Allams of Epsom’s are an authorised ŠKODA dealership and amongst the leading names in Surrey and always one of the first to receive the latest models from the manufacturer. As ŠKODA is preparing for the emerging eMobility era with its first electric vehicle and first plug-in hybrid now available, the challenge of EV Enablement and sustainable transport has become a reality.
With the introduction of Business and public sector organisations focused on the benefits of electric vehicles (EV), there are many complex problems to overcome; from increased on-site power requirements to 'at work' work charging and services at public sites. All this helping make a practical contribution to reducing carbon emissions. Energy integration, optimised grid supply, renewable on-site generation and battery storage are all now being considered to enhance sustainability and unlocking flexible energy value with Demand Side Response.
From April 2018, sites that exceed their allocated electrical capacity could be facing significant increases on their electricity bill. Approved by Ofgem in October 2014, Distribution Change Proposal (DCP) 161 introduces new charges for half-hourly metered sites that use more capacity than they have been allocated under their connection agreement.
These sites are allocated a maximum import capacity (MIC). This is the level which that site can pull from the grid at any given time. This is usually listed on the electricity invoice as ‘Capacity Charge’ and is charged in pence per kVA, per day. As there is no incentive to stay below the threshold, ‘DCP 161 will introduce exceedance charges so those that go over their agreed capacity will be charged at a higher rate’
The PSW energy team managed the project with no downtime or disruption to dealership business activities. Our engineers installed power monitoring to the main electrical supplies to obtain accurate energy consumption data. This data was transferred to our bespoke energy portal for analysis. The information provided details on existing and unused KVA capacity to help avoid excess capacity charges.
Energy consumption in commercial buildings can vary depending on the age of the buildings, their state of repair, occupancy hours and the amount and type of electrical equipment installed. Allams Skoda benefited from understanding how energy was consumed across the site and how they could manage energy better to avoid the cost of upgrading the supplies to accommodate new EV charging points. Other benefits from the energy monitoring were: