These templates or load profiles are based on a statistical sample designed to represent our customer classes and rate schedules. Each rate schedule is assigned to a single template while some templates match several rate schedules. The numbers in the templates are hourly average demands measured in kW for a sample of customers. Looking at the numbers, you can see when an average customer on a rate schedule uses relatively more or less power. If you compare several templates to the system load (from the ISO web site), you can see which templates rise as the system load rises. This is important because energy near these peak times is usually more expensive than energy at other times. In part this reflects the cost of building and staffing a power plant which only operates part of the time.

You can also compare data from 2000 to this year's data. If you have a good source of historical weather data (we will start putting ours up in the next few weeks) you can see which schedules are temperature-sensitive and which are more stable. Remember if you compare 2000 to 2001 that January 1st, 2000 was a Saturday and January 1st, 2001 was a Monday so instead of comparing 2/10/2000 to 2/10/2001, compare 2/10/2000 to 2/8/2001.

Researchers often work with 15 minute data rather than these hourly averages. We chose to post hourly data because it keeps the files small and because it is easier to use. Posting hourly demands mean that the numbers in the templates are both kW and kWh. That is, the numbers represent both the rate of energy consumption and the amount of energy consumed. When you see 1.5732 on the E-1 template, you can think of 15.7 100 Watt bulbs burning for an hour. Since these are averages rather than specific customer numbers, and since real customers may turn lights on for less than an exact hour, the numbers do not come out round and we get 7/10's of a lightbulb.