The P272 countdown has begun… the final deadline of April 1st 2017 is now just around the corner. Many suppliers have been waiting until the deadline to make the transition to half-hourly billing for their customers affected by the regulation. If your business is in energy profile class 05 to 08 and you haven’t yet prepared, the message is: act now!
Are you ready?
If your business is caught by P272 legislation, your supplier should by now have been in touch to make sure that you have an AMR (Automatic Meter Reading) meter in place and that you are ready to be transferred over to half hourly (HH) settlement and billing.
Whilst this means new charges being added to the bill – from metering contracts to the cost of consuming energy during peak demand periods such as DUoS red bands – there are benefits too.
When the transfer happens, you’ll enjoy the benefits of detailed data on your energy usage – empowering you to spot potential saving opportunities, make more cost-efficient energy choices, or alter consumption patterns to shift load away from peak periods. HH billing really can open the door to a plethora of new efficiency opportunities for your business, and gives you a chance to take a smarter approach to your energy spend. If you’re in the Retail, Property or Public sector, find out how to make P272 work for your business.
New HH charges can be reduced
Alongside the benefits, HH settlement and billing will unfortunately also bring some new charges with it. Meter Operator (MOP) and Data Collection/Collation (DC) charges will now be included on your supplier invoice and this is where the action you take right now can make a real difference to the price you pay. Inenco estimates that businesses could save up to £600 per annum, per meter point: for some organisations with multiple sites, that quickly adds up to big savings.
Not all MOP and DC providers are the same; as with your energy supplier, the contracts they offer will differ in price, length and added-value services. It’s essential to take a good look at all the options, to make sure you get a contract that suits your business and your budget. If you do nothing, you’ll be assigned a default provider for MOP and DC services, but shopping around now really could save you thousands in the long run.