Lower the peak at a grocery store.

What Sets the Peak

Refrigeration runs around the clock and sets a high floor under a grocery store's demand. The peak forms when rooftop units, defrost and door heaters add to it at the same time, most often on a hot afternoon.

In this example the peak is set at 3:30 pm on the hottest weekday. Your own 15-minute record shows which interval sets yours.

Find your own peak →
Take out of the peak
00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00430 kW billed
The facility's dayWhat lands in the peak
430 kWThe month's peak, as billed

How We Bring the Peak Down

  1. 01
    Read 12 months of interval dataYour utility's 15-minute demand for the last year, with the weather for the same period. The interval that set each month's charge is marked, and so are the days close behind it.
  2. 02
    Log the key circuitsCurrent loggers on the circuits that feed the largest loads, for 4 to 8 weeks in the season the peak falls in. Each load's share of every peak interval is measured.
  3. 03
    Design within each load's limitsEach load's limits are recorded before anything is designed. The design is simulated on your measured year before anything changes on site.
  4. 04
    Run the control and meter the resultA licensed electrician fits the controller and any relays or drives. The control runs on site, and each month's peak is metered on the panel.
1002003004000 kWMonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Rooftop units24 kW
Defrost28 kW
Door heaters14 kW

Worked example: a full-line grocery store. Your own peak is read from your utility's 15-minute record.

What prompted the question?

Find what sets your peak. It starts with 12 months of your utility's 15-minute data.

Find Your Peak
Demand Charges for Grocery | Wattif