What is a Peak Alert Notification Service?

Peak alert notifications are an energy management tool Schneider Electric frequently deploys for our clients. But what do they do, and more importantly, how can they help you reduce your energy spend? In this blog, we will explain what a peak alert is and how Schneider Electric’s Peak Alert Notification Service works to help save money on your energy bill.

What is a peak alert?

A peak alert is a forward-looking notification that alerts you of anticipated peak times on the grid, enabling you to make smart decisions to reduce grid-based electricity usage at your facilities and reduce your energy costs. Your utility uses your metered usage during the system peak to set a Peak Load Contribution (PLC) value, which is used to calculate your charges for the upcoming year. Each Independent System Operator (ISO) has its own unique rules, so there could be one single hour that impacts your costs for an entire year, or up to five. Depending on your facility’s location, managing your consumption during these intervals can have a significant impact on your future costs. Peak alerts typically occur during periods of high energy demand, usually during the summer months.

How can you benefit from a peak alert notification service?

Facility managers and energy procurement professionals are constantly striving to find ways to save money. One way to accomplish this is by using peak alert notifications as part of an overall energy management strategy. Peak alert notifications allow facilities to take informed action to curb electricity use or deploy on-site assets, which can help protect against grid operator and/or utility costs.

Schneider Electric’s Peak Alert Notification Service triggers alerts when our experts forecast your ISO’s system-wide demand to be at peak levels. Your facility leaders can then determine whether to shed load during that specific time or leverage on-site generation assets. Peak alert notifications can be sent the day ahead of the predicted peak, or the day of the predicted peak. The forecasted duration of the peak will also be provided in these alerts.

If your business can respond during these forecasted peak time periods by reducing energy consumption pulled from the grid, then a peak alert notification service and plan could help you reduce your PLC and save money on your energy bills during the next planning year. Additionally, if you are looking to reduce the grid’s overall environmental impact, peak alert responses can play a role in helping achieve this goal. By reducing the strain on the grid when electricity demand is at its highest, grid operators can build and deploy less carbon-emitting generation.  

Implementing a peak alert notification program

Peak alert responses can become an important part of any energy management program. By understanding how peak alerts work, how they interplay with supply contracts, and the opportunities they offer, businesses can make informed decisions about whether creating a peak-hour action plan is a good fit for their energy management strategy.

Contact us today to learn more about implementing Peak Alert Notifications for your facilities.