Load Shifting

Key takeaways

• Load shifting means moving flexible energy use out of expensive peak hours and into cheaper off-peak periods.
• It cuts both the unit rate you pay (on time-of-use tariffs) and DUoS / TNUoS exposure.
• It’s a stepping stone toward formal Demand Side Response programmes.

What is load shifting?

Load shifting is the practice of rescheduling controllable electrical loads — battery charging, refrigeration cycles, heating set-points, pumping, EV charging, certain production runs — to hours when electricity is cheaper, lower-carbon, or both.

Done well, the energy you use is the same; only when you use it changes. The savings come from avoiding higher-priced peak hours and from avoiding network charges that are weighted to peak periods.

Where to start

1. Pull half-hourly consumption data and find your peak hours and peakload contribution.
2. Map flexible loads — what can move by 30 minutes, 2 hours, overnight?
3. Compare tariff structures (time-of-use vs flat) and DUoS/TNUoS exposure.
4. Quantify the savings; consider whether the same loads could earn revenue via Demand Side Response.

Sources

1. NESO — Demand Flexibility Service explained
2. Energy Systems Catapult — independent UK energy research
3. GOV.UK — Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)