Half-Hourly Meters: Accurate Prices for Large Business Electricity Consumption
As a large business electricity user, finding the right tariff can be challenging. Part of this challenge can be finding a provider of a half-hourly meter. If this sounds like you, you’ve landed in the right place.
We help our customers with an annual elctricity usage of 70,000 kWh or more source great value tariffs and we even offer free halh-hourly meter installation when you switch with us. If you’re thinking there’s a catch, there’s not! We work with you to find a great business electricity tariff that suits your specific requirements.
When you get a quote from Love Energy Savings, you can speak to one of our experts about how the process works, including who will install your half-hourly meter and when it can be done by. We’ll always provide you with a clear timeline so you can make any adjustments necessary.
We provide exclusive deals from trusted suppliers for high usage businesses
What Is a Half-Hourly Meter?
A half-hourly meter (also known as an HH meter or 00 meters) takes automatic meter readings of your electricity usage every 30 minutes and sends them directly to your supplier so there’s no need to provide manual readings.
Half-hourly meter readings help your business avoid overcharges and back-billing.
Half-hourly meters are also required if you want to join the government’s Smart Export Guarantee scheme, where you get paid for exporting low-carbon electricity back to the National Grid.
Do I Need a Half-Hourly Meter?
Half-hourly meters are mandatory for any business in the UK using at least 100,000 kWh (kilowatt per hour) of electricity each year. If your company has a 05, 06, 07 or 08-meter profile, you will also need to switch to half-hourly metering.
If your business has a usage of 70,000 kWh or more each year, you can opt to install a half-hourly meter.
To get a new deal for your existing meter:
Don't have a half-hourly meter? Control your bills with accurate readings.
What Are the Benefits of Half-Hourly Metering?
The most immediate benefit you’ll notice from a half-hourly meter is that all electricity readings are automatic, meaning you’ll never need to go through the trouble of recording or sending your readings to your supplier.
With accurate billing, your business is much less likely to be charged incorrectly for the electricity you use. Your usage will also calculate any future business electricity quotes you receive. Accurate, half-hourly readings can allow you to access better deals than an estimate of your usage.
Half-hourly metering also gives you a much clearer picture of your electricity usage. You can review precisely when your business uses the most electricity by analysing your consumption data and working towards operating more efficiently to reduce your bills.
Half-hourly metering will make it much easier for your business to analyse the impact of any energy-saving measures put in place.
Who Is Classed as a Large Business Energy User?
Despite businesses coming in all shapes and sizes, energy suppliers separate them into two categories - standard business energy users and high-consumption energy users. The high consumption category means you’re classed as a large business.
As large business customers require a higher demand for the energy grid, energy suppliers treat them differently than other businesses.
You’re considered a large business energy user if you meet one of the following:
High Gas Usage
You’re classed as a large energy user if your annual gas usage exceeds 200,000 kWh.
High Electricity Usage
You’re considered a large energy user if your business uses 55,000 kWh of electricity or more each year.
What’s Different About Large Business Energy Contracts?
High-Usage Contract Types
Fixed Rate
You can lock in your energy prices for up to five years. This is great for businesses planning their outgoings and protects them from wholesale energy prices.
Variable Rate
A flexible rate means your energy price will change in line with the wholesale energy market. You will benefit from price drops but may experience price increases anytime.
Interruptible Contract
These contracts tend to be cheaper due to the fact that the National Grid and local authorities will be able to shut off your supply during peak demand periods. If you continue to use energy during this period, you will be charged a higher rate.
Factors That Can Affect Your Contract
As a large consumption energy user, some factors that are different from traditional business energy contracts come into play.
Peak Demand
This limits the amount of energy your business can draw from the national grid daily. Exceeding this amount can result in heavy fines. Check this amount with the energy supplier before the contract signing.
Large site peak-day demand
This refers to the sum of the Supply Offtake Quantity (SOQ) and can also be referred to as the Maximum Daily Quantity (MDQ). This dictates the maximum daily consumption allowed for any individual meter. If you exceed your allowance you may be fined.
You May Have Heard of a ‘Maximum Demand’ Meter
Large business electricity customers often need special meters installed on their premises, known as a ‘Maximum Demand’ meter.
A maximum demand meter measures how much electricity you’re using at once. It’s designed to alert you and your distribution network operator (DNO) if you’re using too much electricity for the supply to handle. Demand is measured using ‘Kilo Volt Amperes’ (kVA); one kVA equals 1,000 Watts of power.
If you’re classed as a large user, you’ll be given an allocated kVA that you need to stay below. A Maximum Demand meter keeps track of that, and if you stay below your kVA, you’ll get the best rates.
Half-Hourly Meter FAQs
-
What Is the P272 Regulation?
The P272 regulation is a piece of legislation put into effect by the UK government in 2017. It requires companies in electricity-intensive industries (EIIs), such as manufacturing and food processing, to move from non-half hourly meters (NHH) to half-hourly meters (HH). Moving to half-hourly metering allows suppliers to keep better track of customer energy usage more accurately.
Most large non-domestic electricity consumers were issued with Automated Meter Reading (AMR) meters in April 2014. ARM meters have the ability to record Half Hourly (HH or 00) consumption. Measuring the HH usage data will more accurately reconcile costs between consumers and suppliers.
-
How Do You Read a Half-Hourly Meter?
Half-hourly meters are automatic, so they don’t need to be read manually. Readings are taken every half-hour, totalling 48 per day.
The system relies on a fixed line that updates your supplier with automatic meter readings. With updates in real-time, suppliers can create highly accurate charges based on HH data to make sure you’re paying for exactly how much energy you use.
-
What Is HH Data?
HH data is simply the data sent from your half hourly meter to your supplier. It includes things like how much electricity and gas you use each day and your peak usage times.
Suppliers can use HH data to propose adjustments to your tariff to make your payments more accurate. This helps you avoid any back-billing that could occur if your usage is underestimated, so you don’t build up debt over time.
-
How Do I Know if I Have a Half Hourly Meter?
To find out what kind of meter you have, look at the MPAN number on your last energy bill. The MPAN number can be found on the top left of your bill to the right of the S.
If your MPAN number is ‘00’, you have a half-hourly meter. If the number is 05, 06, 07 or 08, you’ll need to upgrade to half hourly metering as soon as you can. You can do so by getting in touch with your meter operator.