Working on a large manufacturing client here in Atlanta and their kWh/sq ft numbers are making no sense against industry benchmarks. They're showing 18 kWh/sq ft annually but similar facilities in the same SIC code typically run 12-14 kWh/sq ft. Georgia Power has them on Schedule PL-1 which should be appropriate for their load profile. Anyone else seeing inflated usage patterns in the Southeast? Starting to wonder if there's something systemic going on with their metering or if we're missing something in the benchmarking data.
Georgia Power industrial benchmarks way off - need advice
Rachel, I've seen this before with Georgia Power industrial accounts. Check if they're including process loads that aren't captured in typical benchmark studies. A lot of the CBECS data excludes heavy industrial processes. Also verify their square footage calculation - some facilities count warehouse space differently. What's their actual monthly demand running? If it's spiking above 500 kW regularly, that could explain the usage anomaly.
Derek makes a good point about process loads. Up here in Ohio with FirstEnergy, I had a similar case where the client was running older equipment that wasn't factored into modern benchmarks. Also check for power quality issues - if they're dealing with harmonics or voltage fluctuations, motors can draw significantly more current. Have you done any sub-metering to isolate HVAC from process loads?
Good suggestions both. Jim, we haven't done sub-metering yet but that's definitely next step. Derek, their demand is actually pretty stable around 450-480 kW, so not seeing the spikes you mentioned. But you're right about the process loads - they have some older induction furnaces that might not be typical for the benchmark data we're using. Going to request 15-minute interval data from Georgia Power to see if we can isolate the anomalies.
Rachel, check their power factor too. If they're getting hit with reactive power charges on Schedule PL-1, that could be inflating your kWh calculations if you're including kVAR in your analysis. Georgia Power's industrial tariffs can be tricky that way. Also verify they don't have any bypass meters or co-generation that might be skewing the usage data.
Phil, excellent point about power factor! Just checked and they're running at about 0.82 which explains some of the excess charges. The kVAR penalties are definitely inflating our cost analysis. Thanks for that catch - sometimes the obvious things are right in front of you.
This thread is gold. Had the exact same issue with a TVA industrial client last month. Power factor was 0.78 and they were getting hammered on reactive power charges. Once we installed capacitors to bring them up to 0.95, their effective rate dropped by almost $0.02/kWh. Sometimes benchmarking reveals more than just usage inefficiencies!