The capacity tariff: why your peak matters

The capacity tariff is a part of the grid tariff that is linked to your measured monthly peak instead of only to your total consumption. In concrete terms, the digital meter looks at the quarter of an hour in which you drew the most power, and that peak moment counts towards what you pay for using the grid.

The underlying idea is that a more even load puts less strain on the grid than short, high peaks. The tariff therefore rewards those who spread their consumption. We deliberately do not mention any amounts here, because they depend on your grid operator and your situation, but the principle applies generally: your peak counts.

A high peak often arises because several heavy consumers coincide: an electric car charging while the oven, the heat pump and the hob are on. By not running all those appliances at the same time, you keep your consumption more even and draw a lower peak.

Some consumers are easy to shift, such as charging at night or a boiler that heats up outside peak hours. Others require a bit more coordination, and that is exactly where an energy management system comes in.

An energy management system monitors your instantaneous consumption and controls appliances so that they do not stack on top of each other. If, for example, you want to charge your car while a lot of power is already being drawn, dynamic charging can temporarily reduce the charging power so that your peak does not overshoot.

A home battery adds buffer to this: at a moment of high demand, the battery supplies part of the power, so you have to draw less from the grid all at once. This keeps your peak lower without you having to sacrifice comfort. How much this matters for you depends on your consumption pattern and your installation, and we will look at that during a site visit.