Understanding Demand & Demand Charge What is Demand? “Demand” is the total amount of electricity being used by a customer at any one time. Demand varies from hour to hour, day to day and season to season. This usage, which is expressed in kilowatts (not kilowatt-hours), is called “demand” on the system. For the majority of commercial customers, Laurens Electric Cooperative monitors demand over a 15-minute period. The customer is charged for the highest 15-minute average recorded on the demand meter. After Laurens Electric reads the meter each month, demand is reset to zero and the meter starts over, recording the highest 15-minute average for the next billing period.