What Does a Load Factor Tell Us About Energy Use?

[dahlungril]

I am just trying to get my head around what a load factor is an indication of.

It seems that a load factor of 35% or more shows more kwh for your dollar on the end user side of things. But can a more close examination be made in saying "The load factor was 35% in April, and 22% in June therefor the heating required in April affected the buildings load factor more than that required in June.

So my question which is open for discussion is, what does a load factor tell us about the energy use of a building?

Thanks, Dave

 

[dlgoff]

Load factor is the ratio of the average load to the peak load. "...what does a load factor tell us about the energy use of a building?" A lower value would tell us that there is a lot of energy being consumed during the utility's peak times. It cost power companys more to produce the next kw at high peak loads compared to off peak times.