P272

What is P272?

P272 is the industry name of the mandatory regulatory change for electricity meters in classes 05-08 (often called Max Demand Meters) that affects over 100,000 UK businesses. From 1 April 2017, these meters will be billed in a new way.

How will the bill and billing change?

Currently, your supplier bills you based on a single read giving your supplier your annual consumption which is then subject to an industry-agreed calculation based on your meter class. This then gives your supplier a crude picture of when they think you actually use electricity. Your electricity bill is very simple but not reflective of when you really consume electricity.

Going forward, an 05-08 meter will be automatically read every half hour, over the full year, giving your supplier your actual consumption from 17,520 reads. As such your bill will become more accurate but also a lot more complicated and new charges may also appear.

It is also possible that you could be charged more if you use electricity during peak times. The situation is complicated as energy suppliers are approaching the changeover in different ways and the peak times vary depending upon the Distribution Network provider you are linked to.

To make things clearer, Business Energies  have contacted all the Distribution Networks and compiled an easy to understand table of the peak times for each Distribution Network which can be downloaded here.

Will my meter need to be changed?

The majority of 05-08 meters are most likely to be an AMR meter, or in the process of being converted to one, as a result of previous industry regulatory requirements. This means that, in the majority of cases, the meter won’t need any change to be configured for Half Hourly billing. In the rare occurrences where the AMR meter is not configured for HH reads, the supplier should be able to modify this remotely without any change to the meter.

Key dates

• 5 November 2015: As of this date suppliers renewing a contract or acquiring a new contract for an 05-08 (max demand) meter have 45 days to move the meter energy data onto Half Hourly reads
• 1 April 2017: The deadline for Energy Suppliers to switch 05-08 meters to Half Hourly settlement

The opportunity

Business Energies will help you understand the impact of P272 on your business and our services can help put you back in control.

Our P272 Solution gives you:

• Dedicated P272 experts who will assess your current situation, de-mystify the change, help you manage the transition and ensure your new bill is correct
• Help to understand and take advantage of the opportunities P272 has created
• The software and tools to visualise your electricity use through Monitoring and Targeting
• The ability to control how and when you use your electricity to be more efficient, reduce consumption at peak times, lower your costs and find the most suitable deal in the future
• If required, a highly experienced Data Collector (DC) and Meter Operator (MOP), at a potentially lower cost than your suppliers’ choice, who will ensure that we receive the accurate and timely electricity data we need to help you monitor your usage

The alternative:

• You hand control of your consumption data to your supplier
• You won't know what your supplier is basing your bill on
• You won't know if your new bill is correct or not
• You won't have quick access to your own electricity data
• You won't know how to make savings and take control

Can you afford to do nothing?