9 of the best business energy suppliers based in the UK

With the war in Iran affecting global energy supply chains, energy costs look set to skyrocket for small business owners, especially those that rely on heating oil to keep their property warm.

Many will be wondering if their business energy supplier is giving them the best tariff and whether they could save money by switching energy supplier.

The average small business uses 25,000 kWh a month for gas, and 25,000 kWh of electricity per month based on per annum energy use. More on that below.

Source: BritishBusinessEnergy.co.uk

Prices are highly individualised in the business energy market. Providers can give you a quote to get a better sense of what your energy cost will be. This will be based on your postcode and your average consumption, but companies might want a little more information about you and your business.

If you’ve just moved into a new premises and you haven’t sorted out a new energy deal, you’ll be moved onto a deemed/out of contract tariff with the previous occupant’s supplier.

And yes, the rates are higher than on regular tariffs.

Compare business energy deals with SmallBusiness.co.uk

Your cheapest option is to go on a fixed term deal, but some like the flexibility of a variable tariff which has a fluctuating price to reflect the market.

What should I be looking for from my business energy supplier?

Now, there a few features which set energy suppliers apart from each other, but a lot of features are largely the same.

Being able to give you a smart meter and having an online platform or app to manage your account are standard features so you shouldn’t be wooed by them.

Instead, focus on price and the flexibility of your tariff as well as the firm’s reputation and customer service record. Plenty of providers offer an eco-friendly service now which is a plus if becoming greener is a goal for your business.

We’ll run you through some of the best providers for smaller businesses in the UK and what they can offer you. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll stick to the fixed and variable tariffs.

British Gas

You don’t need us to tell you that British Gas is one of the biggest energy suppliers in the UK.

They can install, maintain and repair your commercial gas boiler as well as maintaining your plumbing and drainage. They also have a business moving team to make switching easier.

Tariffs

British Gas have a mix of fixed term and variable tariffs.

Fixed rate energy plans means that the unit rate stays the same for one, two or three years of your plan.

On the 30-day rolling tariff, your unit rate and standard charge could go up and down but you’ll have at least 30 days’ notice before these change.

This tariff is only available to customers agreeing a new supply contract. However, you can upgrade to a fixed price plan by giving 30 days’ notice and paying all of your outstanding bills.

If you have a half-hourly energy meter, you’ll get a tailored price based on how and when you use electricity.

To get a multi-site and multi meter electricity deal, you must be new to British Gas and use more than 100,000 kWh a year.

The Commercial Landlords plans are suitable for those with one property or a portfolio. Choose from fixed or 30-day rolling contracts above. Additional safety checks are available from British Gas.

If your business will be spending less than £30,000 on energy in a year, British Gas Lite is designed to help small businesses save on their energy bills with fixed-price plans.

To find out more about British Gas’ maximum price for microbusinesses, click here.

Trustpilot rating: 4.4/5 (339,559 reviews)

Octopus Energy

Octopus is now the largest electricity supplier in the UK and second largest gas supplier (after British Gas).

It’s one of the greenest energy suppliers in the UK, generating renewable electricity from solar, onshore wind, offshore wind and bioenergy.

They also believe in fairness and good customer service. The difference between their fixed and standard energy price sits at less than 1% and you won’t be penalised with exit fees if you decide to leave. What’s more, they usually answer customer service calls within two minutes.

Tariffs

Octopus business energy has a mix of fixed term and variable tariffs for both gas and electricity.

For SMEs, there are three specific products:

1. Shape Shifters – this is where you can choose one of two plans. With Shape Shifters: Trio, you get 21 hours of cheaper energy guaranteed.

   By using electricity outside of peak rate times (4pm – 7pm) you’ll cut your energy costs. With Shape Shifters: Agile, your prices change every half-hour, in line with wholesale energy costs. You’ll be able to see your prices a day in advance, meaning you can plan your energy usage accordingly.

2. Multi-site business energy, for if your business needs to manage multiple sites’ energy in one portfolio.
3. Business export tariffs, meaning you can earn money for the energy you send back to the grid.

Octopus Energy also have a referral scheme where if a fellow business switches to Octopus Energy using your link, you both receive £75. 

Trustpilot rating: 4.8/5 (799,595 reviews)

EDF

EDF are another of the ‘big six’ UK energy suppliers. They have a dedicated small business team and an advice hub for small business owners.

However, if you are looking for a green energy supplier, EDF’s fuel mix is 18.2% renewable energy (compared to 42.1% as the UK average fuel mix).

Tariffs

The Fixed for Business Online Tariff has fixed prices from one to four years.

Includes a smart meter. At the end of the tariff, you will automatically be put onto the Freedom for Business Tariff.

Fixed Online Zero Standing Charge has fixed prices from one to four years. At the end of the tariff, you will automatically be put onto the Freedom for Business Tariff.

Fixed Renewable Tariff has fixed prices from one to four years. Certified 100% renewable backed by REGOs.

Freedom for Business Tariff has variable pricing for gas and electricity with no exit fees.

Trustpilot rating: 4.8/5 (222,387 reviews)

ScottishPower

ScottishPower offers up fairly standard packages and is a decent shout if you’d prefer to have your energy with a bigger name.

Download the Scottishpower app on Google Play and iOS to view your bills, enter meter readings, manage your payments and monitor your energy consumption.

Tariffs

The Renewable For Business tariff is 100% renewable and can be fixed for up to three years (electricity only) with the majority of your energy costs staying the same.

The For Business tariff is fixed for up to three years with the majority of your energy costs staying the same.

As is the nature of these deals, the price varies on a Standard Variable tariff, but you can move to a new ScottishPower product without an exit fee.

Trustpilot rating: 4.3/5 (181,590 reviews)

E.ON Next

E.ON Next are set to buy Ovo Energy (12% of the market share), based in Bristol, which would see them leapfrog Octopus Energy as the UK’s largest energy supplier (25%).

Tariffs

Fixed tariff from one to three years.

Trustpilot rating: 4.5/5 (201,442 reviews)

Good Energy

Good Energy is the UK’s only B Corp energy supplier and offers a 100% renewable energy tariff. They can help make your business greener – and potentially save you some money – with expert support on commercial solar installation and export payments.

Good Energy uses hourly matching to show when your electricity use aligns with renewable generation, allowing business customers can track real renewable performance and strengthen carbon reporting.

Tariffs

Fixed price contract is up to two years and available for half-hourly and non-half-hourly metered sites.

Index-linked contracts track prices in the wholesale market and is a variable contract with 30-day notice period. Only available for half-hourly metered sites.

Corporate PPA (CPPA) provides hourly matching from generation to delivery on a half hourly basis.

Trustpilot rating: 4.8/5 (14,599 reviews)

Yü

If you’re a micro business with consumption of up to 50,000 kWh, you’ll be given an instant online quote. You can stand to save even more by taking two or more utilities.

Those who are interested in going greener will be glad to know that Yü is backed by Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) certificates.

Tariffs

The energy firm’s fully fixed plans cover both single and multiple sites.

You can use a pre-payment method if you have a tighter budget.

For 100pc green energy, go with the Pure Green Electricity Plan.

Trustpilot rating: 3.5/5 (6,752 reviews)

Smartest Energy

Smartest Energy have powered over 100,000 businesses in the UK since 2009.

They provide a free smart meter free within 8 weeks of switching to them and offer a renewable electricity tariff verified by The Carbon Trust.

Tariffs

(Gas)

SmartFix Standard. Fixed for 1 – 5 years.

SmartPay. Pay in advance with reduced costs, fix competitive prepay prices for up to 3 years and save up to 40% compared to standard tariffs.

SmartTracker. Lowest gas price fixed for 12 months.

Smartest Energy then review the market and issue new prices for the coming year. If you find a cheaper gas price elsewhere during the Annual Price Review, they’ll match it.

(Electricity)

SmartFix Zero. Zero carbon energy and zero standing charges. Available for 1 – 5 years.

SmartFix Renewable.

Renewable energy label every year to show how much carbon you’ve saved. Available for 1 – 5 years.

SmartFix Standard. Fixed for 1 – 5 years.

SmartTracker. Lowest electricity price fixed for 12 months.

Smartest Energy then review the market and issue new prices for the coming year. If you find a cheaper gas price elsewhere during the Annual Price Review, they’ll match it.

Trustpilot rating: 4.2/5 (5,545 reviews)

100Green

100Green are a multi-award-winning energy provider, recognised as the number 1 energy supplier by the Ethical Consumer and receiving 100/100 with the Good Shopping Guide for Ethical Business. Their dual-fuel tariffs have also been awarded Gold Standard by Uswitch.

100Green have an electricity fuel mix is 100% renewable in contrast to the average UK electricity fuel mix (42.1%) and that their fuel impact has 0.000g per kWh for radioactive waste and 0.00g per kWh for CO2 emissions.

Tariffs

Not specified for businesses – please fill in quote form.

Trustpilot rating: 4.6/5 (1,486 reviews)

Business energy supplier comparisons

Our supplier reviews should give you a good head start when selecting the best commercial rates, tariffs and service levels to suit your needs. Remember that even if a tariff is fixed, the price of your business energy can still vary hugely.

When looking for the best deal you must get quotes tailored to your business.

There is no single best supplier we can recommend. Be sure to do comparisons by getting a range of quotes from different energy suppliers and go from there, bearing in mind key elements like your location and usage patterns.

Read more

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