If your properties are using electricity meters that are the old-fashioned manual type, then in all probabilities you’re using too much electricity. It’s a shame but the manual types of meters don’t inform you about how much electricity is actually being used or even when it is being used.
Having to read those old-time meters is also quite tedious and extremely inconvenient. Somebody has to read them though, whether it’s you or a meter operator rep. Regardless of who does it organizing the readings is a task. When meters are not being read in a regular fashion then the energy bills are going to be ‘estimated’ and not truly accurate.
One of the ‘advantages of half hourly provison of electricity’ is how they carry peak loads that are over 100kw. Also known as ’00’ electricity meters, they are now being used just about everywhere within the world of commercial electricity supplies. These meters get read accurately every 30 minutes 24/7. That kind of monitoring produces exact numbers that cannot lie and do not get estimated on your bill. The data is immediately exported automatically from your meter and directly sent to whoever your supplier happens to be. This way you are ensured of an accurate bill and accurate data to help you make changes that will save you money.
Before you get one of these half hourly meter upgrades or installations, it’s a good idea to shop around for competitive prices. Talk to your supplier along with other suppliers and comparison shop to locate the best deal possible for your unique situation.
Try to steer clear of billing structures that only involve one firm that has a monopoly on everything that’s offered. Learn to negotiate and work out a deal that’s right for you and your business. Not all suppliers are the same and good deals are out there if you spend the time to find them.
There are some excellent benefits that come from having half hourly electricity meters, such as excellent management of the analysis and data collected. Today we have technology on our side and there are some fantastic software applications to help you collect the data and generate reports, identify trends, and evaluate your situation. With this kind of accurate information you’ll be in the driver’s seat as far as managing the costs involved with your energy bill.
If your consumption rises in any area it will trigger the software to sound the alarm and you’ll know right away something needs taken care of. You can better track the trends as far as falls and rises, spike and dips, and slow times and peak times of energy use.
In 2014 laws were put into force that called for all commercial enterprises that used enough energy to rate being billed on a monthly basis, must switch over the Automated (AMR) Meters and drop the old manually read meters. That’s because of the accuracy of the data. Every commercial enterprise that falls into this category should know whether or not they are complying with this law. If they are not sure it would be in their best interest to find out. Under penalty of law non-compliance could lead to fines or maybe more.
If they will check their energy bill and look for an ‘AMR’ charge they can know they’re in compliance. Or, if they worked out some sort of agreement with their supplier that puts the charge onto another invoice, they should check that.
If you’d like to lower the electricity bills for our business get in touch with the ‘Business Energy Store’. You can call us or find us online.
We can answer any and all questions you may have and get to work right away on helping you create the best plan for your unique business.