Over 100 Grid Companies – and Just as Many Pricing Models
Norway currently has over 100 grid companies, each with its own tariff structures, pricing models, and geographical areas.
This includes, among other things:
- Different capacity charges (demand-based tariffs)
- Varying energy charges (price per kWh)
- Time-differentiated tariffs (seasonal, daily)
- Different structures for fixed charges
- Different handling of reactive power and reactive energy
Even within the same industry, two locations can have fundamentally different cost models.
Reactive Power – The Most Overlooked Cost Driver
For larger commercial customers, reactive power and reactive energy are often the most complicated part of the network tariff.
In short:
- Active power (kW) is the energy that performs actual work
- Reactive power (kVAr) is the energy that “circulates” in the grid, typically from inductive loads such as motors and ventilation systems
For the grid company, high reactive power represents a strain on the grid, which is why it is often priced separately.
The challenge is that:
- Thresholds and pricing models vary between grid companies
- Some use power charges (kVAr), while others use energy charges (kVArh)
- The calculations are often not very transparent on invoices
- The costs can vary significantly from month to month
This makes it very difficult to:
- Forecast costs
- Validate invoices
- Identify corrective measures (e.g., compensation with capacitor banks)
Lack of Overview in Larger Organizations
For companies operating nationally – such as real estate companies, retail chains, or public sector entities – this becomes a significant challenge.
Typical problems:
- Different tariff models per location
- No common structure for analysis
- Limited insight into what actually drives costs
- Reactive power is often overlooked or misunderstood
In practice, many rely on invoices to understand their cost structure – a process that is both inefficient and not scalable.
allmy.energy: Full Control – Even of the Complexities
allmy.energy is designed to handle this exact complexity.
The platform offers:
- Up-to-date and historical network tariff data from all Norwegian grid companies
- Modeling of both active and reactive components in the network tariff
- Standardization of tariff structures across suppliers
This makes it possible to:
- Calculate exact energy costs without an invoice
- Gain insight into how reactive power affects costs
- Identify deviations and incorrect pricing
- Compare locations in a meaningful way
From Unpredictable Costs to Actionable Insight
When reactive power is also included in the analysis, new opportunities arise:
- Identify the need for power factor correction
- Reduce unnecessary costs
- Optimize the operation of technical systems
- Make data-driven investment decisions
In short: The real complexity of network tariffs begins where most people's understanding ends – with reactive power. allmy.energy makes this complexity manageable.