Working with an assisted living facility in North Carolina (Duke Energy) that's getting killed on demand charges. Their peak always hits between 6-7 PM when residents are having dinner and all the kitchen equipment is running. Demand charges are running $4,200/month. Any strategies for managing this without disrupting meal service?
Assisted Living Facility Peak Demand Issues
Marcus, this is classic institutional demand management. Look into demand response programs first - Duke has programs for healthcare facilities. Also consider load shifting - maybe pre-cook some items earlier in the day or stagger meal prep across multiple kitchens if they have them. Even a 30-minute shift could drop their peak significantly.
Stuart's on the right track. Also check if they have electric water heating that could be shifted to off-peak hours, and look at their HVAC scheduling. Many facilities overcool during the day and then the AC kicks in right during dinner prep. A smart thermostat schedule could help flatten that peak without affecting resident comfort.
Don't forget about power factor correction if they have a lot of motor loads in the kitchen. Old commercial dishwashers and mixers can have terrible power factor, which makes demand charges even worse. We installed capacitor banks at a similar facility and dropped their demand by 12% for a $3,800 investment.
Great suggestions all around. Found out they also have electric laundry equipment that runs during dinner prep - that's an easy load shift. Between that and some kitchen equipment scheduling changes, we should be able to cut their peak by at least 20%. That's $800+/month in savings.