Why getting your energy metering right is no longer optional

Metering has traditionally received less attention within energy management, especially when competing with high-profile projects such as on-site generation or Demand Side Response (DSR).

Yet, getting your metering right holds the key to unlocking the UK’s net zero future.

At npower Business Solutions (nBS), we are ready for Market-Wide Half-Hourly Settlement (MHHS). The question is, are you?

Market-wide Half-Hourly Settlement (MHHS) qualified

Today, Wednesday 15 April, we are delighted to become one of the first business suppliers to officially ‘qualify’ to start migrating our electricity customers’ meters to the new MHHS system.

This follows another industry first for our Data and Metering Services Team, when they became MHHS accredited back in October.

As you are probably aware by now, MHHS is the biggest change to impact the energy sector since privatisation. It will mean that every consumer will have their electricity use mapped for each half-hour period – that’s 48 data points in every 24 hours.

The insight this will generate on who’s using what, where, and when will facilitate a far smarter, more responsive, and flexible electricity system – and one that can better integrate more renewable generation with less network stress and lower balancing costs.

As the current situation in the Middle East makes only too clear, the sooner the UK can fully decouple power generation from fossil-fuel dependence, the better.

MHHS impact differs by meter type

For consumers, MHHS will deliver far-reaching benefits. But in terms of immediate impact at an operational level, this will depend on your current meter portfolio profile.

Once we start the migration process in the second half of May, customers with Half-Hourly (HH) meters won’t notice too much difference, although more opportunities to save on costs via flexibility schemes will become available in the future.

But for organisations which still have traditional Non-Half Hourly (NHH) meters in their portfolios, there will be changes to meter services, meter provider, and cost. Plus – which is key – a lack of access to future flexibility savings. (If this concerns you, talk to us about upgrading your meter to Automated Meter Reading (AMR) or Smart technology.)

If you’re still unsure how MHHS will impact your organisation, you’ll find lots of useful information on our MHHS hub.

And if you’d like to better understand the benefits – and the challenges – of MHHS, do join our experts for our next webinar on Wednesday 6 May 2026 at 10:00am: The world beyond MHHS - how to avoid pitfalls and take advantage of new opportunities.