Energy Academy
Sizing & Integration6 / 13

Load Profile Analysis

Thermal and electrical demand matching; seasonal variation; identifying steady base load.

10 min read · Jacob Willis, Net Zero Lead · Last reviewed July 2026


Sizing CHP well demands a real understanding of how a site uses both heat and power across the day and the year. Annual totals hide the patterns that make or break a scheme: two buildings with identical yearly energy can suit CHP completely differently depending on when they use it. This lesson covers why profiles beat totals, how to build them, why coincidence matters, and how absorption cooling can rescue a summer-idle scheme.

In this lesson

  • 01Why profiles, not totals
  • 02Coincidence matters
  • 03The summer problem, and absorption cooling
  • 04From profile to specification
  • 05Sources and further reading