Solutions for High-Consumption Businesses
Large energy users face complex challenges—MIC optimisation, DUoS band reviews, budget forecasting, and sustainability targets. We provide the technical expertise you need.
Technical Expertise
Services for Large Users
MIC Reviews
Ensure your Maximum Import Capacity is correctly sized—overpaying for unused capacity costs thousands annually.
DUoS Optimisation
Check you're on the correct distribution use of system band for your usage profile.
Budget Forecasting
Accurate energy cost projections for business planning and budgeting.
Green Energy Options
Meet sustainability targets with renewable energy sourcing and CPPA guidance.
Contract Strategy
Strategic advice on contract timing, length, and market conditions.
Risk Management
Hedging strategies and price risk management for energy-intensive operations.
Industries We Serve
Manufacturing
Data Centres
Large Hotels
Healthcare Facilities
Food Processing
Cold Storage
Leisure Centres
Shopping Centres
What Counts as a Large Energy User?
In Ireland, you're classed as a large energy user if your business meets any of these thresholds.
500,000+
kWh per Year (Electricity)
Annual consumption above this level moves you into bespoke, individually negotiated pricing territory.
50+
kVA MIC
Maximum Import Capacity at or above this level moves you into the low-voltage maximum demand tariff groups, with capacity-based charging.
750,000+
kWh per Year (Gas)
High gas users qualify for fuel variation tariff structures with fully unbundled, separately itemised charges.
DUoS Groups and the MIC Threshold
Most low-voltage business connections sit in DUoS Group DG5. Connections with a Maximum Import Capacity of 50 kVA or above fall into the low-voltage maximum demand groups—DG6, DG6a and DG6b—which carry a capacity charge levied per kVA of MIC per year in addition to the standing charge.
The classification is not applied automatically as a site grows. ESB Networks sets the applicable DUoS group through the connection agreement, and it does not change simply because demand has increased. A premises that has extended or added load can therefore sit in a group that no longer reflects how it actually uses the network, and correcting it requires an application rather than happening on its own.
Source: ESB Networks, Rules for Application of DUoS Tariff Group (approved by CER, September 2004), confirmed current by the ESB Networks DAC Statement of Charges, Revision 22 (effective 1 October 2025).
Why Standard Comparison Tools Don't Work at This Scale
Sites like Bonkers.ie and Switcher.ie are built for standard tariffs. Large energy users receive individually negotiated prices based on half-hourly load profile data, MIC levels, and volume. Your contract options—fixed, flex, tracker, or fuel variation tariff—don't fit into a comparison widget.
That's where a broker adds value. We take your actual consumption data, go to market across all suppliers, and return with like-for-like quotes you can compare properly. Get a free energy comparison to start the process.
Where the Opportunities Are by Industry
Where you operate affects which mechanisms apply. Here's what we look at by sector.
Manufacturing
High base-load consumption and often oversized MIC settings. We look at MIC right-sizing and contract renegotiation first — a capacity charge sized for a building that no longer draws that much is a cost you can remove without changing anything about how the site operates.
Hotels & Hospitality
Seasonal demand patterns mean fixed contracts aren't always optimal. We check flexible procurement structures and DUoS band placement rather than assuming a single fixed contract fits a load that swings with occupancy.
Food Processing & Cold Storage
Constant refrigeration means high night-rate consumption. Shifting to a contract that properly weights night rates, and reviewing power factor charges, addresses the cost structure directly rather than just the headline unit rate.
Healthcare Facilities
Hospitals and care facilities run 24/7 with critical load requirements. Budget forecasting and multi-year contract strategies help control costs without risking supply.
Retail & Shopping Centres
Multiple MPRNs, common area costs, and tenant billing complexity. Presenting sites as one combined portfolio, with contract timing coordinated across them, is priced differently by suppliers than several small accounts managed separately. This is exactly the kind of work our multi-site energy management service specialises in.
Leisure & Sports Facilities
Pool heating, floodlighting, and HVAC drive high gas and electricity costs. Dual fuel negotiation and MIC reviews are the two levers that matter most given how much load comes from heating and lighting rather than base operations.
High Energy Consumption?
Let's discuss how we can optimise your energy costs and strategy
Schedule a Consultation