Electricity settlement is moving so that every meter is settled on actual half-hourly consumption rather than on an estimated profile. It is the largest change to electricity market data in years, and for most businesses the practical effect is that data exists where it did not before.
Verification
- Verified as at:
- Source:
- Ofgem market-wide half-hourly settlement programme
- 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.
What is changing
Status: LawSettlement has historically used estimated profiles for smaller meters, with actual half-hourly data used only on larger supplies. Market-wide half-hourly settlement replaces that with settlement on actual consumption for every meter.
Migration began on 22 October 2025. Around 80 per cent of meters are expected to have migrated by October 2026, with full implementation in May 2027.
Why it matters commercially
Settlement completion currently takes around fourteen months. Under the new arrangements it reduces to about four.
Ofgem has estimated a net consumer benefit in the region of £1.6bn to £4.6bn. That is a system-wide estimate rather than a saving any individual business should expect, and we would not present it as one.
The effect that matters for a specific site is more mundane and more useful: consumption data becomes available at half-hourly granularity on supplies where it previously did not exist.
What that gives you
- Overnight baseload becomes visible on smaller sites. Plant running through closed hours is one of the most common findings and it cannot be seen on a quarterly read.
- Estimates reduce. A meter settled on actual consumption produces fewer corrections later.
- Comparisons become sounder. Site against site and year against year mean more when both sides rest on actual data.
- Time of use pricing becomes meaningful. A tariff that varies through the day is only worth having if you can see when you use energy.
What you should do
Very little, in terms of the migration itself. It happens through the industry rather than through you, and your supplier and meter operator handle it.
What is worth doing is being ready to use the data once it exists. A site that gains half-hourly data and never looks at it has gained nothing.
Related sheets
- Meter types explained
Half-hourly, non-half-hourly, AMR, smart and unmetered supplies, what each means for billing and data, and why the meter type decides what you can see.
- 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.
- 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.
Take this sheet into a meeting
Market-wide half-hourly settlement 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.