Atypical grid usage: Requirements and savings potential

Anyone who deliberately keeps their consumption behavior outside of the grid-heavy peak times can apply for a reduced, individual network charge if they have a corresponding load profile. This arrangement, known as atypical grid usage according to Section 19 Paragraph 2 of the StromNEV, is little known, but can pay off significantly for businesses with a matching consumption pattern.

What atypical grid usage means

Grid operators define so-called high-load windows annually – periods in which the electricity grid is particularly heavily utilized. Anyone who has their highest consumption peak outside of these windows relieves the grid at times when it is already in short supply. As compensation, the network charge calculation does not use the absolute annual peak load, but only the power that was measured within the high-load windows – with an appropriate load profile, this can noticeably reduce the network charges.

This must be distinguished from energy-intensive grid usage (Section 19 Paragraph 2 Sentence 2 StromNEV), which aims for a very high, uniform continuous supply and requires other criteria (at least 7,000 hours of use per year, at least 10 GWh of annual consumption) – for most medium-sized companies, the atypical variant is the more relevant one.

Prerequisites at a glance

• Annual peak load of at least 100 kW at the respective metering point

• Consumption pattern that fluctuates significantly seasonally or over the course of the day – a completely uniform continuous consumption does not meet the criteria

• Peak load outside of the high-load windows defined by the grid operator

• Annual proof provided to the grid operator or regulatory authority, usually by June 30 of the following year

Whether the criteria are actually met can only be assessed on the basis of the concrete load profile – flat rate statements without looking at one's own consumption data are not very reliable here.

Why load management is the actual prerequisite

A suitable load profile rarely occurs by chance. In most cases, targeted load management is necessary in order to reliably keep one's own consumption peak out of the high-load windows – for example by staggering the start-up of systems or shifting production times. The basis for this is the same as for peak load management: a reliable load profile analysis, which shows when one's own peak load actually occurs.

The process in practice

1. Evaluate load profile: Is the annual peak load already outside of the high-load windows, or could that be achieved with adjustments?

2. Adjust consumption, if necessary: Shift processes specifically to times of low consumption.

3. Submit application to the grid operator: For the first year of the agreement, projected values for the annual peak load, peak load within the high-load windows, and annual energy consumption are transmitted.

4. Annual proof: Actual compliance with the criteria is reported to the regulatory authority – in the event of deviations, the network charge is corrected accordingly.

Important: ongoing regulatory development

The regulations on individual network charges according to Section 19 StromNEV are currently undergoing a review process by the Federal Network Agency. Anyone specifically planning atypical grid usage should check the current status with their own grid operator instead of relying solely on older information.

How strait simplifies preparation for atypical grid usage

strait continuously evaluates load profiles using IoT sensor data and makes visible whether and how close one's own consumption profile already is to the criteria for atypical grid usage. This initially lowers energy costs through better visibility of peak loads in general – and, with a matching profile, provides the reliable data needed to provide proof to the grid operator.

Does your load profile fit atypical grid usage? In a demo, we will look at your consumption data together.

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