threshold, the Electricity Grid Access Ordinance provides for continuous electricity metering at 15-minute intervals.

The entirety of the measurements - the load profile - reflects the customer's consumption behavior over time. The calculation of the demand charge is based on the highest average value from the values recorded at 15-minute intervals. A peak load caused by a short-term high demand for power in the electricity grid, for example due to several appliances or machines starting up at the same time, can therefore result in high prices, even if the average annual load is lower. The higher the peak loads, the higher the grid charges.

Avoid peak loads with load management

In view of this fact, intelligent load management is becoming a decisive strategy for counteracting rising grid charges. With a suitable system, electricity consumption can be controlled so efficiently that peak loads are avoided. This is because these peaks make the electricity tariff more expensive, regardless of how long they last.

The use of a load management system usually leads quickly to success. If, for example, the maximum annual output is reduced by 50 kilowatts, a system - with an output price of around 170 euros per kilowatt - pays for itself within just one year.

Versatile application options

Load management is not only required by large energy consumers. These systems are also useful for optimizing self-consumption when generating their own electricity and in the event of technical restrictions, such as limited expansion options for transformer capacities.

It can be used in various areas, including

Charging stations: preventing peaks in the load profile

Without load management, charging stations for electric cars can quickly become a cause of peaks in the load profile. The system regulates the output of the charging stations if the existing power grid is not designed for the required consumption. All vehicles to be charged are thus supplied with the necessary power without exceeding the available connected load or driving up the power price on the electricity bill.

Industrial plants: "Peak shaving"

In the industrial sector, load management can ensure that load peaks are smoothed out ("peak shaving"), thereby reducing the electricity provider's demand charges. Motor-driven, interconnected machines, such as ventilation systems, heating ovens, compressed air units, pumps and cold accumulators, are automatically controlled or regulated for this purpose.

Commercial kitchens: exploiting optimization potential

There is often unrecognized potential for optimization in commercial kitchens. In this area, load peaks can be avoided by briefly switching off kitchen appliances (e.g. steam cookers, instantaneous water heaters or air conditioning systems) without affecting the process.

PV systems: shifting electricity loads

Operators of a PV system can use load management to intercept power peaks and reduce the load on the grid connection. For example, electricity loads in the company can be shifted to times when the system is providing a lot of electricity.

Electricity storage: intercepting peak loads

Electricity load peaks can also be reduced during operation with battery storage systems. Load management helps to absorb peak loads caused by energy-intensive consumers through surplus storage and targeted self-consumption.

Solutions for optimized load management

Powerful technical solutions such as the econ peak plug & play controller can support companies in their optimized load management. Our econ peak is adapted to individual requirements, can be expanded at any time and can also be integrated into an existing energy management system. Companies can thus not only avoid load peaks, but also optimize their own consumption.

Conclusion

Rising grid charges pose challenges for industry and the real estate sector. Intelligent load management, which not only networks machines and systems but also controls them, helps to prevent peak loads. Because the responsibility for load management in these areas lies with the end user, it is worth using the technical solutions and expertise of an energy management specialist to make individual settings and limit charging loads.