Demand charges explained, and how to shave the peak
Why 15 minutes a month can define your energy bill.
Marcus Hale
VP Customer Engineering
ON THIS PAGE
Where the peak comes from
Shaving without losing output
Watch it live
SHARE
COPY LINK
Many commercial tariffs bill part of the month on the single highest 15-minute window of demand. One bad quarter-hour can cost more than a week of steady use.
Where the peak comes from
Peaks usually happen when several large loads start together: compressors after a defrost, HVAC at opening time, or a production line restarting after a stop.
Shaving without losing output
Staggering start-up sequences by a few minutes and pre-cooling before the peak window often cuts the maximum demand by a fifth, with no change to what the site produces.
Watch it live
A live demand curve with an alert threshold lets the team react before the window closes, instead of discovering the peak on the invoice.
Keep reading
Industry
Nov 23, 2025
How industrial monitoring prevents costly downtime
Controlled environments keep production efficient and sustainable.
Buildings
Nov 17, 2025
Advanced sensors are reshaping monitoring in buildings
New systems bring comfort and savings to commercial spaces.
Agriculture
Apr 22, 2025
Greenhouses get smarter with precise environmental data
Connected sensors raise yield with less water and energy.
