The flagship Elexon MHHS programme is currently at full pace making changes to how Electricity settlement operates in the UK by October 2026
Settlement is the process that manages generation, movement, and consumption of electricity in the UK. The process allows market participants to generate bills and charge one another to cover distribution costs as customers of suppliers consume electricity.
Changes to the already complex settlement process will have impacts to all participants so understanding the aims and changes is key to your success as a business.
MHHS Programme – Quick Aims
MHHS aims to improve:
- Settlement accuracy and speed – so more accurate faster billing
- Settlement finalization completed in 4 months, rather than 14 months
- Enabling new products and services to support Net Zero such as EHV expansion and asset management
- Building block for more flexible and innovative energy systems (electrification of heat, transport etc.)
- Benefits to GB consumers of £1.6 to £4.6bn
And much more….
MHHS the changes –
So, what are the substantial changes for market participants such as LDSO’s and Suppliers to be aware of:
Half Hourly (HH) Data generation
Meters will be producing data half hourly with the expectation that data sent and received from Elexon and participants is faster. Meters will be migrating to HH operation across the UK by October 2026 so having the right systems to manage and process more data will be critical.
Data Integration Platform (DIP)
This is the Elexon cloud-based system to manage the quicker processing of data flows received from market participants. The DIP will pass market messages between participants as part of the settlement process. Having a system that can connect to the DIP is another critical aspect of MHHS changes.
Billing
Data and notifications for billing will be coming via the DIP so having DIP connectivity as a participant is essential as well as having a flexible billing system that processes the data flows and puts billing data and invoices at your fingertips.
Shorter settlement period
HH data and more accurate meter reads, means higher levels of accuracy so reducing the need for lengthy settlement finalization times. Having the right billing system that processes data correctly will help you meet the new standards.
New responsibilities
Suppliers will be controlling Data Service and Metering Service appointments in MHHS and LDSO’s will need to acquire a service (UMSO) to manage their unmetered sites. Businesses will need new systems and processes to manage appointments and the new UMSO service.
Change in terminology
Settlement terms such as half hourly (HH) and Non half hourly (NHH) will be replaced by meter types; Smart, Advanced and Unmetered which will impact how settlement data is generated and billed – Making sure that you are on top of the new MHHS terminology is going to be required.
How we can help
As a third-party tech provider to the electricity market we provide solutions already to the MHHS changes from billing systems, DIP interface, UMSO management system and of course expert advice on MHHS entry and all the changes and terminology you need to run a successful business If you would like to know more about how we can help your business adapt to MHHS then please get in touch. We cannot wait to hear from you.
