Managing half-hourly data across a multi-site portfolio
Running several half-hourly sites means more meters, contracts and data to track. Learn how to build an MPAN register, align contract dates, benchmark sites by profile and approach recharging and group contracts.
For a business with several sites, half-hourly (HH) data is both a challenge and an opportunity. Each meter produces 17,520 readings a year, contracts end on different dates and network charges vary by region. Organised properly, the same data lets you compare sites, spot problems quickly and buy electricity as a group.
Key points
- Keep one MPAN register with meter, contract and capacity details for every site.
- Align contract end dates so sites can be tendered together.
- Benchmark sites on HH profile measures, not just annual totals.
- Use sub-metering and clear rules for any landlord or tenant recharging.
- Track MHHS changes and agent appointments across the portfolio.
Build an MPAN register
The foundation of multi-site management is a single register of every electricity supply. A spreadsheet is enough to start. For each supply, record:
- Site name, address and the person responsible on site.
- The full 21-digit MPAN, including the profile class (00 for half-hourly).
- The DNO region, from the first two digits of the MPAN core, which sets your DUoS rates and red-band times.
- Supplier, contract type, start and end dates and termination notice terms.
- Agreed Supply Capacity and the highest recent half-hour demand.
- Meter operator and data service (MSA and ADS under MHHS), with their contract end dates.
- Annual consumption, cost centre and any tenant or sub-meter arrangements.
- Whether a letter of authority is in place, and when it expires.
Check the register against bills at least once a year. Sites that have closed, been sold or been acquired are easy to miss, so update it whenever the estate changes.
Align contract end dates
When each site renews on a different date, you lose the chance to tender the portfolio as one and spend more time managing renewals. Bringing end dates together lets you approach suppliers with a single, larger requirement and gives you one timeline to manage.
Ways to align dates include choosing shorter or longer terms for some sites at their next renewal so they end together, or using a group contract that lets sites join at different times and end on a common date. Plan this a year or more ahead, and make sure no site falls onto out-of-contract rates in the process. Our renewal checklist sets out the steps for each site.
Benchmark sites by half-hourly profile
Annual kWh per square metre is a common benchmark, but it hides when and how a site uses electricity. HH data lets you compare sites on measures that point to specific actions:
| Measure | How to work it out | What it can show |
|---|---|---|
| Base load | Lowest typical overnight half-hour demand | Equipment left running when the site is closed |
| Out-of-hours share | kWh outside opening hours divided by total kWh | Weak time controls or shutdown routines |
| Red-band share | kWh in the DUoS red band divided by total kWh | Scope to move flexible load |
| Load factor | Average demand divided by peak demand | How peaky the profile is |
| Capacity use | Peak kVA divided by Agreed Supply Capacity | Unused capacity, or risk of excess charges |
Red-band times differ between DNO regions, so use each site's own times. Compare like with like: similar activities, opening hours and floor areas. A site that stands out on two or three measures is a good candidate for a closer look, and a load profile analysis can produce these figures across the estate.
Landlord and tenant recharging
Where a landlord holds the supply contract and recharges occupiers, or several businesses share one supply, HH data and sub-metering make recharging fairer and easier to explain. At a high level:
- Check what the lease or service charge terms say about recharging electricity.
- Use accurate, regularly read sub-meters rather than floor-area estimates where possible.
- Decide how standing, capacity and other non-commodity charges are shared, and explain it to occupiers.
- Reconcile sub-meter totals with the main HH meter to spot losses or faulty meters.
- Take advice on the rules for reselling electricity, particularly where any occupiers are domestic.
Group contracts and procurement
A group or portfolio contract can bring several sites under one supplier and one set of terms, sometimes with consolidated billing. Larger portfolios may buy energy flexibly, in tranches over time, across the combined volume. Points to check:
- Whether HH and non-HH sites can sit on the same agreement.
- How sites are added or removed during the contract, and at what price.
- Whether volume tolerances apply to the portfolio as a whole or site by site.
- How bills are presented: one invoice, or one per site with a summary.
- Who checks bills across the portfolio each month.
Our multi-site energy service covers group tenders, and our guide to fixed, flexible and pass-through contracts explains the main structures.
Check bills consistently across the estate
An error on one bill is easy to spot; the same error spread across thirty sites is not. A simple monthly routine helps:
- Check that every MPAN in the register has received a bill, and that no closed site is still being billed.
- Compare billed consumption with the HH data for each site.
- Check that capacity charges match each site's ASC, and look for new excess capacity or reactive power charges.
- Look out for estimated bills, which can point to a metering or data problem.
- Confirm that unit rates match the contract, especially after sites join or leave a group agreement.
Keep on top of MHHS and agents
Market-wide Half-Hourly Settlement is changing agent roles across Great Britain, with a full migration deadline of May 2027. Across an estate, sites may migrate at different times and under different suppliers. Add a column to your register for MHHS status and the appointed agents, and check that data keeps flowing for every MPAN. Our MHHS explainer sets out the changes, and Elexon's MHHS pages carry the programme detail.
Get help managing a multi-site portfolio
If you manage several half-hourly sites, we can help you build an MPAN register, check bills across the estate and plan a group renewal.
Request a free quote or bill check or call 07565 147 170.
Frequently asked questions
What should a multi-site MPAN register include?
At minimum, the full MPAN, site address, supplier, contract type and end date, notice terms, Agreed Supply Capacity, meter operator and data service details, and annual consumption. Adding the DNO region, peak demand, cost centre, letter of authority status and MHHS migration status makes the register far more useful for renewals and bill checks.
Can sites with different contract end dates join one group contract?
Often, yes. Some suppliers offer portfolio agreements where sites join as their existing contracts end and then share a common end date. Check how prices are set for sites that join later, and make sure no site is left on out-of-contract rates while it waits to join the group agreement.
How do I compare electricity use between sites of different sizes?
Use ratios rather than totals. Measures such as base load compared with peak demand, out-of-hours share of total use, red-band share and load factor allow fair comparison between sites of different sizes. Group sites with similar activities and opening hours before comparing them, and use each site's own red-band times.
