Measuring your business electricity usage is necessary if you want to know how much energy is being consumed. These meters have been designed to give accurate energy readings to help businesses save on the money spent on their energy bills.
Businesses who are currently using standard energy meters can make a switch to half hourly meters if their businesses haven’t been automatically switched over by their current energy provider.
To find great deals on half hourly meters, business owners who are high energy users can use www.utilitybidder.co.uk/ as an extra resource to find the best comparison prices.
What is an Half Hourly Meter
These meters are also known as 00 meters and measure your energy data every 30 minutes to record it to be able to monitor the business usage.
Half hourly meters use automatic meter readings 24/7 to record energy consumption which saves you time and effort of having to record them yourself manually.
The meter is maintained and monitored by the supplier who installs it and they receive the data collected.
The meter records electricity readings every 30 minutes automatically and sends the recorded data to your supplier using telephone lines or fibre cables.
Which Business Types Would Need a Half Hourly Meter?
Businesses in the UK that are using 100 000 kWh per year are mandated to use the half-hourly meters. These types of businesses would include assembly plants, manufacturing plants and printers to name a few.
Sometimes businesses with a much lower energy consumption might opt to use half hourly meters because of how accurate they are in monitoring energy use.
Here are some key aspects to consider about your business to know whether your business needs a half-hour meter.
- If your business needs access to constant energy but they do not consume a huge load of electricity they can also use a half-hourly meter.
- If your business requires more than 200kWh per hour, which makes your annual consumption over 100 000 kWh then it’s a legal requirement to have a half hourly meter installed.
For home owners who want to monitor their energy usage, a smart meter operates in the same way to calculate how much energy is being used.
Benefits of Using a Half-Hourly Meter?
Using a meter whether standard or a half-hourly one is beneficial to businesses to keep track of their energy consumption.
Here are the list of benefits of why businesses should use a half-hour meter instead even if they aren’t required to by law.
- You can use your history of data to negotiate better prices for your energy rates.
- Use the meter to help implement better energy efficient strategies within the business to save even more energy.
- The supplier can use the accurate date to calculate your daily charges based on the units recorded.
- You also get accurate readings which makes billing information 100%.
- Your data is immediately sent to your supplier which means you do not have to wait for a scheduled visit from your supplier or send in any information to get an estimation on your energy bill.
- Makes it easier for your business to become energy efficient.
You can decide between a fixed hourly rate or leave it and have it be charged per the market related salary.
How to Make a Switch to a Half-Hourly Meter?
To get a half hourly meter installed you would have to take the following steps. Not every business has one installed or would need to make the switch, however if you decide to switch over.
- You would have to contact your energy supplier and give them your current meter details.
- Your supplier will then access your usage data by using a data release letter.
- All energy suppliers will then receive an Invitation To Tender which then gives you different rates offered from different energy suppliers to review.
- It can take between 4-6 weeks when making a switch to a new supplier.
Conclusion
If you want to be sure that you do have a half-hourly meter then on your energy bill, your supply number will start with a 00. However, if you own a business and your meter number has been switched to 05,06, 07, or 08, you have been switched to a half hour meter automatically.
Check with your energy supplier to ensure that you get the best possible rates when making the switch to use a half hour meter and help reduce energy usage even when using a half hourly meter.
Making the switch can save time and money for both you and your business.
