Meters and supply
Business meters and supply numbers
Your meter and supply numbers decide which contracts you can get and how you're charged. Find yours, check it and understand what it means.
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Business gas meter types Most business premises have a diaphragm meter sized from U6 to U160. Larger sites move to rotary or turbine meters, with a corrector and daily reads once consumption passes industry thresholds. Here is how to tell which you have. Gas meter reading to kWh Your gas meter measures volume, not energy, so your supplier converts the units you use into kWh using a correction factor and the calorific value of the gas on the day. Here is the formula, with a worked example. Maximum demand meters A maximum demand meter records the highest amount of power your business drew in any half hour, not just how much energy you used overall. That peak figure sets the capacity charge on your bill, and going over it can cost more. Single-phase vs three-phase power A single-phase supply carries electricity on one live conductor, a three-phase supply on three. Three-phase carries far more power through the same size of cable, which is why most businesses running heavier equipment need it. Half-hourly meters A half-hourly meter records your electricity use every 30 minutes. Here is who has to have one, what the market-wide switch to half-hourly settlement means, and how HH bills are built. Meter serial numbers Your meter serial number identifies the physical gas or electricity meter at your premises. Here is where to find it, when you need it and how to check meter details officially. MPRN numbers Your MPRN is the reference that identifies your gas supply point. Here is where to find it, what to do if you can't, and how it links to your annual quantity (AQ). New business energy connections Getting power or gas to new or unconnected business premises means dealing with the network company first, then a supplier. Here is how each step works and what the rules require. Smart meters for business Which smart or advanced meter your business should have, what protections you get when one is fitted, and how new rules from September 2027 link smart meters to fixed-term contracts. What is a DNO? Your DNO owns the cables and substations that bring electricity to your premises. Here is who runs each region, what they do for your business and how their charges end up on your bill.
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