>Load factor is a ratio or percentage of the consistency of your electricity consumption – in other words, load factor is a way to answer the “how ‘spikey’ is your load?” question. The easiest way to understand your own load factor is by looking at your real-time energy data. Not only will your energy data indicate your load factor, but it will also highlight other important aspects of your electricity use over time that will enable you to make smarter energy management decisions.

While looking at your real-time energy data is the best way to accurately get your load factor, you can approximate it from your utility bill information. To manually find out your load factor, divide your total consumption (in kWh) by the number of hours in your billing period. Then, divide the result by your peak demand during the billing period, and the number you compute is your load factor. A load factor closer to 1, or 100%, indicates that you are using energy more evenly or consistently over time. It might also mean you are reducing your peak demand or otherwise avoiding spikes.<