Half Hourly Electricity Meters

What is are half hourly electricity meters ?

A half hourly meter (HHM) is a meter which records how much electricity is being used by a building or business every half an hour. It is connected to a wireless or fixed connection so that the readings are transferred straight to the energy provider each month. This means no one needs to physically come to read your meter. These half hour readings help to make more accurate bills as the bills are created from actual usage readings and not estimates as were used previously. These half hourly meters allow energy providers to see how a building/business uses its electricity and then they can help find ways to make these places more energy efficient. There are around 100,000 Half Hourly Meters currently used in the UK.

Bills using Half Hourly readings are different to bills which use estimates as Half Hourly Meters use accurate data showing the actual energy use of your business. It is possible to invest in software and online programmes which can help you to make the most of these half hourly readings by analysing and interpreting them so you can see where and how you use your energy and with this you can then find ways to reduce your energy costs.

Types of Half Hourly Meters.

Mandatory Half Hourly Electricity Meters

At present, Elexon is the regulator for electricity on the whole sale market. It has made it a requirement that a half hourly electric meter is necessary for any electricity supply that has a maximum electricity load of at least 100kW on 3 or more occasions over a period of 12 months. Once a half hourly meter has been installed it cannot be downgraded to a non half hourly meter.

Voluntary Half Hourly Electricity Meters

These Half Hourly meters are installed out of choice usually because a supplier offers them to its customers. Because HHM’s record electricity use on a half hourly basis, it can allow us to collect data of the way electricity is used throughout the day. It provides information such as any major fluctuations in electricity use and with this data we can find ways to better manage our energy consumption. It also enables companies to deal in accurate bills rather than estimates due to the fact that there are genuine readings to base the bills on.

Half Hour Light Meters or Smart Meters.

These are also voluntary meters with the same benefits of voluntary meters but provide half hourly readings at a lower cost. They were introduced in 2009.