ESB Networks Harmonised Downloadable File (HDF)

What is a Harmonised Downloadable File (HDF)?

A Harmonised Downloadable File (HDF) records your energy usage from your smart meter, in 30 minutes intervals. You can download this file from your ESB Networks online account. We can use this file in our energy comparison to provide you the most accurate comparison based on your historic usage.

You can get guidance on how to access your smart meter data from ESB Networks.

How do we estimate usage when there’s missing data in your HDF?

Sometimes your HDF may have gaps, which means it does not show your usage for a full, continuous period.

When this happens, we use the actual usage data in your file first. We then estimate any missing periods using typical electricity usage patterns for urban and rural meter locations. These are called Standard Load Profiles and are published by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU.

To estimate your annual usage, we check what period your file covers and how much of a typical year’s electricity use usually falls within that period.

For example, if your file shows you used 2,800 kWh from January to September, and the CRU usage pattern shows that period usually accounts for 70% of annual usage, we treat your 2,800 kWh as 71.7% of your estimated yearly total. From this, we can fill in the missing October to December period and estimate 1,106kWh usage for this period. Adding this to your actual usage gives a full-year usage figure of 3,906kWh. We’ll use this figure when calculating your estimated annual bill, so you get a more accurate comparison.

This means your comparison is based on your own smart meter usage where possible, with only the missing parts estimated.