EXPLAINING YOUR COMMERCIAL ELECTRICITY BILL LVMD
UNDERSTANDING YOUR BILL www.flogas.ie/business Contact: 041 214 9500 April 2022
UNDERSTANDING YOUR
ELECTRICITY BILL FRONT OF BILL
DG
MPRN
PROFILE
DG stands for DUoS Group. DUoS in turn stands for Distribution Use of System.
Stands for Meter Point Reference Number, this is a unique identifier for all supplier and ESBN
5 - this is the profile used by networks to determine the wholesale cost to the supplier
MCC CODE Meter Configuration Code - this is a code used to describe the type of meter you have eg. MCC1 - 24hr, MCC2 Day/Night, MCC3 Day & Night Storage
ACCOUNT NUMBER Unique Flogas reference
MIC Max import capacity 15 kVA in this case
UNDERSTANDING YOUR
ELECTRICITY BILL REAR OF BILL MAX DEMAND
MULTIPLIER
As well as Day and Night readings, we are given Max Demand data by the network, and it is read by the meter. (MD Normal and MD Peak)
In the case of this meter the multiplier is 50 it may differ for yours.
WATTLESS Wattless energy is measured separately from your general units, and if you exceed a certain limit, there will be a separate charge
UNIT RATES Summer (March –October) Day, Winter ( November – February) Day, Night
LOWER POWER FACTOR SURCHARGE This is the rate the wattless energy is billed at and it is a regulated charge
CHARGEABLE MAX DEMAND This is set out in contract and doesn’t change
CAPACITY CHARGES This is set out in contract and doesn’t change. This is a regulated charge.
STANDING CHARGE Are agreed at sign-up/renewal, however they also include an element of pass through charges and may change each October depending on pass through charges decided by the CRU
PSO LEVY Regulated. This is announced once a year in September, and doesn’t change otherwise
ISEM TRADING CHARGE Not Regulated. This is a variable charge applied by Flogas and is reviewed monthly.
ELECTRICITY TAX Regulated. This tends to be reviewed once a year at budget time but can change due to government regulation
GLOSSARY OF TERMS ISEM Trading Charge •
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Flogas introduced an ISEM charge for all commercial (including Domestic Commercial) customers in 2018 when the Integrated Single Electricity Market was introduced. Some other energy suppliers also introduced separate ISEM charges at the time, whereas some suppliers included it in the calculation of their unit rate or standing charges. The Flogas ISEM charge is not a regulated or “pass-through” charge, it was introduced to cover anticipated additional costs associated with the process of purchasing electricity under the new market rules. The charge has been detailed on our commercial rate-cards and commercial bills since 2018. Flogas reviews this charge monthly. Since the summer of 2021 there have been some significant disruptions to the cost of electricity on the Irish wholesale market, and cost increases that are not fully explained by the wholesale cost of gas on global energy markets. Flogas believes this has been in part due to the functioning of the Integrated Single Electricity Market, and also the impact of Brexit which has removed some of the ability to trade with Britain in the day ahead electricity market. The uncertainty and risk associated with supplying commercial electricity has increased significantly and in response Flogas has increased the ISEM charge effectively introducing a variable element to pricing to offset the additional cost. Therefore the total price of commercial electricity from Flogas is the unit rate plus the ISEM charge. This is comparable and competitive with the total energy rates of other suppliers. Flogas remains hopeful that a level of certainty returns to the ISEM and as this happens they will review the ISEM charge for all customers accordingly.
Wattless Energy Cost
If you work from a large commercial or industrial premises, you are likely to have items of electrical equipment that require wattless energy to operate. Wattless energy is measured separately from your general units, and if you exceed a certain limit, there will be a separate charge.
Chargeable Maximum Demand
This charge applies to large organizations with a Low Voltage Maximum Demand (LVMD) pricing plan. During the winter months, the price is based on each unit of power used between the hours of 17:00 & 19:00 Monday through Friday: (1st Nov. to the end of Feb.) It represents the high cost of producing electricity during these hours, when there is the greatest demand on the electricity network. The meter read provides the maximum demand (MD) kW consumption. This is multiplied by the number of days in the billing period multiplied by the rate. If there is no ‘Demand Charge’ outside of specified hours this item will display on your account as €0.00
Capacity Charge/ Excess Capacity Charge
The minimum charge that appears on LVMD bills is 30kw. For additional kW used above 30kW, during these times will incur a capacity charge. You may be able to reduce the electricity demand on your premises during these hours by: • • • • •
using equipment at alternate hours rescheduling tasks outside maximum demand periods avoid large loads operating at the same time using backup generators if possible or re-visiting your opening hours
PSO Levy
The Public Service Obligation (PSO) levy is imposed by the Government on all final electricity customers, and it is designed to recover the additional costs associated with electricity from specified sources of generation, including sustainable, renewable and indigenous sources.
April 2022