MPRNs and GPRNs

Benefits of reporting MPRNs & GPRNs

Entering and validating your organisation's MPRNs and GPRNs is the easiest way to report your electricity and natural gas consumption. All you have to do is enter your meter numbers once and then validate them each year. The M&R system automatically sources the consumption data directly from the meter operator.

Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN)

Your Meter Point Reference Number stays the same even if you change electricity supplier. Regardless of which supplier you use, the MPRN is managed by the ESB Meter Registration System Operator (MRSO). You only need to submit each MPRN once, but previously submitted MPRNs need to be validated each year.

Find your MPRN

MPRN(s) are prominently displayed on the electricity bills you receive from your supplier. Suppliers provide sample bills on their websites showing where to find the MPRN on their bills. If you cannot find your MPRN(s), contact your electricity supplier who will be able to check for you.

Multiple MPRNs

Some sites or buildings can have more than one metered connection and therefore will have more than one MPRN. If your organisation has more than one location, it will have at least one metered connection with a unique MPRN at each location.

You may not receive a separate bill from your electricity supplier for each MPRN. Some electricity suppliers combine several connections (MPRNs) onto a single bill every billing period; however, in these cases each individual MPRN should be listed on the bill.

Gas Point Registration Number (GPRN)

Your Gas Point Registration Number stays the same even if you change natural gas supplier. Regardless of which supplier you use, the GPRN is managed on an independent basis by Gas Networks Ireland. You only need to submit each GPRN once, but previously submitted GPRNs need to be validated each year.

Find your GPRN

Your GPRNs are prominently displayed on the natural gas bills you receive from your supplier. Suppliers provide sample bills on their websites showing where to find the GPRN on their bills. If you cannot find your GPRNs, contact your gas supplier who will be able to check for you.

Multiple GPRNs

If your organisation has more than one location connected to the gas grid, it will have at least one metered connection with a unique GPRN at each location. Some sites or buildings can have more than one metered connection and therefore will have more than one GPRN. Several gas connections (GPRNs) may be combined onto one bill, but all the individual GPRNs should be listed.

Validating MPRNs and GPRNs

Although you only have to enter your MPRNs and GPRNs into the system once, you must validate them every year. When you validate an MPRN or GPRN, you are declaring that:

• The number entered is a valid MPRN or GPRN.
• Some or all of the energy consumption is attributable to your organisation.
• You have consent for the electricity/natural gas meter operator to disclose to your organisation and to SEAI the historic consumption data for the MPRN/GPRN.

The M&R system only 'counts' consumption for MPRNs and GPRNs that have been validated each year. If you do not validate an MPRN or GPRN, or if you classify it as 'not validated', the consumption will not be counted.

If you cannot validate one or more MPRNs or GPRNs, but you wish to report consumption associated with that meter, then select ‘not validated’ in the relevant fields and self-report the relevant electricity or natural gas consumption. The annual validation process enables SEAI to incorporate robust data protection principles into the M&R process.

Rejected MPRNs and GPRNs

From time to time, MPRNs and GPRNs are entered into the system for which the meter operators cannot provide consumption data to SEAI. The most common reason for rejection is that the meter operator believes the MPRN or GPRN belongs to a domestic dwelling and will not provide data for data confidentiality reasons. If this happens you should:

• Check your bill or records. If you entered the MPRN or GPRN in error, delete the meter from the system. If you need to replace it with another meter, enter the correct MPRN or GPRN into the system and validate it. If you validate new meters after the meter deadline, you should check with the M&R Helpdesk whether the consumption for these meters will be counted in your overall consumption.
• If the MPRN or GPRN is correct (i.e. the consumption belongs to your organisation), then it will be necessary to self-report your organisation's consumption for that meter. The M&R Helpdesk can provide guidance on how to self-report.

Moving facilities and new connections

Your MPRNs and GPRNs will only change if your organisation occupies a new premises, vacates an existing premises or adds/changes an electricity or natural gas connection. In these circumstances, you should update your list of MPRNs and GPRNs on the system. Switching electricity or gas supplier will not affect your MPRNs or GPRNs.

Moving facility mid-year

If your organisation consumed energy through an MPRN or GPRN for part of a specific year and another organisation did so for the remainder of that year, then you should classify the meter as ‘not validated’ for that specific year and self-report the relevant consumption. If you are unsure whether a third party consumed energy through the meter for the remainder of the year, you should also choose this option.

If your organisation consumed energy through the meter for part of a specific year and the connection remained unused for the remainder of the year, you can classify the meter using one of the ‘valid’ classifications. In this circumstance, you should not self-report the relevant consumption.

MPRNs and GPRNs not in use

If your organisation did not consume energy through an MPRN or GPRN during specific year(s), then you should classify the meter as ‘not validated’ for the relevant years.

Deleting MPRNs and GPRNs from the system

You should only delete an MPRN or GPRN from the system if it was never used by your organisation at any time since the beginning of your baseline period. If this is the case you should simply delete the row using the ‘delete’ icon on the left hand side.

Public lighting: GMPRNs and TMPRNs

The MPRNs used for unmetered public lighting systems are referred to as group MPRNs or GMPRNs. These are also eleven digits long and start with the digit 9. GMPRNs should be reported in the same way as MPRNs. Some GMPRN-level public lighting consumption shown in the M&R system may appear to fluctuate over time in an unexpected manner. This is because of the dynamic relationship between Technical MPRNs (TMPRNs) and GMPRNs.

Each unmetered public lighting connection point is allocated a TMPRN. These are grouped into GMPRNs. The allocation of TMPRNs to GMPRNs can change over time - a particular TMPRN could be allocated to a particular GMRPN in one year but to a different GMPRN the next year. This can result in anomalies in GMPRN data e.g. consumption may appear to increase or decrease over time. Any such anomalies should balance out when consumption is analysed at organisation level or across all GMPRNs within a local authority’s scope.

If a local authority is aware of TMPRNs that are not allocated to any GMPRN, those TMPRNs should be reported separately.

An alternative approach is for a local authority to report all TMPRNs and not to report GMPRNs. Either approach is fine as long as all consumption is accounted for and there is no double-counting.