Power Hub and demand charges: helping households understand peak electricity use

Demand charges are easy to explain in theory: they are about how much electricity is being used at the same time. Everyday life is less tidy. The car is charging, the oven is on, and the heat pump is doing its job. When those things happen together, one peak can matter more than expected.

That is the kind of situation Power Hub is designed to make visible. Power Hub is Bitvis’s real-time meter for the home’s HAN port. It sends consumption data to the customer app, so customers can see what is happening while it happens—not weeks later on a bill.

It does not change the utility’s tariff, and it does not promise a specific saving. It gives the customer better information about household electricity use and a basis for deciding what to do when it matters.

What is a power peak?

A power peak occurs when several electricity-intensive activities run at the same time. An EV charging while the heat pump, cooking and laundry are running may be enough. Utilities calculate and price peaks differently, so customers should always check their own utility agreement.

The Swedish Energy Markets Inspectorate has also made clear that responding to electricity prices is not the same as responding to a demand charge. That is a good reason not to sell a product as a shortcut to lower grid costs. Start with the facts. The offer becomes stronger when the limits are clear.

Making electricity use easier to understand

With a compatible meter, Power Hub can show real-time consumption in the connected app. Customers can follow power use and history, and receive push notifications when a selected level is exceeded.

That leads to better questions: Why did power use rise then? What happened when the car started charging? Should a habit change, or is it enough to let a supported feature manage the priority?

For many customers, that is where the value lies. Not in becoming an expert in kilowatts, but in seeing a pattern and understanding what it means at home.

Load balancing for EV charging

In a solution with smart charging and a supported charger, Power Hub can be used for load balancing. The system follows the home’s load and can temporarily adjust EV charging when other household use needs more capacity.

That does not mean Power Hub controls every appliance in the home, or that a breaker can never trip. Load balancing manages the charging and settings in the specific configuration. It helps reduce the risk of overload by prioritizing the home over the car when load is high.

When the load falls, charging can continue. The customer does not have to stand beside the charger wondering whether something should be turned down.

What does the customer need?

Power Hub requires a compatible meter with a HAN port and Wi-Fi coverage at the meter. Load balancing also requires a compatible charging solution and the correct app settings. The conditions around the meter vary, so that should be clear before an order is placed.

For electricity retailers: talk about control, not miracles

Demand charges can frustrate customers. A graph in an app is not enough if nobody explains what it means. A useful offer shows what happened, explains the customer’s actual terms, and provides a practical way forward.

Power Hub can support that conversation. The customer gets a clearer view of consumption. The retailer gets a function that can be explained without promising an outcome controlled by the utility tariff, customer behavior, or an installation that has not been verified.