insights
What is a load profile and why is it the basis for every optimisation?
Why 15-minute consumption data determines procurement, grid fees, peak loads, and every realistic savings estimate.
Without a load profile, there is no professional energy procurement. Not because it is a formal rule, but because every procurement decision, grid-fee optimisation, and hedging strategy depends on the actual consumption pattern.
A load profile is a time-resolved record of electricity consumption, usually in 15-minute intervals across a year.
Why the load profile matters
The load profile is the basis for professional energy procurement. Without it, it is impossible to buy the right products, choose the right contracts, or optimise grid fees correctly.
With a load profile, companies can:
- Align procurement strategies with the real consumption pattern.
- Identify peak-load moments and reduce grid fees through peak shaving.
- Monitor procurement cost dynamically for internal budget planning.
Load profile vs. standard load profile (SLP)
| Standard load profile (SLP) | Registered load measurement (RLM) | |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | Average consumption pattern of the customer group | Your actual 15-minute profile |
| Typical for | Smaller customers (<100,000 kWh/year) | Large customers (>100,000 kWh/year) |
| Cost | Lower metering cost, but only manual readings are required | Higher metering cost, but precise consumption control |
From around 100,000 kWh/year, or 0.1 GWh, customers in Germany are typically moved to RLM, registered load measurement.
How Meteoric uses the load profile
Meteoric analyses each customer’s load profile at 15-minute resolution to:
- Determine the optimal procurement structure - which share should be hedged through long-term futures contracts, and which share should be procured short term or on spot markets?
- Identify peak-load moments - when do the most expensive peaks arise, and can production control smooth them?
- Realise grid-fee savings - through §19 StromNEV, companies with high annual full-load hours above 7,000 h or atypical grid usage patterns can achieve substantial grid-fee reductions.
- Calibrate price forecasts - the load profile combined with market-price expectations forms the basis for procurement planning.
How to obtain your load profile
Your grid operator or current energy supplier can provide your load profile on request, usually as a CSV file with 15-minute values.
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