Why Does a Grain Dryer Cost More on Your Electricity Bill Than It Looks Like?

We’re Hybrid Energy — we sell diesel generators, hybrid inverters with battery storage, solar modules, and systems that combine them. We sell every option, so we have no reason to favor one over another. This piece shows why the dryer, the farm equipment that runs the fewest weeks per year, often drives the biggest monthly charge, and what you can actually do about it.

The short version

• ESO charges €3.00/kW per month excl. VAT for permitted capacity — all twelve months, even though the dryer only actually runs a few weeks a year.
• Exceed the permitted capacity, and the same capacity-charge rate becomes three times higher. It’s precisely during drying season, when the dryer runs alongside other farm equipment, that a site’s total load most often exceeds the permitted capacity.
• Each of the four options — higher permitted capacity, battery storage, a temporary generator, shifting work to nighttime — solves only part of this problem, and each has its own cost, not just the purchase price.
• For group-three consumers, the difference between peak- and off-peak transmission rates is €0.0116/kWh. That’s not the full electricity price, just the transmission portion.
• In most cases the answer is a combination, not a single option — and which one to get first depends on what’s actually pushing past the limit: overall capacity or a daily peak.

What you’re choosing between

A dryer isn’t a steady load, it’s a few autumn weeks with very high power draw. The four options farms consider address different parts of that problem.

Higher permitted capacity. The simplest but most expensive route: you ask ESO to raise the contracted limit so the combined load of the dryer and other equipment no longer exceeds it. This solves the overage problem for good, but the new, higher permitted capacity is charged at €3.00/kW per month all year round — including when the dryer sits idle.

Battery storage with a hybrid inverter. Shaves a short capacity spike so the total load stays under the contracted limit, protecting against the triple rate. But battery capacity is measured in kilowatt-hours, and drying is measured in days: those are different time scales, and that’s exactly where this option’s limit lies.

Temporary generator for drying season. A three-phase unit with or without an automatic transfer switch (ATS), used not as backup power but as an extra power source right at the season’s peak. This doesn’t resolve the ESO tariff question — a generator works around the grid limit rather than reducing the charge for it.

Shifting part of the work to nighttime (23:00–7:00). On paper, the cheapest option: if the dryer’s operating peak doesn’t coincide with other equipment running during the day, total load may never reach the contracted limit at all. The cost here isn’t financial, it’s organizational.

The axis this whole choice turns on: whether your site’s problem is a contracted limit that’s set too low, or too much overlap between the dryer and other equipment running at the same time. Higher capacity or a generator fits the first problem; battery storage or shifting the work schedule fits the second.

Comparison at a glance

When the right answer is higher permitted capacity

The obvious scenario: the dryer and other high-power equipment (ventilation, conveyors, a cleaning line) run at the same time, and the total load systematically, not just once, exceeds the contracted limit. Then every season repeats the same triple charge.

A less obvious scenario: the farm plans to expand drying capacity or add a second line. Then the old limit won’t be enough no matter how well you plan your schedule or battery storage — a physical limit stays a physical limit.

ESO states directly what exceeding this limit costs:

„Atkreipiame dėmesį, kad viršijus objekto leistiną naudoti galią, vartotojas privalo sumokėti trigubą vartotojo objektui taikomo tarifo plano galios dedamosios kainą.“ (in English: We note that if a site exceeds its permitted capacity, the consumer must pay triple the capacity-charge rate of the tariff plan applied to that site.)

ESO — Elektros energijos persiuntimo paslaugų kainos verslui

The mechanism is simple: permitted capacity is a contract figure, not a daily-schedule one. If a site’s real need constantly exceeds the limit, no timing or storage strategy will change that — the limit is simply too low for what the farm uses today.

What that costs. The new, higher permitted capacity is charged at €3.00/kW per month excl. VAT — every month, all year, despite the dryer running for only a few weeks. For group-two and group-three sites, a reliability-category charge is added on top — €1.00/kW/month or €0.50/kW/month, depending on the category. That’s a fixed, year-round expense for capacity you only use part of the year.

When the right answer is battery storage

The obvious scenario: the total load exceeds the limit only briefly — for a few minutes or hours, when several motors start at once or a conveyor’s startup coincides with another unit’s operation. Battery storage shaves exactly that kind of spike.

A less obvious scenario: the farm already has a solar plant and a hybrid inverter for other needs — then connecting a battery for peak management is an extra function of the existing system, not a separate purchase from scratch.

The mechanism is the ratio of capacity to duration. The largest ready-made industrial storage system with inverter in our catalog is the Solis EverCore C5, 125 kW / 261 kWh (€49,999). If it delivered its full 125 kW continuously, its 261 kWh capacity would last roughly 2 hours (261 ÷ 125 ≈ 2.1 hours). Smaller models in the same series — 50 kW / 100 kWh (€26,799) and 60 kW / 120 kWh (€29,299) — give the same ratio: about 2 hours at full power. A drying cycle lasts a day or longer, so battery storage physically can’t replace the supply for the whole cycle — it can only shave a short spike above the contracted limit.

What that costs. Price rises with capacity: from smaller high-voltage modular systems (e.g., EASYWAY UNIV-HV ST15K, 15.36 kWh, €3,749) up to the 261 kWh system mentioned above at €49,999. The shorter the real peak, the less capacity you need and the faster the investment pays off — but the longer and more steadily the dryer itself runs, the less battery storage can help at all.

When the right answer is a temporary generator

The obvious scenario: extra power is only needed for a few weeks during the season’s peak, and permanently raising the permitted capacity seems wasteful for the remaining eleven months. The generator is switched on only during peak days. Important: running a generator in parallel with the grid isn’t a “flip the switch and it works” setup — that arrangement has to be coordinated with ESO, so in practice it’s more often done more simply, feeding a separate load group instead.

A less obvious scenario: the farm already has a generator for power outages — the same unit can work as an extra power source during the season, if its capacity allows it and the wiring is set up for it.

The mechanism: a generator has nothing to do with how the ESO tariff is calculated. It physically supplies extra power alongside the grid, but doesn’t reduce either the monthly permitted-capacity charge or the risk of exceeding it on other days, when the generator isn’t running.

What that costs. Our range of three-phase diesel generators with AVR runs from the Marsun MHD30000 (30 kW, €10,299) to the Marsun MHD100 (90 kW, €16,499). The ATS unit for automatic switching in the catalog only covers 6–15 kW and 20 kW units (€199 and €269); for the higher power a dryer usually needs, we spec the ATS separately per site. For most of the year, this equipment sits idle, needs regular test runs and fuel reserves, and earns nothing in that time.

When the right answer is shifting part of the work to nighttime

The obvious scenario: the overage doesn’t happen because the dryer lacks power in general, but because its daytime operation overlaps with other farm processes — cleaning, loading, office or livestock loads. Starting the cycle in the evening shifts part of the peak to hours when other equipment isn’t running.

A less obvious scenario: for a group-three consumer, the difference between the peak- and off-peak transmission rate is €0.0116/kWh (€0.0313 minus €0.0197), and for a group-two consumer with two time zones, it’s €0.0062/kWh (€0.0259 minus €0.0197). So working at night reduces not only the overage risk but also the transmission price itself for the kilowatt-hours consumed — even if only slightly.

The mechanism: the off-peak interval runs from 23:00 to 7:00, and the peak interval depends on the month (October–March: 8:00–11:00 and 18:00–20:00; April and September: 9:00–12:00 and 19:00–21:00; May–August: 9:00–12:00). The larger the share of the drying cycle that falls within the off-peak interval, the less likely the total load is to coincide with other daytime work.

What that costs. No equipment is needed here, but you need a person or automation to start and monitor the cycle at night, and a schedule that allows it. The limit is obvious: grain is brought in from the field during the day, so shifting the work entirely to nighttime is usually impossible — you can only push part of the cycle, not all of it.

What the site decides for you

Some choices disappear before you even form an opinion. These constraints matter more than price.

Permitted capacity sets the ceiling. If a site is permitted, say, 60 kW, no system will let you draw 90 kW from the grid at once. Anything above the limit has to be covered by a generator or battery storage, or you need to raise the limit itself.

Cycle length rules out battery storage as the sole solution. A dryer runs for a day or longer without a break, while battery capacity, as shown above, runs out in a few hours at full power. Battery storage can help with the peak, but not with the whole cycle.

Seasonality rules out a permanent capacity increase for some farms. If the overage happens only a few weeks a year and only for one specific reason, overlap with another piece of equipment, a permanently higher permitted capacity paid year-round can cost more than a temporary generator for that same period.

The reliability category adds a charge that’s rarely discussed. For group-two and group-three sites, ESO applies a reliability-category charge: €1.00/kW/month for the first category and €0.50/kW/month for the second. When you raise the permitted capacity, this charge is also recalculated from the new, higher kW figure.

What changes in day-to-day operation

A higher permitted capacity changes nothing in the equipment itself, only the ESO contract and the monthly bill. Battery storage adds equipment that needs configuring so it knows when to shave the peak. A temporary generator requires routine work: test runs, fuel reserves, and the procedure for connecting alongside the grid. Shifting work to nighttime requires a person or automation to start the cycle outside business hours.

What doesn’t change: none of the four options changes your electricity supplier or meter. The site remains the same ESO customer — what changes is only what capacity the contract permits, or how and when that capacity is actually used.

Do you really have to choose just one?

Usually not, and two combinations keep coming up.

Battery storage for the daily peak, a temporary generator for the season’s peak days. Battery storage works all year, shaving the short, everyday spikes caused by other farm equipment, and the generator is connected only when you know the total load will be at its highest over the coming weeks.

Shifting work to nighttime plus a small capacity increase. If the overage is small and rare, it’s often cheaper to shift part of the work to nighttime and raise the limit only slightly, rather than raising it enough to cover the entire daytime peak with no schedule adjustment at all.

Frequently asked questions

If I raise my permitted capacity, will I avoid the triple rate for good?

Yes, as long as your real need doesn’t exceed the new, higher limit. But the new permitted capacity is charged at €3.00/kW per month excl. VAT all year round, so this solution pays off only when the overage keeps recurring, not just once a season.

Does battery storage even suit a grain dryer?

Only for managing the peak, not the whole cycle. Our largest industrial storage system with inverter (125 kW / 261 kWh) would drain in roughly 2 hours at full power, while a drying cycle lasts a day or longer. Battery storage shaves a short spike above the contracted limit, but it doesn’t replace the supply for the whole cycle.

Is it worth using a generator we already have for outages during the season’s peak?

Technically yes, if its power allows it and the wiring is set up for it, but that doesn’t change how the ESO tariff is calculated — the generator has no effect on either the monthly permitted-capacity charge or the risk of exceeding it on other days when it isn’t running.

How much can shifting part of the work to nighttime actually save?

The difference between the peak and off-peak transmission price is €0.0116/kWh for group three, or €0.0062/kWh for group two with two time zones — that’s only the transmission portion, not the full electricity price. The bigger benefit is that working at night lowers the chance of overlapping with other daytime equipment and exceeding the contracted limit.

Can several of these options be combined in one system?

Yes, and that’s usually what’s done: battery storage runs continuously for the daily peak, while a generator or a small capacity increase covers only the season’s peak period. Which combination to choose depends on whether your overage happens daily or only for a few weeks.

What we suggest you do

Send us three things: your site’s permitted capacity (stated in your ESO contract), the power ratings of the dryer and other equipment running at the same time, and the approximate season length in weeks. That’s enough for us to tell you whether the problem is a limit set too low, too much daytime overlap, or both at once, and which option will cost less in your case. We deliver throughout Lithuania.

Sources

• ESO, Electricity transmission service prices for business customers — capacity charge, reliability categories, time intervals, capacity overage: eso.lt (reviewed 2026-09-18)
• Hybrid Energy, generator catalog — models, power ratings, and prices: hybridenergy.lt (reviewed 2026-09-18)
• Hybrid Energy, industrial battery storage catalog — models, power ratings, capacities, and prices: hybridenergy.lt (reviewed 2026-09-18)