Demand Management

Demand charges can be a large share of a commercial electric bill. Nectar analyzes interval data, where available, for peak periods, demand charges, and load patterns across every site, sends demand alerts, and models the cost impact of peak shaving, load shifting, and on-site battery storage.

Nectar demand management — automated utility data management screenshot

A demand charge is set by the highest short interval of power a site draws, not by the energy it uses over the month. On a commercial electric bill that peak is often a large share of the total, and it is usually set by a few hours: a Monday start-up, a shift change, or a hot afternoon when cooling and process load overlap. The bill that arrives later names the peak and the dollars. It does not say which hours or which equipment caused it.

Time-of-use windows and demand rules also differ by utility and by tariff. A portfolio that treats every site’s peak the same way will miss the accounts where the charge is actually set. Nectar keeps demand, on-peak usage, and load factor on each account against that account’s rate schedule, next to the interval data the utility provides.

Challenge

Peak demand is only visible a month later, on the bill.

Solution

Nectar reconciles 15-minute or hourly interval data, where the utility provides it, with billed demand, so energy managers can see when peaks occur and which equipment and operating hours drive them.

Challenge

Time-of-use periods and demand charges differ by site and tariff.

Solution

Demand, on-peak usage, and load factor are tracked for every account against its rate schedule, and demand alerts go out by email or webhook so teams can act before the next billing period.

Challenge

Battery and load-shifting proposals are hard to evaluate.

Solution

Nectar models peak shaving, load shifting, and on-site storage against each site’s actual interval and billing data, then measures results after installation against a weather-normalized baseline.

The hours that set the peak

Where the utility provides 15-minute or hourly interval data, Nectar reconciles it with the demand on the bill. Energy managers can see when the peak occurred and which operating hours drove it, instead of inferring the cause from a single billed kilowatt a month later.

Demand-charge alerts go out by email or webhook when a bill sets a higher peak. The alert is tied to that account and that billing period, so a facilities lead can check the schedule in the same month rather than waiting for a quarterly review of a spreadsheet.

Projects checked against the billed peak

Peak shaving, load shifting, and on-site storage are modeled on each site’s interval history and on the demand the utility actually billed. A battery sized for a typical afternoon is not proposed for a site whose peak is a single start-up. The model uses the rate schedule on the account, including the demand window that tariff uses.

After equipment is installed, results are measured against a weather-normalized baseline from the same bills. Demand savings sit in the same data set as the historical bill audit and the budget, so a reduction is not counted once as an audit finding and again as a project result.

One platform for every utility decision

Utility bill management, energy cost management and procurement, and sustainability reporting in one system, shared by energy, finance, operations, and sustainability teams.

Nectar utility bill management — utility data management feature

Utility bill management

Every bill for every utility, waste, and telecom account collected, parsed at the line-item level, and tracked against its expected date.

Automated bill collectionData completenessAudit trailAI agent and smart reports
Nectar sustainability reporting and benchmarks — utility data management feature

Sustainability reporting and benchmarks

Audit-ready data for ESG reporting, site benchmarks, ENERGY STAR sync, and exports to carbon accounting platforms.

BenchmarksENERGY STAR Portfolio ManagerESG and carbon integrationsWaste and recycling
Nectar bill audit, bill pay, and ap — utility data management feature

Bill audit, bill pay, and AP

Errors caught before payment, past overcharges recovered, and validated bills paid on time or delivered to your AP system.

Utility bill auditsHistorical bill auditUtility bill paymentsAP and ERP integration
Nectar energy cost management and procurement — utility data management feature

Energy cost management and procurement

Tariff and rate optimization, demand management, and procurement advisory. Customers typically save 3 to 5% of annual utility spend.

Tariff and rate optimizationDemand managementProcurement advisoryBudgeting and forecasts

Loved by customers in every industry

Customer Stories
Featured

How Thomas Foods automated more than 90% of its utility data collection

Thomas Foods International uses Nectar to collect and organize utility data across its US facilities, replacing manual bill downloads and spreadsheet entry.

“Using Nectar has significantly streamlined the process of gathering and analyzing our utility data. The platform just works!”
Jonathan R., Sustainability Director at Thomas Foods Int., USA — Nectar customer

Jonathan R.

Sustainability Director, Thomas Foods Int., USA

Read the case studyFeatured

Stanwich Energy Boosts Client Value with Nectar's Utility Data Solution

Stanwich Energy announces a new partnership with Nectar to enhance the customer experience through advanced, AI-powered utility data services.

“Partnering with Nectar's AI-driven platform has been groundbreaking, allowing us to tackle changes faster and skip the outdated, painful integration required by other solutions. Having the right information is the first step, and Nectar is exactly what we have been looking for to make that happen.”
Matt Shaw, Managing Director at Stanwich Energy — Nectar customer

Matt Shaw

Managing Director, Stanwich Energy

Read the case study
Jeremy Pike, Sustainability Leader at Idaho Milk Products — Nectar customer

Jeremy Pike

Sustainability Leader, Idaho Milk Products

“Thanks to Nectar's innovative solution, we can accurately assess our environmental impact, becoming a pioneer in sustainability among our peers.”

John O'Connell, CEO and Founder at Stanwich Energy — Nectar customer

John O'Connell

CEO and Founder, Stanwich Energy

“Nectar enables faster insights, smarter forecasting, and more accurate budget tracking. It also strengthens our ability to deliver on key sustainability goals by providing real-time visibility into usage and emissions.”

Matt Greening, Founder and Director at Nettzero — Nectar customer

Matt Greening

Founder and Director, Nettzero

“Nectar serves as a reliable and cost-effective technology solution to extract, store, and analyse sustainability data leading to enhanced reporting capabilities and streamlined workflows.”

Ready to get started with Nectar?

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Learn more about Nectar

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Nectar is an AI-native utility bill management platform for commercial and industrial organizations, with 99.2% line-item parsing accuracy, coverage of 7,000+ utility providers, and automated data collection.

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Data Completeness ViewAutomated Data CollectionCarbon Accounting IntegrationsAudit TrailTariff and Rate OptimizationsLate Penalties and Tax TrackingUtility Bill PaymentsUtility Bill AuditsBudgeting and ForecastsBenchmarks and AuditsEnergyStar IntegrationDemand ManagementHistorical Bill AuditProcurement AdvisoryProjects, Rebates, and Grid ProgramsWaste and RecyclingUtility Account Open and CloseAP and ERP IntegrationAI Agent and Smart Reports