Lower the peak at a processing facility.

What Sets the Peak

A plant's demand follows production. Its peak forms where large motors, compressed air and process heat overlap. That can be the start of a shift, a changeover, or a batch process running with its utilities.

In this example the peak is set at 7:00 am as the first shift starts. Your own 15-minute record shows which interval sets yours.

Find your own peak →
Take out of the peak
00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00480 kW billed
The facility's dayWhat lands in the peak
480 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.
1503004500 kWMonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Lines and conveyors24 kW
Air compressors30 kW
Ovens and sealers36 kW
Exhaust and ventilation12 kW

Worked example: a food processing plant on two shifts. 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 Processing Facilities | Wattif