What the review needs to establish
Align meter intervals, time zones, holidays, equipment changes and occupancy. Missing intervals or an incorrect daylight-saving adjustment can distort a peak or shape analysis.
Information to prepare
- Obtain authorized interval data
- Check timestamps and missing records
- Annotate operating events and equipment changes
- Reconcile totals to invoices
A worked decision example
Hypothetical: two sites each use 100,000 kWh in a month. The one concentrating use into fewer hours can have a much higher peak than the site operating steadily. Equal energy use does not imply equal demand cost.
Illustrative inputs explain the decision; they are not an available offer, customer outcome or forecast.
Produce an annotated load profile
The useful output is a chart or interval table tied to actual events: opening, shutdown, charging, production and weather. Check whether the apparent peak is a data gap, timestamp error or real interval. An engineering investigation may still be needed to attribute the load to a particular system.
How to use the result
Use the analysis to improve forecasts, evaluate pricing structures and investigate operations. It supports a decision; it does not prove a single operational cause without site evidence.
Convert interval readings before comparing peaks
Verify whether each file contains interval energy or average power. For an illustrative 30-minute interval, 40 kWh corresponds to 80 kW because the energy is divided by 0.5 hours. Mixing those values can produce a convincing chart with the wrong peak. Preserve the source units, duration, meter multiplier, and timestamp convention in the analysis. Reconcile the summed energy with the relevant billing period before using the profile for procurement, equipment screening, or an alleged demand-charge correction. The calculation does not identify the equipment responsible.
Questions & answers
Should missing intervals become zero?
No. Flag gaps and use an appropriate documented treatment where permitted. Zero can falsely imply shutdown, understate quantities, or distort peak and index-weighting analysis. Keep the original records and distinguish measured data from estimates or replacements.
Can a stable baseload still be wasteful?
Yes. Steady demand can be productive or unnecessary. Compare the pattern with required services and site schedules rather than assume a high load factor proves efficiency. Conversely, essential refrigeration or safety loads should not be labeled waste without investigation.
Why retain the raw file after cleaning?
It allows another reviewer to reproduce conversions, timestamp alignment, gap treatment, and reconciliation. A chart without provenance cannot show whether a surprising result reflects operations, a meter issue, or an analyst’s transformation of the data.
Sources & scope
Primary references reviewed October 15, 2026. These sources support the stated concepts; actual tariffs, program rules and signed agreements govern the account. Decision examples and operational worksheets are original educational analysis.
- EIA: electricity prices and factors affecting prices
Price components and variation; not an account-specific quote. - DOE FEMP: Utility measurement and rate considerations
Tariff measurement and demand context. - EIA: natural gas customer choice programs
Gas choice and utility delivery; local eligibility must be confirmed. - ENERGY STAR: Analyzing energy performance
Interpreting patterns with operating context; conversion example is original arithmetic.