Albuquerque Public Schools
Lowering peak demand charges
Controlling peak demand use is critical.
One of the top priorities for M&O going forward is to lower electric peak demand use and charges. The District has made progress but due to the new electric utility rate hike agreement between PNM and the Public Regulation Commission, controlling Peak Demand Charges is going to be more critical than ever as the new charge structure is, implausibly, even more cost punitive. This is a continuing challenge as the District’s need and consumption intersect with the public utility’s exorbitantly expensive peak hours. Staggering the start-up of HVAC equipment and utilizing improved scheduling programming in decreasing the surge of electric use has been successful in reducing demand changes, but as demand charges become more astronomically costly to M&O’s diminishing budget, these strategies are not enough.