Electricity Profile Classes - What are they and How do I know mine?

What is my Profile Class?

• Your Electricity Profile Cass can be determined by the first two digits (The Prefix) of your supply number. This is the 21-digit number that begins with an S that you can find on your energy bill/ invoice. The Prefix profiles have 9 classes, ranging from 00 - 08.
• Your Profile Class is based on the amount of energy being used and when it is being used. This is your Consumption pattern and determines which class your business fits into.

What do the Profile Classes mean?

• When shopping around for energy quotes you may come across profile classes as these affect the unit rate prices that may be offered to you - This is the price per kWh.
• The P272: As of April 2017, there have been some changes in the classification of profiles 05 to 08. Previously these were categorised as Advanced Non- Half Hourly. However, from April these will now need to be switched through the Change of Measurement Class (CoMC) to a Half-Hourly plan. This is due to Ofgem hoping to create a larger smart energy market and bring better pricing benefits and more accurate rates to those businesses with larger consumptions.

What are each of the Profile Classes?

• Profile Class 01 - Domestic Unrestricted
  The majority of household consumers come under this Class. It is typically a low usage Class and so Home Businesses in this group will not usually need to switch to a business unrestricted plan. However, in some cases this may be beneficial and offer better price deals.
• Profile Class 02 - Domestic Economy 7
  These are home consumers with an Economy 7 Meter installed. This is known as the 'differential tariff' and is put in place to help smaller energy users save money between Peak and Off-Peak times.
  The meter calculates usage separately between Day and Night hours and you will typically be offered an average day rate along with a lower night rate to help save money during these hours. This is especially cost effective for those with appliances running through the night. To be on one of these plans the consumer would need to sign up to Economy 7 and have that specific meter installed.
• Profile Class 03 - Non-Domestic Unrestricted
  This Class is typically for Smaller / micro-business users with a lower electricity usage. There is usually a Standard Single Charge per kWh which can be best for those who have a small use with little variation between times as suppliers can offer their single lowest kWh rate.
• Profile Class 04 - Non-Domestic Economy 7
  As with Class 02 these users have an economy 7 meter installed however on a Business / Commercial plan rather than domestic. Again, this Class offers separate Day and Night rates in order to help Businesses reduce the costs for their electricity usage during Off - Peak hours as well.
• Profile Classes 05 - 08 - Maximum Demand
  These Classes fall under Non-Domestic Maximum Demand users. These are typically High electricity users and means that the meter has the ability to measure peak demand for a certain period. Each Class can be categorised by its Peak Load Factor (LF). The LF is the total kWh usage from a given period divided by the product of the maximum demand in kilowatts (kW) and the number of hours in the period. Essentially this shows the average use (kWh) percentage compared to what the maximum use could be for this time. Previously these were on an Advanced Non-Half Hourly supply. However as mentioned above as part of the P272 they will now have to be switched to a Half Hourly supply also. Here's the breakdown:
• Profile 05 - Maximum demand with an LF of less than 20%
• Profile 06 - Maximum demand with an LF between 20% - 30%
• Profile 07 - Maximum demand with an LF between 30% - 40%
• Profile 08 - Maximum demand with an LF over 40%
• Profile Class 00 - Maximum Demand with a peak load usage over 100 kW
  Class 00 have always been and still are under Maximum Demand Half Hourly with a peak load use over 100 kW. This means annually the consumption will be 100,000 kWh or more. Half Hourly meters send an automatic reading every 30 minutes to the supplier making them much more accurate and eradicating the need to submit manual readings. In turn this can allow for better price deals when shopping for energy quotes as with more specific readings comes better suited contracts.

What if my Profile Class isn't suited for me?

If you feel that the current electricity profile class you are in doesn't fit your energy usage and you may benefit from a different class, you will need to contact your current electricity supplier.