Half Hourly Electricity Meters - Get Quotes and Compare Tariffs & Prices

• What is a half hourly electricity meter?
• Which business would use a half hourly meter / do I need a half hourly meter?
• How does half hourly pricing differ from regular pricing?
• Can I switch my half hourly business energy tariff?

What is a half hourly electricity meter?

A half hourly electricity meter is a specialized kind of business electricity meter. The meter is connected via a phone line and automatically sends updated meter readings to the energy supplier every half hour – hence the name.

As a result of this, there is no need for you to take and submit meter readings manually and the frequency of these automatic readings result in extremely accurate and up-to-date energy bills.

You can also get detailed breakdowns of when you are using the bulk of your business electricity so you can use this information to try and be more energy efficient and reduce your usage.

Which businesses would use a half hourly meter / do I need a half hourly meter?

Half hourly electric meters are used by larger, more energy intensive businesses such as factories or large offices. If your business has a maximum demand of 100 kW or greater in any half hour period during the day then a half hourly meter will be compulsory for you. If you have a maximum demand of 70kW or more then you can opt to have a half hourly meter installed.

If you are in a new business premises then you can check if you already have a HH meter installed by taking a look at the 'S number' on a previous energy bill. If the number in the top left box is 00 then this is a half hourly meter (see example below):

How does half hourly pricing differ from regular pricing?

Half hourly charges are much more tailored to your individual businesses needs and usage levels when compared to regular energy pricing. This is possible because the supplier has such regular and accurate information to base their billing on.

P272 explained

P272 is a mandatory change that has been introduced by the energy industry watchdog OFGEM to alter the way that billing and settlement is handled for certain meters. If your meter profile class is 05, 06, 07 or 08 then it will be changing from COMC (Change of measurement class) to a HH (half hourly) meter instead.

If the profile class matches the numbers above then your supplier will likely be in contact to ensure that your meter is set up properly to take half-hourly readings. This may also have an impact on your contract structure, depending on what was previously agreed with your supplier.

If you have not been contacted by your supplier yet, but feel you should have, don’t worry. Many suppliers are looking to make the change as soon as possible, but it can happen anytime up until April 1^st 2017.

Can I switch my half hourly business energy tariff?

Yes, it is possible to switch half hourly suppliers or tariffs in order to secure cheaper rates. The process can be a bit more of a complicated and convoluted process than regular energy contracts, but at uSwitchforBusiness we have a number of energy experts that have access to a wide panel of half hourly energy suppliers and prices and possess a great deal of industry knowledge and experience in this area to help make this process simple for you.

We handle all of the negotiations and paperwork, leaving you free to concentrate on running your business – and the best part is that our services won’t cost you a penny.

To get in touch to discuss how we can help you reduce your business energy costs simply give us a call today on 0800 188 4930 or if you’d prefer us to call you simply fill in the form on the right and we’ll call you back.