Business Energy Comparison Guide

Compare business energy deals with these suppliers

What Is Business Energy Comparison?

Business energy comparison is an essential step in paying less for your business electricity and business gas - whether you choose to do that through switching to a new business energy supplier, or through renewing with your existing business energy provider.

While you can compare business energy deals directly with suppliers, the most efficient way of doing this is with a business energy comparison site or broker like Business Electricity Prices, or other third-party intermediary (TPI).

How To Get A Cheaper Business Energy Deal

• Run a business electricity or gas comparison through a business energy comparison engine
• Receive your business energy quotes, and compare other suppliers prices against your renewal offer
• Switch to a new business energy supplier, or renew your existing contract

How Much Does Business Energy Comparison Cost?

Comparing business energy on our comparison engine is free of charge, and most business energy comparisons sites, such as Business Electricity Prices, don't charge you for our services.

With Business Electricity Prices, we receive commision from our panel of suppliers and this is built into your business electricity and business gas bill. Read more about how we get paid.

What's more, our price comparison engine will show you live tariff quotes from our panel of suppliers entirely free. From there, all you need to do is decide if you want to go ahead and switch to a better deal, or not.

How To Compare Business Energy Deals

Use our business energy comparison engine to compare business energy deals. We need some basic details from you:

Personal details - to contact you to help you switch to your chosen tariff:

• Your name
• Phone number
• Email address

Business details - to locate your MPAN or MPRN on your electricity or gas meter and find the best business energy quote for you.

• Business name
• Address of premises

Most businesses will see live prices through the engine, however high-energy consumption businesses on a half-hourly meter will need to speak to one of our experts for a tailored business energy quote.

Which Business Energy Suppliers Can I Compare?

You can compare energy deals from 17 trusted suppliers on our panel. Our suppliers can offer competitive business energy deals for businesses of any size, from micro businesses, SMEs, and large businesses, such as corporate and enterprise businesses. Our panel even includes suppliers that can help home energy customers.

Our panel of suppliers are:

1. British Gas
2. British Gas Lite
3. British Gas Plus
4. Crown Gas & Power
5. Drax
6. E.On Next
7. EDF
8. npower Business Solutions
9. ScottishPower
10. Shell Energy
11. SmartestEnergy Business
12. TotalEnergies Gas & Power
13. Valda Energy
14. Yü Energy
15. So Energy*
16. Ovo Energy*
17. Outfox The Market*

*Domestic energy comparison only

What Business Energy Deals Can I Choose?

When comparing business energy, you'll be comparing a range of fixed-rate tariffs for a fixed term. SMEs can choose from a range of ready-made tariffs from suppliers based on their annualenergy usage - and you can view prices instantly online when getting a business energy quote. Large businesses that use half-hourly meters can have instant prices or have their deals tailor-made through our business energy procurement service.

Our suppliers offer fixed-rate business energy deals. But within that you can choose a variety of options to suit your business' needs.

1 year contract: Your business electricity and business gas prices are fixed for one year, at which point you'll need to compare business energy prices again. 

2 year contract: Your business electricity and business gas prices are fixed for two years, at which point you'll need to compare business energy prices again if you wish to switch suppliers penalty-free.

3+ years contract: Your business electricity and business gas prices are fixed for three years, or if available four or five years before you can switch suppliers penalty-free.

Our panel can also offer:

Renewable energy tariffs: businesses that require sustainable energy can compare several renewable tariffs. Our experts can walk you through which tariff is most suitable for you.

Zero standing charge tariffs: some businesses may benefit from slightly higher unit rates, but avoiding paying business energy suppliers a standing charge. You can compare our no standing charge deals to see if one of these suit you.

What Happens If I Don’t Compare Business Energy Deals?

Nothing will happen to your commercial electricity or commercial gas supply if you choose to not to run a business energy comparison. However, if you let an existing fix-rate contract end, you will roll over to your energy supplier's out-of-contract rates.

Out-of-contract rates can be a variable rate tariff that tracks wholesale electricity and gas prices; or it can be a fixed rate out of contract tariff. However you supplier handles out of contract customers, these tariffs are generally more expensive than a fixed rate tariff.

Will Business Energy Comparison Save Me Money?

Business energy comparison will save you money against your existing supplier's out-of-contract rates. This is because out-of contract rates are difficult for energy suppliers to predict customer usage, and so they need to charge higher prices. 

However, there is no set saving amount, as this depends on your business' electricity and gas usage over the course of a contract. Generally, our business energy experts have saved businesses on average £1,952 on their annual business energy bills.

Use our business energy cost calculator to see how much you could save.

How To Get The Best Business Energy Deal?

The best way to get the best business energy deal is to compare business energy deals.

Deciding on what the best business energy deal looks like depends on your businesses particular requirements, and how confident you are in how wholesale energy prices will develop over the coming years. The best business energy deal generally boils down to what you thinks is cheapest over the course of a few years, and in that regard you can choose between a long contract or a shorter contract.

Depending on your usage patterns, the best business energy contract for you may also be a zero standing charge tariff. This tariff removes the daily standing charge that supplier charge - although unit rates will be higher, so you do need to compare business energy deals to see if this works for you.

Is A Longer Term Business Energy Contract Better Or A Shorter Term Contract Better?

You can opt for a long term business energy contract, with fixed prices for three years. This is best if you want predictable business energy bills and are confident that wholesale prices won't radically change over the course of those three years. If wholesale prices reduce in the short term, then you will not be in a position to take advantage of the prise decreases suppliers will offer.

You can also opt for a shorter business energy contract of just one year. This gives you predictability, but also mean there is less shock if wholesale prices rise. If wholesale prices reduce, then you are in a position to take advantage of that. However if wholesale prices radically increase due to geopolitical events, then a short contract leaves you exposed to those, while a longer contract offers protection from short term increases.

Alternatives To Business Energy Comparison

Using less electricity or gas will lower business energy costs. A business energy audit will help you assess your usage and help you find ways of reducing your commercial electricity and commercial gas usage. Investing in more efficient hardware will also reduce the energy consumption in your business.

Investing in micro-generation through solar panels and wind turbines to generate renewable electricity is another, more long-term way of reducing your electricity bill. You will need to take into account the cost of financing your power generation system compared to the cost of ongoing electricity bills.Using this strategy, the Smart Export Guarantee will allow you to get paid for your excess electricity that you feed to the grid.