Your workaround is indeed clever. However would it be possible to get a Smart meter? Then you can either download the data from the energy network or your supplier, or you could get a CAD such as the
Which can let you read data locally and more frequently. The above supports MQTT for local access.
Note: Whilst locally you can get very frequent readings of your electricity usage the gas usage is less frequent as the gas meter sends data to the electricity meter and I believe is unlike the electricity meter relying on battery power.