What is a Half-Hourly meter?
A half-hourly meter is a type of electricity meter that tracks your electricity consumption every half hour. This is designed for bigger electricity consumers to allow for a more accurate reading of how much energy is used by one building throughout the day.
A half-hourly meter sends these meter readings straight to your business electricity supplier. This means that you do not have to worry about taking meter readings and sending these to your supplier yourself.
This gives you the ability to focus on your business and leave everything to do with energy to the experts!
How can my business get a Half-Hourly meter?
Half hourly meters are usually only required for bigger businesses that use over 100Kw. If your business fits in this profile, then you will be required to have a half-hourly meter. If your business consumes over 70,000Kw of electricity then having a half-hourly meter is optional.
When switching your energy contract with such a high consumption it is important to ensure you are getting the best prices on the market. We recommend that you compare business energy prices before getting a new contract.
Switching your contract to a half-hourly meter has never been easier than switching with Online Energy. All that we need you to do is leave your contact details here. Then one of our energy experts will get in touch and get you our best bespoke prices within the market as of now.
Our business energy experts have connections with over 24 of the best business energy suppliers in the UK. We will give you price options from the suppliers with the cheapest prices at the time of your switch. With our expertise, you can ensure you will never overpay for electricity again. Remember to contact us here to switch today.
Advantages of having a Half-Hourly meter:
- Bill accuracy- Your meter readings are taken every half hour and sent straight to your electricity supplier; this means that you are only charged for exactly how much electricity your business consumes. This also makes it easier to track energy usage and what time of the day your business spends the most money.
- No need for meter readings- The meter readings are sent directly to your supplier which means you don’t have to worry about doing this yourself. Since your meter readings are automatic with a half-hourly meter you also don’t have to worry about any billing mistakes due to wrong readings being taken, which could save you money and time.
- Monitor your energy usage closely- Having a half-hourly meter means that you can monitor your energy usage much more closely. For example, you can see what time of day consumption is at its highest and then implement ways to be more energy-efficient based on this.
What are the other types of business meters you could have?
If your business does not use enough electricity for a half-hourly meter, then there are lots of different business energy meter options available. Such as:
- A standard meter- these types of meters only use one rate to measure energy consumption. Meter readings will have to be taken regularly and sent off to your supplier, however, you will always be charged the same rate for your business energy no matter what time of day it is. So, if you use most of your energy during peak times such as 9-5 businesses then this meter will be best for you. This meter will be identified by having a 03 at the beginning of your MPAN number.
- Economy 7 meter- There are two different rates with this type of meter. One rate is for the daytime and one for the night time. The night time usage will be much cheaper than daytime usage. You will be charged cheaper for 7 hours out the day with this meter. If you have this meter, then your MPAN number will begin in 07.
- Economy 10 meter- This type of meter is similar to the Encomny 7 meter, but the cheaper charge will be for 10 hours instead of 7 hours. This is better for businesses that are open 24hrs a day.
- Smart meters- For business energy, there are two types of smart meters available. Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) and SMETS2 if your smart meter was installed in the past couple of years you will likely have the second type of smart meter. Like a half-hourly meter, a smart meter tracks your energy usage for you and sends it automatically to the supplier. They also allow you to see and track your consumption. Smart meters also cost leas to run.
What type of meter is best for your business?
This will depend on many different factors. The first is your business size, for a standard small 9-5 business the obvious choice might be a standard meter with fixed charges for your whole contract. Whilst if you’re a larger business a half-hourly meter might be best to keep track of your energy expenditure.
The meter that is best for you will also depend on your area and what the energy rates are like for your specific location.
If you’re looking to switch energy contracts or get an energy contract today, then why not compare with us. If you tell us how much your energy consumption is then we could find you the best contract for your business needs.
