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If your business electricity meter is described as half hourly, or your bill mentions a profile class, it changes how you are billed and how you should compare deals. These terms decide whether your supplier sees your exact usage or an estimate, and that affects the rates you are offered. This guide explains profile classes, half hourly metering and what they mean for your bill.
In short. Every business electricity supply has a profile class, a number from 00 to 08 that describes the kind of user you are. Larger sites are on half hourly meters that record consumption every thirty minutes, giving suppliers precise data and access to sharper, tailored pricing. Smaller sites are on non half hourly meters billed against an estimated usage pattern.
A profile class is a code that tells the industry what type of electricity user a meter belongs to. It is the first part of the top line of your MPAN, the long supply number printed on your bill. The class runs from 00 to 08, and it determines how your usage is estimated and settled when no half hourly data exists.
Classes 01 and 02. Domestic users, standard and Economy 7.
Classes 03 and 04. Non domestic, non half hourly users, the typical small business meter.
Classes 05 to 08. Larger non domestic users, historically billed on maximum demand and now settled half hourly.
Class 00. Half hourly metered sites, the largest and most data rich supplies.
A half hourly meter, often shown as HH, records exactly how much electricity you use in every thirty minute period and sends that data automatically to your supplier. There is no estimating and no manual reading. The supplier sees your precise consumption pattern across the day, week and year.
That detail cuts both ways. It means accurate bills with no surprises from estimates, and it gives suppliers the confidence to offer tailored, often keener pricing because they know exactly what they are supplying. It also means your bill can carry more line items, because half hourly sites are billed for network and capacity costs in more granular detail.
An industry change known as P272 required medium sized businesses in profile classes 05 to 08 to be settled on a half hourly basis. The aim was more accurate settlement across the market, so that larger users are billed on real data rather than an estimated profile. If your site was moved, you gained a half hourly meter and a bill that reflects actual usage, along with the more detailed charges that come with it.
✓ Half hourly sites get accurate, data based bills with no estimated reads.
✓ They can access tailored pricing built on real consumption, including cheaper periods.
✓ They are billed for capacity and network costs in more detail, which rewards managing peak demand.
✗ A non half hourly site billed on estimates can drift from real usage until a reading corrects it.
✗ Comparing half hourly quotes on unit rate alone, when capacity and network charges can matter just as much.
Half hourly supplies often carry an agreed capacity, the maximum power you can draw at once, measured in kVA. You pay for that capacity whether you use it or not, and exceeding it can trigger penalty charges. Many businesses hold more capacity than they need, quietly paying for headroom they never touch, so on a half hourly site it is worth reviewing your agreed capacity against your actual peak demand. It is a part of the bill most owners never look at.
On a half hourly meter your usage data is your strongest asset. It lets a supplier price you accurately and lets you spot waste, from expensive peak periods to capacity you are paying for but not using. Ask for your half hourly data when you compare, because it is the key to a sharper deal.
Find your profile class. Check the first two digits of the top line of your MPAN, or ask your supplier. It tells you what kind of meter you have.
Use your half hourly data. If you are HH metered, request your consumption data so quotes reflect your real pattern rather than an estimate.
Review your capacity. If you have an agreed capacity in kVA, compare it against your actual peak to check you are not paying for more than you need.
Once you have half hourly data it becomes a tool for cutting cost, not just a billing method. The data shows exactly when you draw power, so you can see whether your peak demand sits in the most expensive periods and whether shifting any load would help. It also lets a supplier build a quote around your real shape, rather than pricing you on a cautious estimate that assumes the worst.
Two businesses with the same annual usage can pay very different amounts if one has a spiky, peak heavy profile and the other spreads its use evenly. That is why, on a half hourly meter, the smartest saving often comes not from switching supplier but from understanding your own pattern and carrying that data into every quote you request.
A code from 00 to 08 on your MPAN that describes your type of electricity use and how it is estimated. Small businesses are usually 03 or 04, half hourly sites are 00.
Your meter records usage every thirty minutes and sends it automatically to your supplier, giving accurate bills and access to tailored pricing with no estimated reads.
An industry change that moved medium sized businesses in profile classes 05 to 08 onto half hourly settlement, so they are billed on real data rather than estimated profiles.
The maximum power a half hourly site can draw at once, in kVA. You pay for it whether or not you use it, and exceeding it can bring penalty charges, so it is worth reviewing.
The bill is more detailed and can include extra network and capacity charges, but the accurate data often unlocks keener pricing, so it is not simply more expensive.