Get a New Commercial Electricity Meter

Business energy can get complicated and ensuring you have the correct electric meter installed is crucial. There are a few different electricity meters available. However, higher usage businesses must install a half-hourly meter by law. Businesses are classed as high usage if they use more than 100 kWh during any half-hour within a day. Other companies may want to opt to have a smart meter installed. This means the business does not need to assign someone the duty of regularly submitting meter readings to ensure accurate business energy bills are being received.

Other business electricity meters are:

• Smart meters – They automatically send readings to your energy supplier to provide accurate billing.
• Standard meters – This meter measures one unit rate against your electricity consumption. You will need to send meter readings to your business electricity supplier.
• Two & three rate meters – These types of meters charge different rates depending on the time of day. The cheaper rates are usually charged during off-peak hours.

Our new connections team will get to know your business to help you select the right business energy meter.

A Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN), also known as an Electricity Supply Number is for your electricity supply. A Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN) is for your gas meter.

This unique number is given to the electricity meter in your business premises. This helps your business electricity supplier identify your meter. Every new meter needs to be registered with the local distribution network operator and will be assigned one of these numbers. They will share this information with your business energy supplier.

We understand that you will want your electricity supply monitored with your new meter as soon as possible. Our team aims to have your meter installation complete within 2 weeks. In many cases, it’s much quicker. Our team will always be transparent with timelines.

For a new connection, our team will just need some basic business details to start any meter installations. If you would like a replacement electricity or gas meter installation, we will also need your current MPAN number. If you’re changing both your gas and electricity meters, we will also need your MPRN number.

If you have several business premises, we can arrange new electricity meter installation in all your buildings. We can even arrange all your premises to be on the same business energy bill by using a multi-rate meter.

This means it becomes much easier to manage your electricity connections and switching from your current supplier is much easier. You will also have a much better view of your company’s energy consumption across various locations.

Multi-rate meters are great for businesses that operate mainly in the evening, at night time or at weekends. As multi-rate meters usually have a higher rate for peak hours, it is important to monitor how you use your business energy before committing to a contract.

If your business uses very large amounts of energy, you may be required to have a half-hourly meter. This type of meter automatically sends readings to your business energy supplier every 30 minutes to ensure you’re billed accurately. These meters are required by law if your business uses more than 100 kW of electricity or greater every year.

Once you compare business energy suppliers and select a tariff that requires multi-rate meters, your new supplier should get in touch to arrange the new meter installation. These are free of charge and covered by your new energy supplier.

When you have all your multi-rate meters installed, you will have an official switchover date and you can start saving on your business energy.

Switching to a multi-site energy meter is not an immediate process. You will need a new meter installation. This has to be done through your business energy supplier.

Contact your energy supplier, and discuss your multi-site and multi-rate energy requirements with them. They may offer you the chance to switch to a multi-site meter.

However, if you have multiple accounts and contracts with different suppliers, this can become difficult. Dealing with business energy providers at once can be time-consuming.

Let us do the hard work and compare your business energy in 30 seconds, to start your switch, compare a range of tariff options

Having multiple contracts may not seem a big deal. However, allowing any of your contracts to lapse could see you put onto ‘deemed rates’. These are usually inflated prices and can cost significantly more than contract rates.

Many businesses with more than one site have energy from several suppliers. This makes lapsing a contract more likely.

Having all your energy on one renewal date and with one supplier, thanks to multi-site meters, can help prevent this.

Most business energy suppliers offer multi-site meters. They don’t always advertise, however. Get in touch with your supplier to check.

You can upgrade and combine your gas and electricity energy meters into one in this way. Whether you need both utilities under one meter depends on your energy usage.

Most business energy suppliers offer multi-site meters. They don’t always advertise, however. Get in touch with your supplier to check.

Different energy contracts are right for different businesses. It depends on your business’ energy usage. It can also depend on how different businesses manage their energy. Contact British Business Energy, and talk to us about how to save on your energy deals.