MPAN number for a business electricity meter installation
You will need to know your MPAN number before you can do anything else. This will be provided by the DNO (Distribution Network Operator) for your region. For example, in London the DNO is UK Power Networks.
If you are unsure whether you have an MPAN, call our small, friendly team, and we will check this for you.
DNOs are responsible for the section of the electricity network in your region. They are the companies you see digging up the road to lay new cables.
If the DNO has laid new electricity cabling to your business premises, ready to take the meter, your engineer managing the project will have provided you with an MPAN. This is specific to your electricity supply.
You are now ready to arrange your electric meter installation.
Arranging your business electricity meter installation
Now you have your MPAN you can decide who to use for the installation of your electricity meter.
You need to have a contract agreed for your electricity supply, before the meter is installed. This is a legal requirement. If you could arrange for the meter to be installed without a supply contract, you would be receiving free electricity as soon as it is installed. Which would be nice, but clearly not legal.
Therefore, we need to choose an electricity supplier for your commercial premises. They will then arrange for the meter to be installed.
We can get prices from a wide range of suppliers. You will need an electricity supplier who will be able to arrange the electric meter installation quickly and efficiently.
Business energy suppliers might tell you installation is free – this isn’t the case
The electric meter installation cost is usually included in the price of the supply contract (eg. in the unit rate and standing charge). Although we can arrange for them to charge this separately. Suppliers will build more into the unit rate, for example, to cover the cost of supplying the meter hardware and sending out an engineer to install the meter.
There are several suppliers to steer clear of in our opinion, as they can take an inordinate amount of time. It also depends on the Meter Operator they use to install the meter.
The meter is installed by an engineer from a company known as a Meter Operator. Energy suppliers will pass all their meter installations to their preferred Meter Operator.
Here is a list of Meter Operators. As brokers we have tried and trusted relationships with several Meter Operators, going back many years.
Supply contract
You also need a supply contract for your electricity that is competitive and good value. A business owner may not appreciate that electricity prices can vary considerably from supplier to supplier. If you just check one or two companies, you aren’t likely to get the best price for your electricity.
Thankfully, we work with around 25 energy companies.
Our day-to-day work is arranging the best value energy contracts for our business customers. We pride ourselves as experts in this field.
We will provide options from electricity suppliers that are both competitively priced and have quick installation times. As mentioned above, the installation cost is included in the supply contract prices. However, for complete clarity, we can arrange for suppliers to price (and bill) the meter costs separately to the electricity contract.
How long does it take to install a business electricity meter?
Typically, 1-3 weeks once the electricity supply contract has been signed. It will depend on the availability of engineers at the time. Certain meters such as Half Hourly CT meters have to be installed by engineers specifically qualified to do so.
Once we have agreed the electricity supply contract and prices for your meter with you, this is sent to the energy supplier. They will then apply to register your MPAN which can take a few days.
Once the MPAN is registered with your chosen energy company, they will instruct their Meter Operator (MOP) to install the meter.
It is usually the Meter Operator who will contact you to arrange a convenient time for the electric meter installation. Not the energy supplier. This will sometimes catch a business owner off guard. Energy companies are more concerned with purchasing electricity in the energy markets, billing the end user for electricity used. They use third party engineers to install the meter and anything specifically meter related.
Once the electricity meter is installed, you are connected to the grid and will be billed for the electricity used.
Electric meter installation directly with a Meter Operator
An alternative route is to agree a supply contract for your business electricity with an energy company. And then arrange the meter installation directly with a Meter Operator.
This is more common with Half Hourly meter installations. For Half Hourly meters, you will usually have a separate MOP contract, so the electric meter installation cost will be added to this.
This is beneficial for several reasons.
When agreeing a supply contract that includes the new electric meter installation cost, the cost of the meter is completely hidden. And the supplier probably marks this up as well. By going direct to a Meter Operator, we ensure you are getting the meter and installation, at cost.
Going direct to a Meter Operator means we avoid large mark-ups by the energy supplier for the meter cost and installation.
They certainly mark-up other aspects of Meter Operator services, so this might be a wise choice.
We then arrange the electricity contract (minus any costs for installing the meter) as usual, from our many energy suppliers. You can then be confident the supply contract has no extras built in for the meter install.
New electric meter installation cost in UK
At the time of writing, typical costs from our Meter Operators for installing Half Hourly meters are as follows:
Standard meter (non-half hourly)
Meter cost £173.00 plus VAT
Meter installation £124.00 plus VAT
P272 Half Hourly meter
Meter cost £185.00 plus VAT
Meter installation £124.00 plus VAT
COP5 Half Hourly meter
Meter cost £297.64 plus VAT
Meter installation £124.00 plus VAT
COP3 Half Hourly meter
Meter cost £442.11 plus VAT
Meter installation £248.00 plus VAT
We send the signed MOP contract to your chosen electricity supplier. The electricity supplier sends internal industry flows to the Meter Operator, appointing them as your MOP. They will then contact you to arrange a convenient installation date.
Different types of electricity meter you can install
Single rate meters
Single rate meters should be installed by businesses who will be open during the day. And have little use for electricity during the night.
As it is a single rate, your supply contract will be one rate for every kWh of electricity used, whatever the time of day. As with most contracts, there will also be a standing charge.
Ideal for business open 9-5 that don’t provide food.
Two-rate meters
With a two-rate meter there will be two different rates, each at a particular time of day or week. The most common is a Day & Night meter. Energy companies will charge you a considerably lower rate per kWh for electricity used between midnight and 7am.
However, the price you are charged per kWh during the day will usually be higher than the rate for a single rate mater.
These meters are ideal for businesses that have a constant drain on electricity throughout the day and night. For example, food shops, cafes and delicatessens. They may have several refrigeration units that have to be on 24 hours a day.
Paying a lot less during the night hours, and a little more during the day, can make quite a difference to the annual cost for some businesses.
Historically, old buildings such as churches, that had night storage heaters would have benefitted from Day & Night meters.
Some two-rate meters have a WeekDay rate and a second rate for hours during the Evening, Night and Weekends. The lower second rate often applies from Friday evening through to Monday morning. As well as midnight to 7am every night during the week.
Three-rate meters
These meters have three different rates for WeekDay hours, Evening & Weekend hours, and Night hours.
Three-rate meters are ideally suited to nightclubs for example. They won’t be open during the day, and only use minimal electricity (for an alarm system perhaps) during these hours. Which is good, as the WeekDay rate per kWh will be higher.
The trade-off here is the slightly lower rate for electricity used during Evenings & Weekends when the power demand will be greatest. And the even lower Night rate, which those clubs open after midnight will benefit from.
However, every meter is different. Within the above examples, there are further breakdowns of different elements that will affect the price you are charged (Meter Time Class, Line Loss factor, etc). And single or three-phase for example. As well as the region of the country you are located. Always check the prices first before deciding which meter to install.
Half Hourly meters
As referred to above, these are for larger, energy intensive sites. Any site pulling over 100kVA of power will need a Half Hourly meter installed. Your local network operator (DNO) will advise if this is the case. Data from the meter is collected remotely at 30-minute intervals by the Meter Operator. They send this information to your electricity supplier for billing.
We have more information on contracts for Half Hourly meters here.