Many commercial electricity tariffs have two parts: a charge for the energy you use (per kWh) and a charge based on your maximum demand or contracted load (per kVA or kW). For a charging site, the second part can quietly become one of the largest costs.
Why chargers create peaks
A single 120 kW charger running at full power draws as much as a small building. If several vehicles plug in at the same time, the site's demand spikes, and your contracted load or demand charges have to cover that peak, even if it only happens for a few minutes a day.
What load management does
Load management software watches the site's total power and adjusts each charger in real time so the total stays under a set limit. Drivers still charge, but the site never exceeds the power it is contracted for.
Ways to keep peaks down
- Site power cap: set a maximum for all chargers combined, matched to your connection.
- Smart scheduling: for fleets, shift charging to off-peak hours and stagger start times.
- Prioritisation: give more power to vehicles that are leaving soon or paying for faster charging.
- Building-aware control: reduce charging power when the building next door is using more.
- Battery storage: store energy at low-demand times and release it during peaks.
The trade-off
A lower cap saves on demand costs but can slow sessions when the site is busy. The right limit balances driver experience against electricity costs, and can be tuned once you see real usage data.
Start with the numbers
Look at your tariff structure, your contracted load and your expected busy hours. EVee Buddy's CPMS includes load management and reports that show where peaks come from, so you can set limits with confidence.