4.7.3. Performance Dimension

The performance dimension groups the characterization parameters of the EFM related to the change in the rate of energy demand. These parameters are:

	- Load increase (↑): increase in the energy demand rate compared to the reference consumption profile. The increase can involve just an increase in the rate consumption or the complete switch-on of the industrial system. In a load increase, there is no consumption compensation requirement. Therefore, the activation of an EFM of this type will constitute an overall increase in energy consumption of the system.
	- Load decrease (↓): reduction in the energy demand rate compared to the reference consumption profile. Similarly, like the increase, the renunciation can involve both a reduction of energy consumption and a complete switch-off of the influenced industrial system. In a load renunciation, consumption compensation is also not required. Therefore, the activation of this type of an EFM will constitute an overall decrease in energy consumption.
	- Bidirectional (↑↓): the ability of the EFM to offer both a load increase and renunciation. Nonetheless, once activated in either direction this type of EFM will not require a compensation of the altered energy consumption.
	- Consumption shift (↔): temporary rearrangement of the energy consumption, increase or decrease, with proportional compensation. The consumption shift is backwards when consumption is shifted to an earlier point in time. Inversely, it will be forward if it is postponed to a later point in time. A special case of load shift is "valley-filling" where the tasks that generate the consumption profile are broke down and rearranged at different points in time, thus reducing peak-consumption. In any of the consumption shift cases, the net energy consumption will stay constant despite activating the EFM. The different flexibility types are typified in Figure 7.

$$
\Delta E\_{f \text{lex}, T} = \Delta P\_{f \text{lex}} \* \Delta t\_{\text{active}} \* N\_{\text{activation}, T} \tag{3}
$$

**Figure 7.** Different flexibility types of EFMs (Adapted from References [39,40], own illustration).
