Peak Power Cost Reduction Guidebook

摘要

This guidebook was developed to assist Air Force base civil engineering staff in evaluating alternative methods for reducing the electric utility costs at the base. The guidebook uses a series of worksheets that are designed to evaluate the electricity consumption patterns at the base, determine the potential cost savings due to peak shaving, and evaluate alternative methods for achieving cost savings. Most Air Force bases are major daytime users of electric power, with very high on-peak electric power demands. Electric utilities charge their customers not only for the amount of electric energy consumed, measured in kilowatt-hours , but also for the peak power demanded, measured in kilowatts. Each utility has its own policy for determining the rates to charge its customers, but the cost of on-peak power is high and increasing. Consequently, there is a potential for dollar savings if the peak power demanded from the utility can be reduced by changing or shifting consumption patterns. This is often referred to as peak shaving. Most electric utilities define different types of rate structures for different types of customers, summarized in the form or rate schedules, that take into account both the quantity of electricity purchased and the peak demand, as well as the time of day the electricity is demanded. This is especially true of sales to industrial customers, such as Air Force bases. Thus, by finding ways to reduce the peak power demand from the utility, an Air Force base may be able to achieve dollar savings.