We have established that you are using a half hourly meter, as you are a larger user we can offer you bespoke pricing however we will require some further information.
Please complete the contact form and an adviser will be in contact shortly.
Thank you for choosing Business Utilities Uk to broker your new electricity contract, we are happy to have you onboard.
In order for us to complete your transfer to your new supplier one of our energy advisors will contact you shortly.
If you need to contact us in the meantime, please call 0871 872 3841.
The service is free of charge as suppliers pay us for either maintaining current business or bringing them new business. This means our aim is not to charge your supplier, but simply to get you the best market price available
Your chosen supplier will bill you exactly as they do now.
Unlike household energy contracts, nearly all gas and electricity for business contracts are rollover contracts, meaning they automatically renew themselves if you don't terminate them with a letter of notice. Some suppliers renew over 90% of their customers in this way, rolling them over on to new not-so cheap energy prices when often the customer is unaware this is happening.
Each energy supplier has different, and often complex, rules about renewing your business electricity or gas contract with them and they will usually write to you anywhere from 120 days before your contract end-date to inform you of their intention to roll you over. This letter often triggers the opening of your renewal window, putting the onus on you to terminate the contract in writing before the window closes again which - in many cases - can be as little as one or two weeks later. To find out which energy supplier's terms & conditions apply to you, call us on 0871 872 3841.
Sadly businesses, in the eyes of the utility companies, include all not-for-profit / community buildings such as churches, village halls and Scout huts. Still, this doesn't mean they can't compare business energy prices and switch to the cheapest electricity supplier. Plus, they may also be eligible for a lower rate of VAT and Climate Change Levy exemption.
The other most common types of contracts for businesses are '28 Day' and 'Deemed Rates'.
Businesses that do not compare energy prices or have not attempted to switch energy suppliers since the market was de-regulated in the 1990s often find themselves on 28 Day supply contracts. The energy prices charged for these contracts can go up and down with the market and are rarely competitive. As such, we would always recommend a business switches on to a competitively-priced 'fixed-rate, fixed-term' contract for a minimum of a year - even with the same supplier. Thankfully, as the name suggests, switching to cheap business electricity can be carried out anytime after giving 28 days notice.
These rates are usually the worst and usually apply to businesses that are either new to the property or have terminated a contract but failed to switch to a new supplier. The good news is that, like 28 Day contracts, there is only a maximum of 28 days notice required to switch onto the cheapest electricity rates.
Half-hourly meters are for energy-intensive businesses whose average peak electricity demand was greater than 100kW in any three months of the previous year. There are two simple ways of checking if you are a half hourly customer: usually a half hourly meter will have a communications link so that meters can be read remotely on a daily basis or if you check your meter reference number on your bill you'll see that it begins 00. We have a specialist team that arranges for the cheapest electricity prices to be sought from suppliers that cater for the half-hourly market.
If you have just moved into a property, you will be supplied by the same business electricity supplier that the previous tenants used. However, this supplier is likely to be charging you out-of-contract rates which are significantly higher than average. It is important that you arrange a new commercial electricity contract for your business as soon as you can after moving in. If you call us with your new address, we can find out who your current supplier is, your meter serial number, compare energy prices and advise you on the best option going forward. NB A meter serial number (or 'meter ID') is different from a meter reference number. It is the 9 or 10 digit reference located on the actual meter itself that usually appears in the following format A12B 34567.
In this instance, we would advise you to contact your local business energy supplier, have them install a meter at your premises and enter a fixed-price contract with them on the minimum fixed-term contract they have available (usually a year but sometimes as short as nine months). Once you are on supply and have a meter reference number we can search the market for a better deal to switch to once your initial contract expires.
It takes approximately 4-6 weeks to switch suppliers and we will oversee the whole process on your behalf. Rest assured, your supply cannot be cut-off as a result of switching! We will keep you up to date at each stage and you will have the direct phone number of your advisor to ask any questions. Furthermore, we will also be there for you throughout the term of the contract and, significantly, offer you a renewal reminder to ensure that you always have the freedom to choose the cheapest electricity / gas option at the end date.
The key thing is to send a letter of termination to your current electricity supplier to avoid getting rolled by them. Because each supplier has different rules about terminating, by far the easiest way to switch is to let us guide you through the process. However if you prefer to do more of the legwork yourself, we can advise you on what you need to do and these Switching Tools may also come in handy.
Giving sufficient termination notice should prevent your current supplier objecting to you leaving them (use our Window Checker to find out how much notice you need to give). However, electricity suppliers may object on the grounds of outstanding debt or existing contract. Our service is geared towards making sure every switch to cheap business electricity suppliers etc happens smoothly and successfully. Given the high number of switching attempts that fail because of suppliers raising objections - legitimate or otherwise - we are very proud of our near 100% contract 'live rate'.
VAT on electricity and gas for business is normally charged at 20% (as of January the 4th 2011.) However, some businesses will meet the 'De minimis' requirements and then would be billed at 5%. This means using an average of no more than 33 kWh per day (1,000 kWh per month) for business electricity and/or less than an average of 5 therms or 145 kWh per day (150 therms or 4,397 kWh per month) for business gas. If a business falls within these criteria they will only attract the 5% VAT on gas and electricity bills.
The Climate Change Levy (CCL) is a Government tax, introduced in 2001, on the use of energy by businesses, agriculture and the public sector which applies to both gas and electricity prices. The aim of the levy is to encourage industry, commerce and the public sector to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse emissions. Current Electricity CCL is 0.47p per kWh and Gas CCL 0.164p per kWh.
Do any types of business qualify for 5% VAT and CCL exemption?
