How do you keep energy consumption under control when charging an electric car?

More and more pressure on your electricity connection?

To charge an electric car, you need electricity. This is often more than your electricity connection at home or on your company premises can handle. If you use more electricity than the connection can deliver, your fuses may trip. This means that the whole building is suddenly left without power, or, in the worst case scenario, it can even cause fires.

So you need to look for a solution. Does this just mean upgrading your electricity connection?

That will be expensive, and may require extensive demolition and excavation work. After all, there is a lot involved:

• Your electrical panel needs to be modified or replaced by a qualified electrician.
• You must have your electricity retested.
• The grid operator carries out the upgrade. Depending on the size and complexity of your upgrade, it can cost up to 1,200 euros.
• And afterwards, your electricity bill will be higher as a result of the higher consumption.

Already breaking out in a cold sweat? Fortunately, there is also a smarter solution that avoids those extra costs.

Smart charging with dynamic power management

A smart energy management system adjusts the charging capacity of your charge point(s) to the available energy in your building. In this way, you keep your costs under control, do not overload the electricity grid and avoid an expensive upgrade of your electricity infrastructure.

Thanks to energy management, you can charge up to 2.5 times more with the same installation. Here's an example of an average day in the office with a connection capacity of 100 kW and 50 kWP solar panels on the roof:

Charging without an energy controller

The charging capacity remains constant and is limited to 200 kWh in 10 hours. If the energy use in the building is lower, for example around lunchtime, then the energy surplus does not go to the charge points. In addition, green electricity is not used optimally.

Charging with an energy controller

The charging curve for electric cars changes according to the consumption in the building. If there is an energy surplus, the energy controller will send this additional energy to the charge points. The green electricity generated by the solar panels between 9 am and 4 pm is added to the charging capacity. So in 10 hours you can charge up to 550 kWh.

How does energy management work?

The Charge Point Operator, i.e. the manager of your charge point(s), connects your charge point at home or the charge points on your company premises to an energy controller with smart software. This continuously monitors the electricity consumption in your building and sends electricity to the charge points as soon as it is available.

If your building is using only a small amount of energy, the charge points will charge at full capacity. Conversely, if several other appliances are consuming power, the energy controller will send less power to the charge points and the cars will charge more slowly. This system is called 'load balancing'. It distributes the electricity smoothly between your building and charge point(s). This way, you avoid high peak consumption, which saves you money.

Capacity tariff from 2022

From 2022, the energy regulator VREG will introduce the capacity tariff for families and small businesses in Flanders. The majority of your electricity bill remains dependent on your consumption, but the network charges rise if you cause high peaks. To push down these costs and make more efficient use of the current electricity grid, you need to spread your consumption and avoid peaks.

Energy management is the ideal solution for this. With your energy controller, you can set a maximum energy capacity for your charge points. The 'peak shaving' functionality then ensures that you do not exceed that capacity, even if, for example, twenty cars are plugged into your charging infrastructure at the same time. Smart and affordable!