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Reduce lines charges
Cut Peak Demand Costs With Battery Storage
Lines charges are often the largest and least understood part of an energy bill. They're calculated on peak demand — a short window that can define your annual cost. Most sites are paying a premium for a spike they could flatten.
/ The Hidden Cost
For many businesses, the biggest line item on your power bill is not the energy you use.
Your electricity bill has two parts that are often overlooked. One is what you pay for the energy you consume. The other covers the line charges to have the energy delivered to your site. For many commercial and industrial sites, lines charges can represent 30 - 50% of the total power bill. Your line charges are generally driven by your highest moments of demand. A cold start on a Monday morning, an oven pre-heating before a shift starts, a compressor turning on at the wrong moment - these moments can set your lines rate for the entire month. Most businesses have never separated this line item and many don’t realise it can be reduced. This is the opportunity battery storage was made for.
Most lines companies raised their lines charges on 1 April 2026 - some by as much as 24%. This comes on top of gradual increases over the last 10 years, with further increases projected through to 2030.
/ Is this right for you?
Not every site benefits equally. Here’s what determines the return.
While the economics are real, not every project is the same. The difference between a great investment and a mediocre one comes down to a few specific considerations. Before we make any recommendations about your situation, we’d need to know the following:
Are short sharp peaks driving up your power bill?
If your site has sharp, short bursts of demand, a battery could make all the difference. Peaky demand profiles are where batteries generate the most value - and a smaller battery can have a big impact. Flatter demand profiles typically require a much more expensive battery. How the battery is operated matters just as much as its size.We start by reviewing your half-hourly interval data to understand your demand profile. In some cases, we undertake more detailed monitoring to confirm the required capacity.
What are the tariffs at your site?
Not all lines companies charge the same way. Some base their charges on your highest demand at any time. Others base it on network peak periods or on contracted capacity, while some small sites have fixed charges. The charging structure determines whether reducing your peak demand will translate to real savings. The good news is the same battery can create value in others ways, through energy arbitrage and grid services.
Can you flex your loads?
In some cases simply managing loads can achieve the same benefits of a battery, at a lower cost. By moving when key equipment operates away from peak periods, maximum demand can be reduced.
/ How We Help
How we’ll work together.
Every site has unique characteristics. We’ll work with you to understand your demand profile and requirements, and develop a solution tailored to your situation. We can help at any stage - from feasibility through to managing an established battery and optimising its dispatch to maximise savings.
We analyse your demand profile
A Revolve engineer reviews your half-hourly interval data, tariff structure, and demand patterns. You’ll get a clear picture of what your lines charges actually cost - and where there’s an opportunity to reduce your bills. Most clients see this analysis and immediately understand why they've been overpaying for power.
We model the business case
We model the battery control approach, capital and operating costs, factoring in your specific lines company tariff methodology and demand profile. If the numbers don't work for your site, we'll say so. We don't sell batteries, so there's no incentive to recommend one that won't deliver.
Vendor-neutral procurement and installation
Revolve specifies the battery system design and manages the procurement process. We have no ties with manufacturers and don’t receive equipment commissions. We ensure you receive a competitive price, the right chemistry, size, and dispatch software for your specific application - not the one that offers the best margin for someone else.
Ongoing optimisation and monitoring
We don’t take a set and forget approach to battery dispatch strategy. Revolve monitors performance and adjusts the strategy as your operations evolve, tariffs change, and new revenue opportunities emerge. We report back so you can see exactly what the system is returning.
/ FAQ
/ FAQ
What are lines charges and how are they calculated?
Lines charges are the network distribution fees on your electricity bill, and are separate from the energy you consume. Lines charges are charged by the lines company to your retailer, who passes these on to you. You are paying the lines company for a connection of a certain capacity, not for the energy itself. For many commercial and industrial customers, lines charges are calculated using a combination of the capacity of the connection and your peak 30-minute demand during the billing period. The average of your highest demand spikes can set the rate for the entire month. NZ lines charges have been rising steadily and are projected to increase through to 2030.
# Do I need solar to install a battery for lines charge reduction?
No. Battery storage for demand management works as a standalone system. Solar and battery pair well together, but the value of peak shaving exists independently of solar generation. We model both scenarios and show you which option delivers the better return for your specific tariff and demand profile. Solar by itself will rarely reduce lines charges, as it does not always generate, and peaks don’t always coincide with solar generation times.
What's the difference between peak shaving and energy arbitrage?
Peak shaving uses the battery to reduce your measured demand peak, cutting lines charges. Energy arbitrage uses the battery to buy electricity when it's cheap and discharge when it's expensive, reducing energy costs. The same physical battery can do both. Revolve designs dispatch strategies that enable the battery to capture value from both peak shaving and energy arbitrage.
What other values streams can a battery access?
Accessing multiple value streams from a battery improves the return on investment. Outside of peak shaving and energy arbitrage, other common value streams include backup, increasing self-use from solar, and grid services.
How long do commercial battery systems last?
Commercial lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery systems are typically warranted for 5-10 years, with usable life often extending beyond that period. LFP chemistry has better longevity and a better safety profile than earlier lithium technologies. We model returns conservatively against warranted performance, not optimistic projections.
