Are you overpaying for electricity? Check the distribution tariff in your company
Many companies successfully negotiate electricity purchase prices, and yet still overpay for its delivery. If your plant recently changed production hours, invested in photovoltaics, or reduced weekend work, the current distribution tariff may be irretrievably burning the company budget. Analyzing the company's power consumption profile allows you to check whether the same amount of energy can be billed cheaper, and this without introducing a revolution in the plant's schedule.
What matters is not only the annual volume of energy consumed, but also the specific hours it is drawn. The consumption profile precisely shows how much electricity the infrastructure draws in consecutive hours, which allows determining the proportions between cheaper and more expensive billing zones. For the management board, such an analysis provides the hard data necessary to make decisions: how much the company can save, what the implementation cost will be, and from when the new rates will apply.
Both the amount of energy used and the hours it is drawn matter. The consumption profile shows how much electricity the company draws in consecutive hours, so we can determine what part falls into the more expensive, and what part into the cheaper billing zones. For the board, such an analysis is supposed to answer three questions: how much can be saved, at what cost, and from when.
In the variable network fee, the cost of electricity distribution depends directly on the amount of energy drawn and the rates assigned to specific hours. The Distribution System Operator (DSO) offers billing based on the time of draw:
Two plants with identical energy consumption can pay drastically different invoices at the end of the month. Example Plant A, drawing 4 MWh mostly during the cheaper time (using two zones), pays 300 PLN instead of 400 PLN. In turn, Plant B, whose equipment operates during peak hours, will pay as much as 500 PLN for the same 4 MWh in the two-zone tariff. In a single-zone tariff, both companies would pay 400 PLN each, regardless of the work schedule during the day (the rates given are contractual values).
*The given rates are contractual and do not come from a specific operator's tariff.
What matters is not only the annual volume of energy consumed, but also the specific hours it is drawn. The consumption profile precisely shows how much electricity the infrastructure draws in consecutive hours, which allows determining the proportions between cheaper and more expensive billing zones. For the management board, such an analysis provides the hard data necessary to make decisions: how much the company can save, what the implementation cost will be, and from when the new rates will apply.
The same MWh can have a different cost...
In the variable network fee, the cost of electricity distribution depends directly on the amount of energy drawn and the rates assigned to specific hours. The Distribution System Operator (DSO) offers billing based on the time of draw:
Two plants with identical energy consumption can pay drastically different invoices at the end of the month. Example Plant A, drawing 4 MWh mostly during the cheaper time (using two zones), pays 300 PLN instead of 400 PLN. In turn, Plant B, whose equipment operates during peak hours, will pay as much as 500 PLN for the same 4 MWh in the two-zone tariff. In a single-zone tariff, both companies would pay 400 PLN each, regardless of the work schedule during the day (the rates given are contractual values).
It is a mistake to confuse contracted capacity (a parameter expressed in kW or MW) with the capacity fee, which is a separate item on the invoice. With K groups, the proportion of draw between 7:00 and 22:00 in relation to the draw in the rest of the working day decides - the greater the advantage of the first, the higher the effective fee rate may be. Important from a strategy point of view: changing the B21 tariff to B22 or B23 alone with an identical consumption profile does not automatically change the K group. This means that the financial gain from changing the tariff can be significant, even if a large part of the bill remains untouched.
During a recent analysis for one of the production plants (with a total consumption of around 19 GWh annually in six points), we proved that reducing distribution costs is realistic without forcing the production director to change schedules.
Under current contracts, the analyzed distribution fees would cost the client about 6.30 million PLN net annually. Calculations based on historical readings showed that just changing the tariff groups would lower this cost by over 110 thousand PLN (that is, about 1.8%). Even after taking into account the operational costs of changing the tariff, the comparison proves that the company paid too much for exactly the same energy. This is a budget that is easy to overlook when the entire organization's attention is focused solely on wholesale price fluctuations.
We discovered the greatest potential in one of the six draw points: switching from the single-zone B21 tariff to the three-zone B23 would cut the variable network fee by 121.5 thousand PLN annually. And although the fixed fee would increase in this scenario by 42.3 thousand PLN, an additional 80 thousand PLN annually (which accounted for 4.3% of the analyzed costs for this specific point) would remain net in the client's budget. In another location of the same enterprise, a move in the opposite direction proved to be the most profitable: a return from B23 to B22. Conclusions? A tariff tailored to one hall does not have to fit another - the math of both billing components determines profitability.
Is 1.6% a little? Let's relate this to the company's result: if the enterprise generates an EBITDA of 5 million PLN, savings of around 80 thousand PLN (already after deducting current costs) directly raises this indicator precisely by 1.6%. Before making a final decision, the implementation date and the cost of adapting the meter must be confirmed with the operator to precisely determine what part of the calculated amount will actually supply the company's account. (The analysis concerned net distribution fees with unchanged draw; it did not include energy purchase, reactive energy, or penalties for capacity overruns).
The availability of tariff groups depends on the network operator, the voltage level, and the assigned contracted capacity of a given draw point.
For example, in the ENERGA-OPERATOR tariff for 2026, recipients supplied at medium voltage (above 40 kW of contracted capacity) can flexibly choose between single, double, or three-zone billing (B21, B22, B23 respectively). Customers on low voltage, in turn, have at their disposal groups C11, C12a, and C12b (up to 40 kW) and C21, C22a, and C22b (above 40 kW). It is also worth monitoring the offer of your DSO in terms of alternative solutions, such as active groups, in which the timeframes of zones rotate in individual months.
A distribution tariff perfectly matched a few years ago may not keep up with the pace of your business today. Verification is necessary if changes have occurred in your plant such as:
A change is a signal to recalculate costs. Not every one means a necessity to change the tariff. A change in organization is a warning signal to recalculate costs. Importantly, in extensive companies, each draw point should be weighed separately - the total amount on a collective invoice will not indicate in which plant the dormant savings lie. Also remember that the new tariff must take into account the future work system of the plant, and not just be based on historical readings.
The board needs specifics: where it pays to change the tariff, how much the company will gain, how much implementing the changes costs, and when we will notice the effects on the invoices. To start the analysis, gather the following data:
After finishing the process, we always verify the effectiveness of the implementation: we check how much the new fee was in comparison with how much exactly the same energy volume would cost in the old group (according to current rates).
Over 110 thousand PLN of potential in six draw points
During a recent analysis for one of the production plants (with a total consumption of around 19 GWh annually in six points), we proved that reducing distribution costs is realistic without forcing the production director to change schedules.
Under current contracts, the analyzed distribution fees would cost the client about 6.30 million PLN net annually. Calculations based on historical readings showed that just changing the tariff groups would lower this cost by over 110 thousand PLN (that is, about 1.8%). Even after taking into account the operational costs of changing the tariff, the comparison proves that the company paid too much for exactly the same energy. This is a budget that is easy to overlook when the entire organization's attention is focused solely on wholesale price fluctuations.
Where does the benefit come from and why is the percentage itself not enough?
We discovered the greatest potential in one of the six draw points: switching from the single-zone B21 tariff to the three-zone B23 would cut the variable network fee by 121.5 thousand PLN annually. And although the fixed fee would increase in this scenario by 42.3 thousand PLN, an additional 80 thousand PLN annually (which accounted for 4.3% of the analyzed costs for this specific point) would remain net in the client's budget. In another location of the same enterprise, a move in the opposite direction proved to be the most profitable: a return from B23 to B22. Conclusions? A tariff tailored to one hall does not have to fit another - the math of both billing components determines profitability.
Is 1.6% a little? Let's relate this to the company's result: if the enterprise generates an EBITDA of 5 million PLN, savings of around 80 thousand PLN (already after deducting current costs) directly raises this indicator precisely by 1.6%. Before making a final decision, the implementation date and the cost of adapting the meter must be confirmed with the operator to precisely determine what part of the calculated amount will actually supply the company's account. (The analysis concerned net distribution fees with unchanged draw; it did not include energy purchase, reactive energy, or penalties for capacity overruns).
Which distribution tariffs are worth comparing?
The availability of tariff groups depends on the network operator, the voltage level, and the assigned contracted capacity of a given draw point.
For example, in the ENERGA-OPERATOR tariff for 2026, recipients supplied at medium voltage (above 40 kW of contracted capacity) can flexibly choose between single, double, or three-zone billing (B21, B22, B23 respectively). Customers on low voltage, in turn, have at their disposal groups C11, C12a, and C12b (up to 40 kW) and C21, C22a, and C22b (above 40 kW). It is also worth monitoring the offer of your DSO in terms of alternative solutions, such as active groups, in which the timeframes of zones rotate in individual months.
When to commission a distribution tariff review?
A distribution tariff perfectly matched a few years ago may not keep up with the pace of your business today. Verification is necessary if changes have occurred in your plant such as:
What to prepare this week?
The board needs specifics: where it pays to change the tariff, how much the company will gain, how much implementing the changes costs, and when we will notice the effects on the invoices. To start the analysis, gather the following data:
After finishing the process, we always verify the effectiveness of the implementation: we check how much the new fee was in comparison with how much exactly the same energy volume would cost in the old group (according to current rates).
1. Do you need to change the production schedule?
2. Are 15-minute data necessary for the analysis?
3. How often can you change the group and how long does implementation take?
4. Will a new meter be needed?
5. Does a lower K group always mean a better result?
