As summer heat drives up electricity demand, commercial EV charging sites face a significant financial risk from demand charges—fees based on a site's highest 15-minute power consumption interval. Between June and September, many utilities raise these charges by 40% to 65% above winter rates, meaning a single unmanaged charging peak in July can inflate monthly bills through the fall. EVready Energy's Energy Guardian platform addresses this issue by actively managing charging loads without requiring equipment swaps.
Energy Guardian is network-agnostic, meaning it works with any charger brand, and its value is most apparent during the summer rate shift, according to Chris Nihan, CEO and Co-Founder of EVready Energy. "A DC fast charger can draw 150 kilowatts the moment a session starts. If that lands during your building's afternoon peak in July, you've just set a charge that follows you for a month—at the highest rate of the year. Guardian's job is to make sure that spike never registers," Nihan said.
The platform's effectiveness is documented in a published customer report from Berger Chevrolet, a dealership in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Energy Guardian managed ChargePoint and Blink charger loads against the building's base consumption over a single billing period. Without intervention, the site would have recorded a peak of 149.8 kW, but Guardian held the actual peak to 116.9 kW—a reduction that saved an estimated $680.94 and cut the dealership's single largest demand event by approximately 75%. The system intervened in only 7.1% of the period's 15-minute intervals to achieve that outcome, and no charging sessions were turned away.
Mike Ohlman of Berger Chevrolet praised the system: "The Guardian software enables us to take advantage of opportunities to reduce costs, and the EVready Energy team is there providing friendly, expert guidance every step of the way."
For commercial operators heading into the summer rate season, EVready Energy recommends reviewing utility tariffs before the first heat-driven peak establishes the financial baseline for the quarter. By actively managing charging loads, sites can avoid the highest demand charges without sacrificing charging availability. EVready Energy provides EV charging strategy, certified installation, and ongoing energy management for dealerships, fleets, multifamily properties, parking operators, and public sector clients nationwide. More information about managing demand charges is available at the company's website.
