/ Business Energy
Smarter energy contracts. Clearer bills. Money back.
We help UK businesses cut energy costs and reclaim overcharges — with bespoke contracts from 30+ suppliers, forensic 4-year bill audits, and full metering & connections support. No jargon. No hidden fees. Just honest savings.
30+
UK energy suppliers
45%
Typical saving vs rollover
4yr
Backdated reclaims
24h
Quote turnaround
/ 01 — Bespoke Energy Contracts
A price built around your business — not a generic panel rate.
Comparison sites and supplier call centres quote "average" rates that assume a standard business profile. Your business isn't average. Your load pattern, credit position, sector risk and renewal timing all affect the price a supplier will actually hold. We tender every contract bespoke — across 30+ electricity and 25+ gas suppliers — so you get the real lowest rate, not a headline figure.
Whole-of-market tender
We send your requirement to every major UK business energy supplier the same day — British Gas Lite, EDF, E.ON Next, SmartestEnergy, Total Energies, Drax, SEFE, CNG, Crown Gas & Power, Yu Energy and more. You see the full matrix with no hidden panel.
Lock prices up to 18 months ahead
Wholesale rates move daily. We let you sign a fixed contract today and start it up to 18 months later — perfect for budgeting and avoiding the panic-price spike of a last-minute renewal.
Why bespoke is best practice
Suppliers build risk into every quote: your load factor, payment history, industry sector and meter type. A bespoke tender returns the rate the supplier will genuinely honour for your specific meter — typically 10–25% below the 'instant quote' you'd find online.
/ 02 — Every Charge on Your Bill
Understand every line on your commercial energy bill.
A typical UK business energy invoice contains 11+ separate cost items. Each one is negotiable, correctable or refundable in the right circumstances — and each one is regularly applied incorrectly by suppliers. Here is exactly what you are paying for, line by line.
Unit rate (p/kWh)
The price you pay for every unit of electricity or gas you use. This is usually the biggest number on your bill — and the one most often inflated when you let a contract auto-renew or roll onto out-of-contract rates. We benchmark this against the live wholesale market every day.
Standing charge (p/day)
A fixed daily fee simply for having a meter connected to the grid. It covers network maintenance, meter rental and admin. This charge varies by region and supplier — some brokers hide an uplift here that adds hundreds of pounds a year.
Climate Change Levy (CCL)
A government environmental tax on every kWh of business energy. Rates change each April. Charities, care homes and energy-intensive users can claim exemptions or reductions with a PP11 form — most don't even know they qualify. We check and file for you.
DUoS — Distribution Use of System
Your local Distribution Network Operator (DNO) charges for using the regional distribution grid. Includes a fixed daily charge, a capacity charge based on your reserved kVA, and unit rates that vary by time-of-day band on half-hourly meters.
TNUoS — Transmission Network Use of System
National Grid's fee for moving electricity over the high-voltage transmission network. For half-hourly meters, this is driven by your demand during the three annual 'Triad' peak periods. Triad avoidance strategies alone save large users 5–15%.
BSUoS — Balancing Services Use of System
Covers the real-time cost of keeping the grid balanced — matching generation to demand second by second. Passed through by your supplier as a daily or per-kWh charge. Often bundled into the unit rate on SME contracts, but itemised on half-hourly bills.
Capacity Market & green levies (FiT, RO, CfD)
Government schemes that support low-carbon generation and security of supply: Feed-in Tariff (FiT), Renewables Obligation (RO), Contracts for Difference (CfD) and Capacity Market. All appear as small per-kWh uplifts and are frequently miscalculated by suppliers.
Available Capacity (kVA)
On half-hourly electricity meters, you pay a monthly fee for the maximum power capacity you have reserved — whether you use it or not. Most businesses are over-subscribed by 20–60%. We re-rate with your DNO and claim automatic refunds for 12 months of overpayment.
Reactive power & power factor
If your site's power factor drops below 0.95 (common with motors, HVAC and fluorescent lighting), you pay extra for reactive power. Correctable with capacitor banks — installation often pays for itself in under 18 months through bill savings.
Meter Operator (MOP) & DC/DA charges
Separate contracts for meter ownership, data collection and data aggregation on half-hourly and AMR meters. Many businesses are stuck on expensive default providers. We re-tender these alongside your supply contract for extra savings.
VAT
Standard 20% rate on most business energy. Eligible for the reduced 5% rate if your site uses under 33 kWh/day electricity or 145 kWh/day gas, or if you're a registered charity. We reclaim overpaid VAT backdated up to 4 years via VAT1614 declaration.
/ 03 — Bill Audits & Refunds
Reclaim overcharges backdated up to 4 years.
We forensically audit up to 48 months of historic electricity, gas and metering invoices — line by line, charge by charge. Where we find errors made by your supplier or network operator, we file the refund claim, manage the dispute and recover the cash directly to your bank account. If we don't find anything, you pay nothing. It's that simple.
What a 4-year audit typically recovers
- SME single-site (retail, office, salon)£2k–£15k
- Multi-site hospitality or retail chain£25k–£120k
- Manufacturing, cold storage, warehouse£40k–£300k
- Heavy industrial / half-hourly portfolio£150k–£2m
Figures based on Business-Utility.com client recoveries 2020–2025. Standard reclaims are limited to 4 years under industry licence conditions; specific cases (water, CCL, VAT) may extend further.
/ 04 — Metering Services
New electric and gas meters — fitted, upgraded and monitored.
Whether you need a simple smart meter swap or a full half-hourly CT metering upgrade, we arrange everything through accredited UK Meter Operators and Gas Transporters. That includes data collection, data aggregation, AMR reporting and ongoing monitoring — so your billing is accurate from day one.
Smart & AMR meters
SMETS2 smart and automated meter reading (AMR) for SMEs — 30-minute data, no more estimated bills, and full visibility of when and where you use energy.
HH CT metering
Half-hourly current-transformer metering for sites over 100 kW. Mandatory for P272 compliance and essential for accessing flexible, market-linked procurement.
U6, U16, U25, U40 gas
Domestic-pattern through to large industrial diaphragm and rotary gas meters. Includes Annual Quantity (AQ) correction and pipework liaison with your Gas Transporter.
Sub-metering & MID
MID-approved sub-metering for tenant recharging, ESOS compliance, SECR reporting and ISO 50001 energy management certification.
/ 05 — New Connections
New electricity and gas connections — from shop fits to industrial substations.
We manage the full connection process end-to-end — DNO and Gas Transporter liaison, point-of-connection quotes, contestable works tender, energisation and first-bill setup. One project manager, one timeline, no surprises.
Small projects
Single-phase & 3-phase supplies
Shop fit-outs, cafés, workshops, modular offices, EV charge points up to 22 kW and temporary builders' supplies. Typical lead time 6–12 weeks from application to energisation.
Mid-size
LV/HV upgrades & 11 kV connections
Industrial units, warehouses, hotels, schools and large EV hubs (50–350 kW DC). Includes full load assessment, ANM negotiation where required, and DNO reinforcement if the local network needs upgrading.
Industrial
33 kV / private substation & EHV
Data centres, manufacturing plants, district heating schemes, solar PV and battery storage grid connections. Full ICP delivery, dual-supply diversity and embedded generation export agreements.
/ Why Business-Utility.com
One partner for every utility — with 20+ years behind us.
We're independent, whole-of-market and wholly focused on UK businesses. No supplier ties. No hidden commissions. Just honest advice, sharp negotiating and a team that stays with you from first quote to final reclaim.
Independent & transparent
We disclose our commission in writing before you sign any contract. You see exactly what we earn and exactly what you save.
Expert-led, not call-centre
Every client gets a dedicated consultant who understands your sector — hospitality, manufacturing, retail, care or public sector.
No win, no fee on audits
Our 4-year historical bill audits are completely free upfront. We only get paid as a share of what we successfully recover for you.
Ready to cut your energy costs?
Send us a recent bill or tell us about your project. We'll come back within 24 hours with a bespoke quote, an audit plan, or a connections scope — whatever fits your business best.