Peak demand

Peak demand is the highest electricity demand reached during a defined period. For a home, it may describe the largest combined load shown by a meter, monitoring system, inverter app or energy-management platform; for the wider electricity system, it describes the busy periods when many loads are using power at the same time. GOV.UK says system electricity demand on a typical business weekday is higher between about 8am and 10pm, with the largest demand usually between 4pm and 10pm on winter evenings, and that smart charging can delay EV power demand to off-peak periods or times of abundant renewable power. Peak demand is not the same as annual kWh use, a formal maximum-demand calculation, import capacity, export capacity, battery capacity or a tariff price.