Energy flexibility is a concrete opportunity for owners and managers of commercial buildings: by shifting certain controllable electrical loads, a building can generate additional revenue while contributing to the balance of the power grid.

But before this flexibility can be monetised, it's essential to know precisely what can actually be controlled. An overall load curve gives a first estimate of the potential, but it says nothing about the equipment behind it: how much actually comes from electric heating, rooftop units, air handling units, or other uses? Without this breakdown, the risk is overestimating a theoretical capacity that, in practice, cannot be activated.

This is exactly where the complementarity between Tilt Energy and Smart Impulse comes into play.

Thanks to Smart Impulse's detailed breakdown of electricity consumption by use, Tilt Energy can precisely isolate the share linked to heating, ventilation, and controllable HVAC equipment, then assess a building's flexibility potential with far greater precision: which equipment can be activated, how much capacity can be mobilised, at what times, and with what level of reliability.

This approach concretely changes how a flexibility contract is built. Rather than starting from an overall load curve and a theoretical estimate, we build our forecasts on solid, use-by-use foundations. For the owner, this means realistic revenue expectations. For Tilt, it reduces the risk at the moment of activation, when the capacity actually available must match what was committed.

As Guillaume Louat, co-founder of Tilt Energy, puts it: "An overall load curve doesn't tell you precisely which equipment is consuming, or which of it is controllable. Smart Impulse's usage-level data makes this diagnosis far more reliable, by distinguishing the major categories - heating, ventilation, lighting - to verify what is actually controllable."

Together, Tilt Energy and Smart Impulse help commercial real estate players move from an overall load curve to an operational view of their energy flexibility: a shared approach to better secure flexibility commitments and contribute to a more resilient, more decarbonised power system.

Thanks to the Smart Impulse team for this discussion on the practical challenges of energy flexibility in the commercial sector. 

Find their full article here: https://www.smart-impulse.com/flexibilite-energetique-tilt/