The meter on a supply decides how often you are read, how accurately you are billed, what data you can see, and in some cases which charges apply. Most businesses have a mix across their sites and have never had it explained.
Verification
- Verified as at:
- Source:
- Elexon settlement arrangements; industry metering definitions
- Last reviewed by:
- Omnium
Figures in this sheet were current at the verification date above. Regulated charges reset each April. If you are relying on a figure, check the source or ask us.
Designed A4 fact sheet, ready to print or circulate.
The main types
| Type | What it is |
|---|---|
| Half-hourly | Records consumption every half hour and sends it automatically. The richest data, used on larger supplies, and the basis of waste, capacity and power factor analysis. |
| Non-half-hourly | Read periodically or estimated, giving a total over a period rather than a pattern of use. Historically the majority of smaller business supplies. |
| AMR | A traditional meter fitted with a communications device that sends reads remotely, removing estimates and often providing half-hourly data without a full half-hourly supply. |
| Smart | Records and transmits consumption automatically, giving accurate billing and granular data. |
| Unmetered | Supplies with no meter, billed on agreed consumption. Street lighting and some signage. |
Why the type matters
- Billing accuracy. An estimated meter can bill the wrong amount and store up a correction for later.
- What you can see. Half-hourly data is what reveals overnight baseload, demand peaks and power factor problems. Without it those findings are not available, because the data to make them does not exist.
- Which charges apply. Half-hourly supplies carry capacity charges and sometimes reactive charges that non-half-hourly supplies do not. They also carry the management opportunities those charges represent.
- What can be checked. A validation against a contract can only go as far as the read allows. On an estimated read we say so rather than validating around it.
The upgrade question
Where a site has no usable data, the question is whether better metering earns its place. That depends on the size of the supply and on what would be done with the data once it existed.
We would rather say that a small supply does not justify the change than recommend metering that will never pay for itself.
Related sheets
- Network charges and agreed capacity
Why regulated network charges rose sharply in April 2026, and why the capacity you reserve is a lever most businesses have never pulled.
- Power factor and reactive charges
A poor power factor means a site draws more current than the work requires, and pays for it through reactive charges and inflated capacity.
- Reading your energy bill
What every line on a commercial gas and electricity bill means, so you can check it is right and see which parts you can influence.
Take this sheet into a meeting
Meter types explained is available as a designed A4 fact sheet, dated and set for printing or circulation.
If this sheet raises a question about your own sites, speak to us.