Your electricity meter is being upgraded as part of the National Market-wide Half-Hourly Settlement (MHHS) programme. This is an industry-wide reform to settle all electricity consumption on a half-hourly basis using Smart meters.  

The programme will help us move away from estimated or supplier readings and onto half-hourly smart meter data. So we can better monitor your energy usage and bill you accurately. It'll also help us identify opportunities to reduce your energy waste, lower your carbon emissions and spot potential equipment issues sooner. 

Yes. Please plan for a power shutdown of up to 2 hours. The meter exchange usually takes around 45 minutes, but we allow a longer window in case extra time is needed. Please consider how the outage could affect your services, equipment, colleagues, patients, visitors, and tenants, and make suitable contingency arrangements in advance. 

No. Please do not use generators or any alternative supply that could leave the electrical system live while the exchange is taking place. Engineers and electricians cannot work on live electrical systems, so keeping the system safely isolated protects everyone on site. 

Where possible, please accept an appointment during normal working hours: 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday. Out-of-hours appointments are chargeable by the Meter Operator and also need NHSPS colleagues to be available. If you believe an out-of-hours appointment is essential, please discuss with your Senior Estates Manager (SEM) as soon as possible so we escalate the request. 

Smart meters help make bills more accurate because they use actual consumption data. Please continue to review your bills, raise any queries promptly, and use the available consumption information to help you understand and manage energy use in your occupied areas. 

Yes. Smart meter usage data is encrypted and used for billing and service improvement purposes. If you use or share consumption data locally, please continue to follow your own information governance and data protection requirements. 

The Meter Operator, Stark Connect, will carry out the meter exchanges. The NHSPS project team will share the planned date and time with each Senior Estates Manager (SEM) for each site, giving at least 4 weeks' notice where possible. Following this, the Senior Estates Manager for your site will contact you with a proposed appointment. 

When you receive the proposed appointment, please check whether you can safely accommodate the date and time, identify any services or stakeholders that may be affected, and respond quickly so the visit can be confirmed. 

Important: Because appointments depend on Stark engineer availability and the scale of the programme, please try to accept the first date and time offered unless there are exceptional circumstances. 

We have approved Stark’s RAMS for the meter exchange programme. Please help us plan the visit safely by providing accurate site information, confirming any local requirements, and highlighting any operational risks to your SEM.

Some sites across the estate are classed as complex, typically hospitals, larger properties, or sites with more complex electrical systems. At these sites, an NHSPS Authorised Person (electrician) will be on site throughout the day and will work closely with the Stark engineer. The Senior Estates Manager (SEM) or Estates Coordinator (EC) will also be present to help make sure the exchange runs smoothly. 

For non-complex sites, an NHSPS competent person (electrician) and the SEM or EC will be on site for the exchange. 

Please make sure you're aware of the meter exchange date and time and work with our colleagues to prepare in advance. This will help reduce risk and avoid issues on the day of the appointment. Before your appointment, you'll need to help confirm key site-specific information, including meter and accessibility details. 

We'll also ask you to complete a Permission to Isolate form (TF‑05‑ISO) before the visit. The form confirms that everyone affected understands the safety, compliance, and accountability requirements before any electrical isolation takes place. Please make sure all colleagues, services, and stakeholders understand the planned isolation and that documented signed approval is in place where needed. 

Please make sure you have suitable arrangements in place for any critical equipment that may be affected by the planned shutdown, such as drug fridges, vaccination fridges, IT racks, or other essential equipment. These arrangements should be covered through your own Business Continuity Plans (BCP) and may include backup power where appropriate, temperature or equipment monitoring, communication with affected teams, and clear contingency steps for the shutdown period. 

If power is not fully restored following the exchange, our on-site team will implement the Major Incident Management & Disaster Recovery process. Please also activate your own local escalation and business continuity arrangements for any affected services. 

We're working closely with Stark Connect to develop the delivery schedule. Complex sites are expected to receive at least three months’ notice and are likely to be scheduled for late 2026 or early 2027, although exceptions may be discussed on a case-by-case basis with your Senior Estates Manager (SEM). All other sites will receive enough notice to make the necessary arrangements. Please use the notice period to review local impacts, brief affected stakeholders, arrange access, and complete the required forms.

There is no charge for standard meter exchanges completed during normal working hours. 

You can help avoid unnecessary additional costs by accepting an appointment during normal working hours wherever possible. Out-of-hours appointments are chargeable. Normal working hours are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday. Requests outside these hours will incur charges depending on the day and time: 

If you cancel a visit without sufficient notice or it must be aborted, you'll be charged £95 plus VAT.

If you need to cancel because of unforeseen circumstances, please notify your Senior Estates Manager (SEM) as soon as possible. Whole Current meter exchanges are carefully coordinated by geographical region, so late cancellations can affect the wider programme. To avoid cancellation charges, please give at least two weeks' notice wherever possible. 

Please help identify everyone who may be affected by the isolation, including: 

• NHSPS colleagues 
• Tenants and GPs 
• NHS Trust departments (e.g. pharmacy, dental, mental health) 
• Service providers and contractors 
• Any affected clinical or operational leads 
• Superior Landlord if applicable 

NHSPS is currently paying for all meters included in this programme and is responsible for arranging the upgrade so billing can continue. If you occupy a leasehold site, please support any checks with the Superior Landlord where applicable and confirm that the upgrade can proceed before the appointment date. 

If you have any questions about the meter exchange, please contact your Senior Estates Manager (SEM) in the first instance. 

The Electrical Analogue-to-Smart upgrade project is managed by our Utilities & Data team, in close collaboration with SEMs for your site.

If unsure, you can contact our customer service centre, and they'll put you in touch with the right colleague.