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What Is MHHS? A Guide to Half-Hourly Settlement for Businesses
Market-Wide Half-Hourly Settlement (MHHS): What It Means for Business Energy Customers
The UK electricity market is undergoing one of its biggest changes in decades with the introduction of Market-Wide Half-Hourly Settlement (MHHS).
Over the coming months, energy suppliers will begin migrating eligible business electricity customers to the new settlement process. While the change won't affect your energy supply or contract, it will change how electricity usage is measured and how your business energy bills are produced.
What is Market-Wide Half-Hourly Settlement (MHHS)?
Market-Wide Half-Hourly Settlement is an industry-wide programme designed to modernise the UK electricity market.
Instead of estimating electricity consumption or relying on periodic meter readings, eligible businesses will have their electricity usage recorded every 30 minutes. This allows suppliers to bill customers using actual consumption data, creating a more accurate and efficient settlement process.
The programme is being rolled out across all UK electricity suppliers and is expected to be fully implemented by 2027.
How Will MHHS Affect My Business?
If your business has a compatible smart or advanced electricity meter, your supplier may migrate you to half-hourly settlement.
For most businesses, the change will mean:
- More accurate electricity billing
- No need to submit manual meter readings (where applicable)
- Improved visibility of energy usage
- Half-hourly consumption data shown on invoices
- Different invoice layouts and reporting formats
- Importantly, your electricity contract, prices and supplier will not change simply because of MHHS.
Will My Electricity Bills Change?
Your bill may look different, but this doesn't necessarily mean your costs have increased.
You may notice:
Half-hourly consumption data
New invoice layouts
Different usage summaries
More detailed consumption reporting
Businesses using bill validation software or energy management systems should ensure their systems can process half-hourly data.
What Are the Benefits of Half-Hourly Settlement?
MHHS is expected to deliver several long-term benefits, including:
More accurate billing
Better understanding of energy usage
Fewer estimated bills
Improved energy management
Greater support for renewable energy and a smarter electricity grid
More opportunities for flexible energy tariffs in the future
What Should Businesses Do Now?
There's no immediate action required for most businesses, but it's worth preparing by:
Reviewing your electricity invoices once migrated
Checking your bill validation software supports half-hourly data
Understanding any changes to your energy reports
Speaking with your energy consultant if anything appears unusual
How Utility Helpline Can Help
At Utility Helpline, we help businesses understand every aspect of their energy contracts and billing.
Our team can:
Validate your electricity invoices
Investigate billing queries
Explain changes resulting from MHHS
Monitor your energy usage
Support contract renewals and procurement
Help identify energy-saving opportunities
If you're unsure how Market-Wide Half-Hourly Settlement will affect your business, we're here to help.
Published by Utility Helpline on
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