For large businesses, or those in electricity intensive industries, half hourly meters are usually essential due to the large amounts of electricity being consumed on a daily basis.
A half hourly meter, also known as a HH or '00' meter, is a specific business electricity meter that splits energy consumption into 30-minute intervals by sending automatic readings to your energy supplier every half hour via a phone or fixed data line.
The metering system uses both the older AMR (automatic meter reading) and newer smart meter technologies to provide up to date readings every 30 minutes. This gives your supplier an accurate picture of your energy usage.
Half hourly electricity readings are compulsory by law for businesses in the UK using 100kW or higher during any half hour period throughout the day. The types of businesses that usually fall into this category are those with high energy usage such as department stores, manufacturing plants, and printers.
However, HH meters aren't exclusive to specific businesses and you can also opt into using them if you have an electricity demand of 70kW or above in any 30 minute interval.
If you haven’t heard of a HH meter before, or have just moved to a new building, you may be surprised to find one installed on your business premises. You can check what meter you're using by looking at a recent energy bill. If there’s a '00' the left corner of your S number, then you will already be on half hourly metering.
As HH meter readings automatically transmit consumption data back to your provider there's no need to take manual readings. This is not only more convenient for complex businesses, but provides accurate data readings and bills, taking any estimation away.
Using a HH meter can help save money as the accuracy and regularity of data being supplied to your provider allows them to tailor a specific price to your level of usage.
Businesses can also access consumption data from their supplier, meaning they can review when energy usage is highest during the day. By examining this, it is then possible to become more operationally efficient by reducing any unnecessary energy use, saving money in the process.
As the data is so accurate, you can also compare contracts and other rates to get the best possible deal for your usage.
If you're business has a maximum demand of 70kW or more in any half hour period then you will be able to switch to half hourly electricity tariff. Installing a HH meter can be slightly more complicated but it is worth the process to have automatic meter readings, accurate bills and cheaper energy deals.
If you're looking for a new tariff, or wishing to change supplier, you can use our business energy price comparison to find the best deal for you.
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