How to Find the Best Business Electricity Rates Online
Electricity can be one of the biggest expenses for any business, not least those that are involved in manufacturing or the production of goods. If your energy bills are larger than you’d like, it’s essential to check that you’re taking advantage of the best business electricity rates you can find. Shopping around across suppliers and other measures could significantly boost the amount you save over the long term. As experienced energy brokers, the team at Smarter Business can help you do just that. Read on to learn how to find the best business electricity rates in the UK.
- Compare different electricity providers
Comparing the offers made by different electricity providers is one of the best ways of finding out which one offers the cheapest business electricity rate. However, you may need to be dedicated and have a good head for figures, as you’ll have to look up or contact each individual electricity provider to enquire about their prices. You also need to make sure you’re comparing like with like when it comes to other terms within each supplier’s contracts.
If you want to save time, we recommend, as a starting point, searching for the business electricity rates comparison charts that you’ll find posted on various websites to find out which providers offer the lowest rates.
- Consult with other business owners
If your network includes others who run their own businesses, it’s worth asking them about the electricity supplier they use. Try to source recommendations from companies that operate in the same industry or field as you if you want to get the most accurate average rates. They may also offer you insight into how their supplier handles customer service and communications, especially when things go wrong. Cheap rates may not be sufficient compensation for extremely unreliable services.
- Look up reviews on the Internet
Reviews on the Internet may not be quite as reliable as word-of-mouth recommendations, but they can offer some helpful insight. Business owners and operators sometimes share their experiences of particular electricity suppliers online, in the form of blog posts, articles, or even vlogs. Use information from the Internet well, but remember to take it with a pinch of salt and don’t make your final decision solely on the basis of online reviews and recommendations.
There are plenty of other places on the Internet to source information on particular energy suppliers and their business electricity rates, including forums, message boards, and other such places.
- Work with a broker dedicated to helping you reduce electricity costs
The ideal way to secure the best business electric rates, allied with a wealth of insight into your energy use and ways in which costs can be cut, is to consider working with a firm dedicated to helping you get better electric services and prices.
A reliable, expert consulting company will not only be able to find you the cheapest commercial electricity rates from trusted electric companies. They will also make sure that the electric provider you end up with is suited to the type of business you are conducting, with any and all of your unique requirements met.
Tips for reducing your electricity consumption
In addition to finding the best deals from electricity suppliers, another way of significantly reducing your business electricity costs is by lowering your consumption of electricity overall. Listed below are some tips on how you can do this.
- Conduct an energy efficiency audit
Energy efficiency audits will analyse how an office building and its inhabitants currently use electricity and uncover ways to reduce that usage. Such reductions can come from fixing existing issues within your electrical installations, making them more efficient, or replacing your current equipment with better, more cost-effective and energy-efficient versions.
- Adopt a work from home scheme
Employees working from home will use their own electricity, which is a direct way of reducing your electrical usage. The “work from home” scheme is more popular than ever with employees nowadays, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic forced increased numbers of people to carry out their roles at home.
Are you looking for a consultancy firm in the UK that can help you find the best business electricity rates? We have you covered here at Smarter Business. Our company has been assisting small, medium, and large businesses in the UK for years.
We will conduct research and data analysis unique to your business and use it to help you find the best electricity provider in the UK for your needs – not just in terms of price but also with regard to efficiency, reliability, and performance.
Aside from helping you search for the best electric rates, our audits and research can also provide details of steps you can take to reduce your electricity expenses and assist you in creating utility management plans, amongst other services.
If you are interested in speaking to us about slashing the costs of electricity for your business, you can get in touch by phone on 01444 220060. You can also email us at [email protected].
If you want to contact us directly via our website, you can do so by filling in the contact form at https://smarterbusiness.co.uk/contact-us/.
How to Make Your Business More Energy-Efficient
Here are some tips you can follow to make your business more energy-efficient:
- Invest in energy-saving business equipment. This covers a range of areas from energy-efficient light bulbs to paper-saving printers, more efficient fridges, and so on
- Power down all electronics when the doors close. When your business is closed, you should make sure that all appliances and lights are turned off. This can make a big difference in your monthly energy bill
- Consider buying solar panels for your space. If you can, one of the best solutions to save energy is by adding solar panels to your workplace. These allow you to use energy from the sun, which can save a great deal in terms of electricity consumption in the long run
Saving Energy in the Office
All business owners want to save as much on their utility bills as possible, and securing affordable business electricity prices can help reduce costs immensely
Implementing a series of small changes in the workplace can often add up to significant savings further down the line. One good way to save money on electricity is by using laptops instead of desktops: the former use far less energy than the latter
Switching to energy-saving lightbulbs and ensuring all lights are turned off at the end of the day can save a great deal of energy in the long term. And maximising the use of daylight hours instead of turning lights on in the first place is also an excellent habit to get into
All You Need to Know About Small Business Energy Usage
Have you been using the same energy supplier for several years? If so, you have likely been overpaying on gas and electricity by hundreds of pounds annually. The good news is that it’s very easy to switch energy suppliers and move on to the cheapest business electricity costs for your business’s size and circumstances.
If you intend to switch suppliers, note that you generally have to wait until your current contract expires or risk paying a financial penalty. Either way, get in touch with your supplier as soon as possible and request an end to your contract. Once your contract is at an end, or the supplier has agreed to the switch, you should then contact your new supplier to sign a contract with them.
Get in touch with Smarter Business to learn about the best energy rates and suppliers out there for your business today!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How Does Business Energy Work?
Business energy describes the gas and electricity companies use in pursuit of their aims. The best business electricity rate tends to be lower than that charged to domestic customers, but contracts are typically longer, and there’s no cooling-off period during which you can escape the contract. That means it’s critical you understand what you’re signing up to from the outset.
What Influences the Price of Electricity?
In its simplest form, electricity is generated from turbines that are driven by steam. The commodities used to create this steam include gas, coal, oil, and nuclear fuels. Hence, the price of operating electricity is in large part based on the cost of the commodity used.
How Much Does Business Electricity Cost in the UK?
The average lowest corporate electricity rates in the UK are around £3,061 per year, with the average unit price per kilowatt hour (kWh) standing at around 14.36p per kWh. There’s also a standard daily standing charge, typically around 28p per day. The estimated energy usage per year for most businesses is between 15,000 and 25,000 kWh.
How Do I Change My Business Electricity Supplier?
Provide your current supplier with sufficient notice to avoid paying a penalty fee when making the switch. Make sure they know you want your contract with them to end and that a new supplier will take over. Once you’ve done this, sign a contract with the new supplier and confirm the date from which they’ll start covering your energy needs.
Are Business Electricity Rates Cheaper than Domestic?
Because businesses use energy in bulk, the average business electricity rates tend to be cheaper than those for domestic users. However, business customers pay a higher rate of VAT – usually 20% instead of the 5% that domestic electricity customers pay. Businesses may also have to pay an additional Climate Change Levy if they use a lot of electricity.
How Much Electricity Does an Average Office Use?
While most businesses use around 15,000 to 25,000 kWh of energy per year, the average usage and rate of energy can differ considerably depending on the size of the company and the amount of power it consumes. Broadly speaking, the larger the business, the more energy it’s likely to use.