Introducing Market Wide Half
Hourly Settlement (MHHS)

What the Public Sector Needs to Know

WME is here to help our public sector customers navigate and understand changes in energy legislation. Market-wide Half Hourly Settlement, often shortened to MHHS or “market-wide”, has been introduced by the UK’s energy regulator Ofgem with the aim of modernising how all consumers’ energy usage is recorded, vastly improving visibility of how much and, crucially, when, electricity is used, across the sector.

MHHS will provide consumers with more precise understanding of their electricity usage patterns; for those choosing to engage with this opportunity, this can lead to reductions in your energy usage and, ultimately, lowering your energy bills.

In collaboration with our electricity framework supplier, npower Business Solutions, WME will oversee the smooth rollout of the MHHS, ensuring minimal disruption to your electricity billing as we tackle what is being dubbed by industry experts as “the biggest change to the electricity sector since privatisation”.

What Is the MHHS Legislation?

The MHHS legislation is a new requirement that mandates the use of half-hourly data to measure electricity usage for all customers.  This change is part of a larger initiative to improve transparency and accuracy across the energy sector.

By moving all non-half-hourly electricity meters onto half-hourly settlement, this creates a more detailed and timely view of every consumer’s usage. This is a necessary step for the electricity industry to reform the way electricity is generated and stored, creating a much more flexible and cost-effective electricity system for the UK.

Key Benefits of MHHS for the Public Sector

The MHHS legislation brings several important benefits for public sector organisations, including:

• Informed Energy Management: The key benefit for customers is the opportunity to see their energy usage broken down into 30-minute intervals, and gain insights into how and when energy use occurs, enabling smarter energy-saving decisions that drive cost savings.
• Improved Billing Accuracy: Many customers have had AMR metering installed already, to replace older “pedestrian” style meters.  These AMR meters allow suppliers more regular access to meter readings, increasing the amount of billing that directly reflects a user’s actual energy consumption, and reducing the likelihood of under- or overestimated charges.
• Better Budgeting: Accurate data allows organisations to better track their energy usage, making it easier to plan and allocate budgets effectively.

Timescales for Implementation

The rollout of MHHS has commenced and will continue over the next couple of years. WME, working alongside npower Business Solutions, will guide this transition to ensure that our customers remain compliant and benefit from improved billing processes.

Minimal Disruption, Maximum Support

WME is committed to making this transition as smooth as possible. With our team managing the MHHS rollout in partnership with npower Business Solutions, WME customers can rest assured that there should be no disruption to their energy supply.

The implementation will involve updating energy meters to ensure they can report half-hourly usage data accurately.  This update will be managed entirely by WME and npower Business Solutions, with much of the work to re-programme meters being carried out remotely, requiring minimal involvement from customers.

Any necessary meter adjustments or installations will be coordinated seamlessly to avoid interference with your day-to-day operations.  However, MHHS does not mandate changing a meter.  Pedestrian meters will still operate as they do now and continue to take manual meter readings, if customers are unable or prefer not to have HH-capable AMR metering installed.

How WME Can Help

WME’s dedicated support team is available to answer any questions you may have about the MHHS legislation and its implementation. Our goal is to provide our customers with clear, transparent information, helping you make the most of the benefits this legislation offers.