Half Hourly-Meters Explained

Do you want to know how to check if you have a half-hourly meter? Does your business use a lot of commercial energy and want to know what your peak consumption hours are? Well, here are all your questions answered. Read on to learn how to identify your meter type, how half-hourly meters work, and if your business qualifies for a half-hourly meter.

What Are Half-Hourly Meters?

Half-hourly meters capture a business' electricity consumption every thirty minutes for more accurate energy readings. The difference between a half-hourly meter and a standard electricity meter is the continuous meter readings and the more precise data collected for energy management and billing.

Half-hourly electricity meters are great for business energy customers with high energy usage as they can better understand peak consumption times and general usage patterns. This means businesses can create a more strategic approach to managing their energy and produce savings that can be invested elsewhere.

As well as a great option for businesses, half-hourly meters are a good tool for energy suppliers as they can help by providing real-time data to the power grid and preventing power outages.

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How Do Half-Hourly Meters Work?

Half-hourly meters use Automated Meter Readings (AMR) to track energy consumption and provide exact measurements every 30 minutes to the energy supplier in real time.

This constant stream of data will give energy suppliers and businesses a detailed view of energy usage, providing peak hours and usage patterns. The process will allow businesses to adapt, take advantage of different tariff types and secure better savings.

Which Businesses Require A Half-Hourly Meter?

Half-hourly meters are for businesses with greater energy usage. The higher need for power can sometimes mean estimated billing if your business is still on a standard electricity meter, which is counter-intuitive and could lead to higher spending.

Despite being recommended for businesses with high power consumption, almost any business can request a half-hourly electricity meter from their supplier.

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What Are The Benefits Of Using A Half-Hourly Meter?

There are many benefits to opting for a half-hourly meter, one of the main ones being the collated data around energy consumption it can provide for your business. You can use this data to investigate peak energy use times and the reasons behind it. By doing this, you and your business can look into energy-saving practices during those hours to reduce consumption and overall costs. This means those savings can be invested in other parts of your business to increase growth.

The automation of half-hourly meters also takes away the duty to perform the readings yourself to save time and effort, as well as energy and costs.

How To Check If A Half-Hourly Meter Is Already Installed?

The easiest way to check if you already have a half-hourly meter is to check your MPAN, located on a recent bill from your energy supplier. If your MPAN starts with a “00” in the top left corner, you are already on a half-hourly meter. Since 1st April 2017, you can also be on a half-hourly meter if your MPAN starts with a “05”- “08”.

Here’s what it should look like:

Read more about MPANs in our complete guide to meter numbers and understand what LLF means or what a Distributor Identifier Code is.

Why Did My Business Get Moved On To A Half-Hourly Meter?

You were most likely moved to a half-hourly meter if you were previously on a profile class with a 5-8 meter. These changes were made by law due to introducing a P272 Mandatory Half-Hourly Settlement for Profile Classes 5-8.

A process called ‘settlement’, is when electricity suppliers and generators trade with each other to meet consumer needs, and for each half-hour period, they compare how much each energy supplier has purchased, how much they have used, and what charges the energy supplier must pay to make up the difference.

Before the market-wide Half Hourly Settlement, estimations were used to work out how much electricity consumers were using every half an hour, hence why those on a 5-8 meter were moved onto a half-hourly meter, to provide more accurate readings and consumption.

Do I Need To Take A Manual Reading On A Half-Hourly Meter?

No. That’s one of the great benefits of using a half-hourly meter - every 30 minutes, an automatic reading is sent directly to your energy supplier. Each half-hourly meter will usually be fitted with a type of hard-wired connection like a phone line or SIM, that is connected to a hub with your energy supplier.

Unless you are specifically asked to send a manual reading, there’s nothing further you need to do.

What Will A Half-Hourly Meter Do To Business Electricity Bills?

The point of a half-hourly meter is to provide accurate readings about energy consumption and rule out any estimations. As your energy bills will be based on actual usage, rather than projected estimates, you should be able to opt for cheaper tariffs based on peak usage hours or change your usage patterns to suit your current tariff.

This means you can avoid any surprises during billing periods due to under or overpaying.

What Is A Half-Hourly Meter Operator (MOP)?

A half-hourly meter operator (MOP) is usually your energy supplier or an accredited third party. They are responsible for the installation and maintenance of all half-hourly meters on your business premises. A MOP needs to ensure your meter is fully set up to send your usage data to the data collector.

Third-party MOPs are usually a cheaper option for your business, however, it’s imperative to have a contract in place with an electricity supplier already and MOP deals are usually over 5 years which is usually much longer than an energy contract. If you can’t find a separate MOP, your electricity supplier will assign a default MOP.

Can A Business Choose To Switch To A Half-Hourly Meter?

Yes. To check if your business qualifies for a half-hourly meter, you can get in touch with our team of meter installation experts on 020 3795 3556. They will be able to provide you with all of the pricing and potential savings you can take advantage of by switching to a half-hourly electricity meter.

If you don’t have any meter installed on your business premises, check the table below to identify your next steps and how we can resolve them.