Business Energy

How to switch business gas and electricity supplier

If your business is paying too much for its gas and electricity supply, it’s time to bag yourself a better deal by switching supplier.

But switching business energy isn’t as straight forward as switching domestic energy – there are no dual fuel deals, and no off-the-shelf solutions, meaning all quotes need to be tailored to meet the needs of the individual business.

So, unless you like the idea of contacting each and every single supplier, and repeating your details to each one until you find a suitable deal, it makes sense to let us do the hard work for you.

A quick phone call to one of the commercial energy experts at Bionic is all it takes. Bionic will search from a panel of trusted suppliers to find a tariff that suits the needs and budget of your business. Call, free of charge, now on 0800 088 6986. Or leave your postcode here and they'll give you a call back.

How to switch business energy supplier

If you’re looking to cut business costs without compromising on the quality of your goods or services, switching energy supplier is one of the simplest and most effective ways to do this. Especially if you let our business energy experts handle the switch for you.

Once we’ve taken down a few details about your business and its energy use, we search the entire market to find the most suitable gas and electricity tariffs. The more information you can give us, the more accurately we can quote you, so dig out your latest bill and make a note of the following:

• The name of your current gas and electricity suppliers
• The name of your tariffs, and their end dates
• Your supply type
• How much gas and electricity your business uses

We’ll then offer you a range of deals from a number of suppliers - all you need to do is decide which one is the best fit for your business, and we’ll set up your new contracts with your new suppliers.

Our switching service is completely free and impartial, so it won’t cost you a single penny or a second more of your time to search the entire energy market. Give us a call now on 0800 088 6986.

Why switch business energy supplier?

There are many ways your business can benefit from switching energy supplier but, as with most things in business, the bottom line is what matters most – the good news is, switching to a better deal can cut your energy bills by hundreds of pounds.

Commercial gas and electricity bills can quickly get out of control, particularly if you’re on an expensive deemed rates or rollover tariff, and switching supplier is the simplest and quickest way to cut these costs.

Less expensive overheads might not be the only consideration though, and you might want to switch to a supplier that provides outstanding customer service, or offers a specific type of tariff - just let our energy experts know exactly what you’re after and they’ll take care of it.

When can you switch energy supplier?

Commercial energy contracts are usually taken out for a fixed period of time, and you won’t be able to switch supplier until current deal enters its ‘renewal window’, which can be anywhere between one and six months before its end date. Check your contract or call up your supplier to find out exactly when you can switch.

Once your contract enters this window, you can compare deals and agree a new contract with a new supplier, but the switch won’t actually take place until your current agreement has ended – if the expiration date is three months from now, then that’s when the new agreement will start.

It’s vital you find out when your contract is due to enter its renewal window, and agree a new deal during this time. If not, your current supplier might extend your existing deal for another year, and at a more expensive rate.

If you run a microbusiness, the notice period for terminating your energy deal is just 30 days. At around 60 days before your deal is due to end, your supplier must provide details on how much energy you use each year, and how the price of your current deal compares with the new prices.

If you’re unsure as to whether your venture falls into this category, the European Commission (EC) defines a microbusiness as one which has fewer than ten employees and a turnover or balance sheet total of less than €2 million. To qualify for a microbusiness energy contract, it must use less than 200,000 kWh of gas or 55,000 kWh of electricity a year.

What happens when you switch business energy supplier?

Once you’ve agreed a new deal for your commercial gas and electricity supply, the actual switch should take around six weeks, and there should be no disruption to your electricity supply, not even on the day of the changeover. Gas and electricity will be supplied through the existing pipes and cables, so there’s no need for any digging or drilling at your workplace.

Your new supplier will be in touch to confirm a date for the switchover as well as your payment details and, once the switch is complete, you’ll need to take a final meter reading on your old supplier can issue your final bill.

When you receive your new energy contract, make sure you’re completely satisfied before you sign, as commercial energy deals don’t offer a cooling off period.

It’s worth noting that any new supplier will carry out a credit check on your company before it agrees to offer you a contract, and if you’re in debt with your current supplier, you may not be able to switch until that debt is cleared.

Switching commercial energy supplier is a quick and simple way to cut your business energy bills, but if you want to make more long term savings, you need to consider when and how your business uses gas and electricity, and work out how it can be more energy efficient.

Ask your new supplier about an energy audit - a short phone call or site visit is all it takes to quickly identify areas where your business can cut consumption and save money.

Give our business energy experts a call now on 0800 088 6986, and see how much you could save.