Load profile

Load profile is a way to measure how much electricity a home or business uses over time. It shows a graph of when electricity is used throughout the day. The graph has a “y” axis (vertical) labeled “kW” which stands for kilowatt and a “x” axis (horizontal) labeled “time.” The graph has different shapes, depending on when electricity is used most during the day. For example, if a family mostly uses electricity in the mornings and evenings they will have a “peak” in the graph at those times. The size of the peak depends on how much electricity is used. Load profiles are important because they help us understand and manage how much energy we use. Energy companies can use the load profile of customers to predict how much electricity they need to produce, and how much money they should charge for electricity.