Overview: Peak Search Analysis

A peak search analysis finds the energy maximum data values, and the date and time of their occurrences, during a specified period of time.

You can further specify either:

the number of total peaks to see, or
the number of peaks to see per time period group (Day of the Week, Day of the Month, etc.)

Why run a peak search analysis?

A peak search analysis will identify the highest values. Some questions that can be answered by this analysis include:

On which days and at what times does heavy usage occur?
Is the usage specific to a single day (e.g., do all peaks for a particular day of the week occur on the same day), thus signifying a potential opportunity for operational modifications in order to limit peak values and reduce operating costs?
Are the peaks higher or lower than I anticipated or budgeted?

Some conclusions that may be drawn from this analysis include:

Multiple peaks occurring on the same day but at different times may signal unusual operating conditions that can be rectified.
Peaks occurring about the same time each day may be normal - you may expect a piece of production machinery to be run at the same time each day, 5 days a week. However, if a peak that you are accustomed to seeing Monday through Friday occurs on Saturday as well, you may want to investigate it. Also, if the Saturday workday was expected for a special project, the energy usage may need to be factored into the budget for that project.
When a meter's peak search analysis is compared to its summary analysis, you may discover spikes in energy usage that may account for out of the ordinary rates or fees, especially if high-use spikes occur during what should have been low-use periods that are billed at a higher rate.