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Last updated October 2026.
What is a half-hourly electricity contract?
A half-hourly contract is an electricity supply agreement priced on the actual shape of your load. Because a half-hourly meter records consumption in every 30-minute period and sends the readings automatically, the supplier can see exactly when the electricity was used and prices each period accordingly. That is why HH contracts carry day, night and weekend unit rates and a capacity charge rather than one flat rate, and why two sites with the same annual kWh can be quoted very different totals. The meter itself, the 100kW threshold and the installation process are covered in half-hourly electricity meters and the glossary entry; this page is about the contract that sits on top of it.
A smart or AMR meter on a small business also records half-hourly data, but it is still settled as a non-half-hourly meter unless it has been migrated under the new settlement arrangements, which is where MHHS comes in.
Which businesses are on half-hourly contracts?
Any site with a maximum demand of 100kW or more must be half-hourly metered; that has been mandatory since the P272 changes completed in 2017, which moved profile classes 05 to 08 onto HH settlement. Sites between about 70kW and 100kW can choose HH metering. Typical HH sites: manufacturers, hotels, supermarkets, large offices, schools, hospitals, cold stores and anything with heavy plant. If your bill shows an availability or capacity charge in kVA, you are almost certainly on a half-hourly supply.
Want this priced for your meters?
Send us a recent bill and we will compare the suppliers on our panel on the same start date and term, and show you the annual cost of each option. No obligation.
How is a half-hourly electricity contract priced?
| Charge | What it is | Negotiable? |
|---|---|---|
| Day, night and weekend unit rates (or more bands) | Energy cost by time of use, built from your half-hourly profile and the forward wholesale curve | Yes, through the supplier comparison |
| Standing charge | Daily fixed charge | Yes |
| Capacity (availability) charge | A daily charge per kVA of the agreed supply capacity, billed in full whether you use it or not | Yes, by reducing agreed capacity with the network operator if you are over-sized |
| Excess capacity charge | A higher rate applied when demand exceeds the agreed capacity | Avoidable by setting capacity correctly |
| Reactive power charge | Applied when power factor falls below the network operator’s threshold, typically 0.95 | Avoidable with power factor correction |
| DUoS time bands | Red, amber and green distribution charges by time of day | Only by shifting load |
| TNUoS, BSUoS, CCL, policy costs | Transmission, balancing, levy and scheme costs | No; pass-through or fixed in the rate |
Because so much of an HH bill is capacity and time-of-day, the data matters more than the headline rate: a supplier pricing from twelve months of real half-hourly data will price more keenly than one working from a template. Maximum demand and kVA and capacity cover the capacity side in detail; reactive power and power factor covers the penalty charge most HH sites can remove.
Can a small business have a half-hourly meter?
Yes, and under Market-wide Half-Hourly Settlement every meter in Great Britain, including small business smart and advanced meters, is being moved to half-hourly settlement between October 2025 and May 2027. That does not turn a small shop into a profile class 00 site with capacity charges; it means the supplier settles the account on real half-hourly data rather than a profile, which over time lets suppliers offer time-of-use pricing to smaller customers. For now the practical point is that a smart or AMR meter gives you the data to be priced on how you actually use electricity, which is usually in your favour.
How do you compare half-hourly electricity contracts?
- Export the data. Twelve months of half-hourly readings from the supplier or DC.
- Check agreed capacity against maximum demand. If you are paying for far more kVA than you ever use, reduce it with the DNO before pricing.
- Price on the same start date and term across suppliers, fixed and pass-through, with every charge line shown.
- Compare annual cost including capacity, not just the unit rates.
- Fix the power factor if reactive charges appear on the bill.
We price half-hourly supplies across the suppliers on our panel from your HH data and show the annual cost line by line. Send a recent bill to start.
Half-hourly contract questions
What is a half-hourly meter?
A meter that records electricity use in every 30-minute period and sends the readings automatically, so the supply is settled and billed on actual time-of-use data. It is profile class 00 on the MPAN.
Do I need a half-hourly meter?
Yes if your site’s maximum demand is 100kW or more; it has been mandatory since 2017. Sites around 70 to 100kW can opt in. If your bill shows an availability or capacity charge in kVA you are already on one.
Is half-hourly electricity cheaper than standard metering?
Not as a rule. HH pricing reflects when you use electricity and how much capacity you reserve, so a site with heavy night or weekend use can benefit, while one with sharp daytime peaks pays for them. The comparison has to be done on real data.
What is the difference between half-hourly and standard metering for a factory?
A standard (non-half-hourly) meter is billed on an estimated profile with a flat or day/night rate. A half-hourly meter is billed on actual 30-minute data with time-of-use rates, capacity charges and reactive power charges. Factories above 100kW must be half-hourly.
Who are the best half-hourly metering providers for small businesses?
Metering is provided by meter operators under a MOP contract, usually arranged through the supplier; the choice is between the supplier’s bundled MOP and appointing your own. For small businesses the relevant change is MHHS, which settles smart and AMR meters half-hourly without the capacity charges of a profile class 00 supply.
Can I reduce my capacity charge?
Yes, if your agreed kVA is well above your actual maximum demand. Apply to the network operator to reduce it; the lower availability charge then applies. Be careful not to go below your real peak, because excess capacity charges are higher.
Want this priced for your meters?
Send us a recent bill and we will compare the suppliers on our panel on the same start date and term, and show you the annual cost of each option. No obligation.