Detailed data analysis allows businesses to save money on their energy bills.

National Grid has published the ‘Triad’ results for the 2017-18 winter period, and Utilitywise correctly predicted the three half-hourly periods between November and February when demand was at its highest.

The leading consultancy accurately identified the three specific half-hourly periods that occurred on 11th December 2017, 5th February 2018, and 26th February 2018. Thanks to Utilitywise’s ‘Triad Alert Service’ its customers were alerted ahead of time, thus reducing numerous electricity transmission charges for businesses across the UK.

Utilitywise provides a daily Triad Alert Service throughout the winter season, each year offering customers advice on whether or not to take action to avoid high Triad charges. When a ‘Red Alert’ is issued the advice is for customers to take action immediately to shift or reduce their energy usage.

For organisations with half-hourly metered sites, identifying the annual Triad periods is crucial, as their annual electricity transmission costs are directly linked to their scale of demand. As such, reducing energy usage following Utilitywise’s Triad alerts enables such businesses to significantly cut their Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) charges. Out of 5,760 half-hour periods, Utilitywise hit all three Triads, issuing only 9 Red Alerts.

Paul Anderson, Utilitywise Senior Market Intelligence Analyst, said: “We’re delighted to have correctly predicted all three Triads with only 16 alerts sent in total, just 9 of which were Red Alerts. It’s a testament to our in-house technology, analytics and expertise.”

“Whilst this is a proud moment for Utilitywise, what gives us most pleasure is the fact that we’ve been able to save our customers tens of thousands of pounds.”

For those unfamiliar with Triads, they refer to the three highest peaks of electricity demand between November and February, with these half-hourly periods generally occurring between 4pm and 6pm on weekdays. Specific factors influence Triad periods’ occurrence, including air temperature, wind speed, and overlap of business and domestic demand.