Half hourly meter
A half-hourly meter records how much electricity you use in each 30-minute period.
What it is
A half-hourly (HH) meter records electricity use in every 30-minute slot, and the readings are normally sent automatically to your supplier. This is different from a standard meter, which records a running total that someone reads now and then.
Where you will see it
- As a line on your bill describing the meter type.
- In your MPAN, where profile class 00 (the first two digits of the top line) indicates a half-hourly supply.
- In online portals or reports showing a usage pattern by time of day.
Why it matters
With half-hourly data your bill can reflect when you use power, not only how much. That affects time-of-day network charges such as DUoS, capacity charges for larger sites and the usefulness of data for finding waste. It should also largely end estimated bills for that meter, because actual data arrives automatically. A smart meter or advanced meter can provide it. The data can reveal night-time use that looks wasteful, as covered in energy monitoring for business.
The industry is moving towards settling everyone on half-hourly data under MHHS. See also half-hourly meters explained and why was my business moved to one.
Example
A gym finds on its half-hourly data that it uses 6 kW overnight when closed. Switching off equipment cuts 6 kW x 8 hours = 48 kWh a night. Over 365 nights that is 17,520 kWh, which at 24.51p/kWh (DESNZ Q2 2026 average) is about £4,294.
Related terms
SMETS2 and profile class.
Common questions on this topic
Sources
General information only. Energy prices, rules and supplier terms change; check the latest position with your supplier, Ofgem or the Energy Ombudsman before you act.