What is an MPAN Meter Number?
If you’re unsure what an MPAN meter number is or have been asked for one by your new business electricity supplier or business energy broker. Our guide will explain how to find it and what the numbers in your MPAN actually mean.
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What is an MPAN number?
Your MPAN number which stands for Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN) is a unique number assigned to electricity meters in domestic and business properties. To be clear, this is not the same number as your customer account number, nor should it be confused with your ‘MPRN number‘ which means Meter Point Administration Number which is assigned to your gas meter.
Where do I find an MPAN number?
You’ll find your MPAN on your electricity bill, typically under a heading called “Details of Charge”.
The numbers may be in a box as you see in our example in the image below, but not always. However, the formatting will always be the same, with the letter ‘S’, followed by two rows of numbers separated out similarly to how we’ve shown in our example. You will know you’ve found the MPAN number, as it will have a total of 21 digits, 8 on the first row and a further 13 on the second row.
What happens to my MPAN number if I move?
If you change electricity suppliers, these numbers will not change and will remain the same as they are linked to the property. However, if you’re planning to move to a new property, then you will be assigned a new MPAN number in your new property as each MPAN is directly linked to the meter and property and not to the business or electricity account holder.
When you move to your new property and agree on a new contract with an electricity supplier, they will let you know your new MPAN numbers for your new property which you will continue to use, so long as you live in or operate from and continue to require an electricity supply for your home or business.
Do I need an MPAN number and an MPRN number?
You will only need these numbers if you have either an electricity meter or a gas meter or both. They are both numbers that are assigned to electricity meters and gas meters, in both domestic and business properties. Whether or not you need an MPAN or MPRN number depends on how your home or business property is powered and heated.
For instance, many rural properties only have access to electricity and have not been connected to the mains gas supply. Instead of gas, they use heating oil to warm their homes. As so, they will not require a gas meter for their property and so will not have an MRPN number. This may also be the case with some business properties, but it really depends on individual circumstances.
What do the numbers on an MPAN mean?
Although your MPAN number may look like lots of random numbers, each set of numbers helps your electricity supplier understand more about your meter and your connection to the national grid, which we’ll explain more about in this guide.
As you can see below, we’ve highlighted all the numbers in the MPAN number which each corresponds to different information about your electricity meter. All of this information helps to ensure that you are billed correctly for the electricity that your home or business uses.
Profile type/profile class
In our example above you can see ’00’ (highlighted red), these numbers refer to the meters profile class (profile type). These numbers can either be 00 like in our example, or any number between 01 and 08.
All of these numbers are assigned to the property where the electricity meter is installed. This includes both domestic properties and non-domestic / business properties. You can use these numbers to check against your own MPAN number to ensure the profile class matches your business type. If you believe this to be wrong, you should speak to your electricity supplier.
Half-hourly business meters:
Profile class 00: Half-hourly supply (import and export)
Domestic meters:
Profile class 01: Domestic unrestricted
Profile class 02: Domestic Economy meter of two or more rates
Small and micro business meters:
Profile class 03: Non-domestic unrestricted
Profile class 04: Non-domestic Economy 7
Medium and large business meters:
Profile class 05: Non-domestic, with maximum demand (MD) recording capability and with load factor (LF) less than or equal to 20%
Profile class 06: Non-domestic, with MD recording capability and with LF less than or equal to 30% and greater than 20%
Profile class 07: Non-domestic, with MD recording capability and with LF less than or equal to 40% and greater than 30%
Profile class 08: Non-domestic, with MD recording capability and with LF greater than 40% (also all non-half-hourly export MSIDs)
To note: If you had a meter that showed a profile number between 05 and 08 before 5th November 2015. Ofgem regulation P272 have since required all business meters previously within these classes to automatically be re-profiled as half-hourly meters (profile class 00).
Meter Time Switch Code (MTC)
In our example above you can see three numbers ‘123’ (highlighted pink). These numbers refer to various registers a meter may have so that you are billed correctly by your supplier.
For instance, a domestic account holder or business may have a single rate, but domestic account holders or businesses may choose to be billed on a day/night split, weekend rates or a seasonal time of day for instance.
Line loss factor class (LLFC)
In our example above you can see three numbers ‘123’ (highlighted purple). These numbers are used to identify the Distribution Use of System (DUoS) charges for the MPAN.
This number denotes the fees charged to suppliers by the distribution network, to cover the cost of using the networks and cables in your area. This fee is added to cover the losses of around 8% of all electricity generated, as a result of technical issues such as lost heat by the network cables and non-technical such as metering inaccuracies and theft.
Another factor that may increase the LLFC cost to a domestic account holder or business is their distance from the distribution substation. The longer the distance, the more cables that are required to transfer the electricity to the property which in turn leads to a greater loss of energy.
Distributor ID
In our example above you can see three numbers ’12’ (highlighted blue). These numbers are used to identify the regional distribution network operator (DNO. Your distributor ID number could be anything between 10 and 23.
The UK is split up into regions, with 14 DNO licence areas across the UK, with a single operator being responsible for the distribution of electricity from the National Grid to metered properties within their region.
Meter Point ID Number
In our example above you can see eight numbers ‘1234 5678’ (highlighted yellow). These numbers are a unique identifier for your meter and distribution area. When you’re looking to switch electricity suppliers, these numbers help the business energy broker and new electricity supplier to identify your metering point.
Check Digit
In layman’s terms, a check digit is a number that is used to ensure that the first 12 numbers along the bottom of the MPAN number are correct. This is done using a mathematical formula called a modulus 11 test.
From our example, the numbers used in the formula would be (in black) 12 – 12345678 – 123. Of course, your MPAN numbers will be different, but you will still use the first 12 numbers to calculate the final number to check against the check digit. In our example, this check digit number would be a 3.
All being well, you should find that your modulus 11 test comes back with the same number as your 13th and final number in the bottom row of your MPAN number. If the 13th digit and the result of the test were different, you may have incorrectly used one of the numbers in the modulus 11 test.
However, if you’re sure that you calculated the results correctly, it would be advisable to call your existing electricity supplier to ensure that the correct MPAN number appears on your electricity bill.
Are you looking to switch business electricity suppliers?
Whatever the reason for your interest in MPAN meter numbers, we hope we’ve been able to answer many of your questions. If it were merely curiosity having seen one on your electricity bill and wondering what those numbers meant. We hope we’ve been able to help you better understand another part of your electricity bill.
However, if it’s because you’ve started to look for a new business electricity supplier as your current contract is nearing the end. We’re sure that our expert business electricity brokers will be able to help save you time searching for a new supplier and ultimately, help you save money.
Business energy contract due to renew? Call us on 0800 9777 000 or fill in our energy quote form to see how much you could save…
