Business Energy
Tell us your business gas or electricity requirements. Different businesses need different things from their electricity or gas suppliers. Tell us you requirements and needs and we will use this information to compile quotations from 90% of UK suppliers.
Receive quotations from 90% of UK energy suppliers. As we are totally independent and impartial we will supply to you all the quotations we receive from suppliers. We can explain the different tariffs on offer and always provide the unit rates and standing charge costs for clarity and comparison.
You select your preferred supplier, once you are happy to proceed with a quotation and select a supplier we will manage the whole switching process for you. Whether you are staying with your current supplier on a new deal or moving to a new supplier, we will take care of all paperwork on your behalf.
For a quotation or advice speak to a member of our team on 0800 160 1001.
Just like with your home energy bills, business energy bills mainly comprise of two charges:
- Unit cost – This is measured in kWh and is the unit rate you pay for gas and electricity.
- Standing charge – This is a fixed daily charge which covers the maintenance of the national grid, and the cost of transporting gas or electricity direct to your business premises.
When comparing supplier quotations you look to lower the cost of your bill by finding the supplier offering the lowest unit rate and standing charge. There are also other costs that make up your bill such as taxes, including transportation and distribution costs levied by suppliers and the Climate Change Levy, issued by the government. All quotations supplied by the Utility Centre are FULLY INCLUSIVE of these costs.
You should also be aware of the types of energy contracts that are out there, of which there are five main types:
- Fixed rate – Unit rates are set at a certain price for the duration of the deal. This can help with budgeting and safeguard against price hikes. Monthly bills will still fluctuate in line with your energy usage.
- Variable-rate – Unit rates are linked to market activity, and can go up or down for the duration of your contract. So you could end up paying more or less from month-to-month, even if your energy usage remains constant.
- Deemed rate – Also known as an out-of-contract rate tariff, this is a rolling deal with expensive rates.
- 28-day – A contract for businesses who haven’t switched since the energy market was deregulated.
- Rollover – A contract that is used when no alternative has been agreed before your current contract’s end date. Rates are usually among the supplier’s most expensive.
The Utility Centre recommend fixed rate contracts as they offer security against unit rate fluctuations and allow for accurate bugeting.
You need to be particularly mindful of deemed rates and rollover contracts. If you haven’t signed a new contract or renewed your old contract, most suppliers will put you on ‘deemed rates’, a temporary rate that is usually a lot more expensive than regular, in-contract prices, or a ‘rollover contract’, which will see you sign up with your supplier for another year, again on less competitive rates.
If you’re placed on deemed rates, you can get out of this contract by giving your supplier 30 days’ notice, but if you go onto a rollover contract, you’ll find this much more difficult to leave.
That’s why it’s important to know when your business energy contracts end, and agree a new deal before this date.
For the Utility Centre to be able to provide you with quotations for your business gas or electricity supply we require certain bits of information which varies according to your meter type.
Non Half Hourly Electric
For most businesses consuming less than 280,000kWh per annum of electricity their supply will be non half hourly metered, to furnish you with quotations we require the following information:
- Supply postcode
- Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN)
- Annual consumption in kWh
- Name of your current supplier
- The current contract end date
Half Hourly Electric
We require the same pieces of information as non half hourly, plus the KVA capacity figure for the supply and we also need to know if you appoint your own third party meter operator.
- Supply postcode
- Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN)
- Annual consumption in kWh
- Name of your current supplier
- The current contract end date
- KVA capacity figure for the supply
- Do you appoint your own meter operator?
Gas
For business gas quotations the following information is required:
- Supply postcode
- Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN)
- Annual consumption in kWh
- Name of your current supplier
- The current contract end date
If you have trouble finding any of the required information simply send us a copy of a recent bill and we can use the information it contains to produce a quotation.