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Article 7 of 25 · Energy insight and dataUnderstanding interval data and quarter-hourly values: a guide for businesses
Direct answer
Interval data is your electricity consumption or feed-in measured per fixed time block. In the Netherlands that interval is a quarter of an hour, fifteen minutes, the standard unit of the energy market. Quarter-hour values therefore show exactly when you consume how much, not just a monthly total. Grid operators, suppliers and the market all settle on this quarter-hour resolution.
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Understanding interval data and quarter-hourly values: scattered information versus Energy Intelligence
Your annual bill often shows one figure per month. But the grid and the market work at a much finer level. A large consumer connection shows constantly shifting demand: a production line starts at seven, a cooling unit kicks in, a charging hub peaks in the afternoon. Interval data captures that pattern in fixed blocks. In the Netherlands that block is a quarter of an hour. This explainer is written for business owners and managers who want to understand their energy costs and peaks.
- A quarter-hour value is the consumption or feed-in over a fifteen-minute block; a full day gives 96 values.
- The quarter hour is the measurement and settlement unit of the Dutch energy market, the period on which allocation and imbalance are settled.
- Grid operators read quarter-hour values from smart meters, anonymised at street level, to see where the grid is filling up.
Insight
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Information is scattered across portals, documents, invoices or separate spreadsheets.
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Data, context and interpretation are brought together into a clear decision picture.
Decision-making
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Choices are made based on averages, assumptions or occasional analyses.
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Scenarios, KPIs and current measurement data make the trade-off more concrete and repeatable.
Follow-up
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Actions often stay non-committal or disappear into separate reports.
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Follow-up actions, monitoring and reporting are linked to the same energy data.
What is interval data, and why a quarter of an hour?
Interval data is consumption or feed-in, each time totalled over a fixed time block. In the Netherlands that block is a quarter of an hour, fifteen minutes. A single day gives 96 values, a year just over 35,000. Those fifteen minutes are not an arbitrary choice. The quarter hour is the standard settlement unit of the Dutch electricity market. Programmes, allocation and imbalance settlement between market parties all run per quarter. Because the whole chain uses the same unit, measurement, trading and settlement line up. A quarter-hour value therefore tells you not only how much you consume, but exactly when.
- A quarter hour counts fifteen minutes; a full day gives 96 quarter-hour values.
- The quarter hour is the settlement period of the Dutch market.
- Allocation, programmes and imbalance are settled per quarter.
- The same unit across the chain lets measurement and settlement line up.
Why do quarter-hour values exist?
Quarter-hour values exist because the grid must be in balance at every moment. National grid operator TenneT settles the imbalance between parties per settlement period of one quarter. Anyone consuming more or less than planned is settled on that difference. The distribution of consumption across suppliers, called allocation, also happens per quarter. Large consumers were always measured per quarter; small consumption used to be estimated with fixed profiles that spread annual use across the quarters. With smart meters this shifts to real quarter measurements. Since the end of 2024 grid operators also read quarter-hour values to see where and when the grid fills up, so they can reinforce it in a targeted way.
- TenneT settles imbalance per quarter; deviating from the plan costs money.
- Allocation distributes consumption per quarter across suppliers.
- Large consumption is measured per quarter, small consumption traditionally estimated with profiles.
- Grid operators use quarter-hour values to map grid congestion.
What does your business gain from quarter-hour data?
With quarter-hour data you see your own profile: when during the day you peak and when it is quiet. That makes clear whether one short moment sets your contracted capacity, while you stay well below the limit the rest of the day. Such peaks affect your transport tariff, which partly depends on your highest quarter-hour load. Once you see the peak, you can look at whether you can shift or flatten it, for example by spreading processes. Quarter-hour insight also helps you understand variable tariffs, which can differ per period. After all, you calculate in the same unit as the market.
- You see your daily profile: when you peak and when it is quiet.
- Your highest quarter-hour peak partly sets your contracted capacity and transport costs.
- Recognising peaks makes it possible to shift or flatten processes.
- Quarter-hour data helps you understand variable tariffs, which differ per period.
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