Electricity Rates and Political Debates

As the cold season is here, so are the worries regarding the costs of the electricity bills. And while the parties continue to debate, the electricity bills follow their ascending course. Earlier this month, the Prime Minister, David Cameron said that energy firms will be forced by law to offer their customers the lowest tariffs. Before this, British Gas and Npower announced that they would have to increase gas and electricity prices as a consequence of wholesale prices, but also because of government’s policies.

The new measures will be included in an Energy Bill that is supposed to be published in the next few weeks.

With all these discussions, reforms and amendments, understanding how electricity rates are calculated and which supplier is the most advantageous for both individuals and business consumers can be quite tricky. As businesses are quite large and important consumers, the situation can be even trickier.

It is therefore imperative that businesses choose the supplier that best suits their profile and needs, and that half hourly meters are used properly. As many consumers are afraid to go with a new option, or simply have got too much used to the current supplier, money can be lost without even being aware.

So getting the right advice about the cheapest electricity rates for business is the first step.  

The second is understanding what a half hourly meter is.

So, how does a half hourly meter actually work?

It basically registers how much electricity is used in a building for every half hour of every day. They have a fixed or mobile phone connection to transmit this data automatically each month. As expected half hourly meter pricing is different to the standard one. The data is more accurate and the extra or unnecessary usage more easily to track. They are the best answer to businesses that want to cut down on expenses. Half hourly meters are mandatory for all consumers with a maximum power demand greater than 100 KW.

As they are mandatory, having accurate and complete information about the suppliers and the services is very important in order for businesses to make the right choice.

However, the most important thing to be remembered is that switching to a different gas and electricity supplier can be a very smart move.