Business Energy

Business electricity tariffs

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

Whatever the size or nature of your business, you’ll need an electricity tariff that’s going to suit you. This guide will help you find the best deal for your business (24/8/09).

When it comes to choosing an electricity tariff for your business, there are lots of options available. The UK’s biggest energy suppliers, British Gas, EDF, E.ON, npower, Scottish Power, and Scottish & Southern Energy, all have tariffs designed specifically for business customers, and other small suppliers, such as EBICO and first:utility also offer competitive business electricity prices.

In the same way that domestic customers are free to compare prices and switch to a cheaper supplier, business customers can also choose the best deal for their needs. Our guide to business electricity suppliers will help you choose the best deal for your company, no matter what its size.

British Gas business electricity

British Gas (www.britishgas.co.uk), the UK’s largest energy supplier, offers two business electricity tariffs:

• Business electricity for small and medium businesses - For businesses that spend up to or less than £50,000 a year on their electricity bills. Rates are fixed for a set period, so you’ll always know what you’ll be paying each month.
• Business electricity for large businesses - For businesses that spend more than £50,000 a year on their electricity bills and/or have more than 20 sites. Choose from either fixed or flexible contracts.

British Gas supplies gas and electricity to over 950,000 businesses around the UK, and every customer has their own account manager. The account manager is responsible for arranging connections and metering services, as well as the registration and switchover process, and any billing or payment queries.

You can also opt for Green Electricity which uses energy from renewable resources, and could help reduce the amount of Climate Change Levy (CCL) your business has to pay.

Find out more about British Gas business electricity tariffs.

EDF business electricity

French-owned energy supplier EDF (www.edfenergy.com) offers two business electricity tariffs:

• Business electricity for small and medium businesses - For businesses that spend up to or less than £30,000 a year on their electricity bills and have less than 20 sites. Prices are fixed for either one, two or three years, so you’ll always know what you’ll be paying each month. Bills are paid quarterly.
• Business electricity for large businesses - For businesses that spend more than £30,000 a year on their electricity bills and have more than 20 sites in the UK. Choose from either fixed or flexible contracts, and bills can be monthly or quarterly.

EDF has over 450,000 business customers, all benefiting from a choice of contract length, dedicated business advisers, and 2% off bills for choosing to pay by direct debit, as well as free energy efficiency advice to help cut your company’s fuel bills.

Find out more about EDF business electricity tariffs.

E.ON business electricity

Energy giant E.ON (www.eonenergy.com) has over 500,000 business customers and is one of the UK’s largest business energy suppliers. It has one business electricity tariff, designed for small and medium companies with less than 50 sites in the UK that use less than £100,000 worth of electricity a year. The deal offers:

• Fixed electricity prices guaranteed for the duration of your contract
• Either a one or three year contract
• A discount for paying bills by direct debit
• Free energy efficiency advice.

Choosing a three year contract means you will be able to budget your energy costs for longer, protecting your business against electricity price increases for three years.

Find out more about E.ON’s business electricity tariff.

Npower business electricity

With over 300,000 business energy customers, Npower (www.npower.com) offers one business electricity tariff specifically for small and medium businesses that use less than £100,000 worth of electricity a year.

• Fixed electricity prices until 2010
• Energy efficiency advice to help lower your energy bills
• 2% discount for paying by direct debit.

Npower business customers are given a free e3 pack, which contains a free Electrisave monitor worth £79.95 (a smart meter), and all the energy efficiency tools and advice you need to reduce your energy bills by up to 25%.

Find out more about Npower’s business electricity tariff.

Scottish Power business electricity

Scottish Power (www.scottishpower.co.uk) has over 200,000 business customers and offers two business electricity tariffs:

• Business electricity for small and medium businesses - For businesses that use up to or less than 75,000kW of energy a year.
• Business electricity for large businesses - For businesses that use more than 75,000kW of energy a year. Large businesses (with more than 25 sites) can benefit from internet invoicing, which gives customers access to up-to-date billing information whenever they want, and they can view up to 13 months’ historic data, including invoices and statements.

Scottish Power allows customers to pay in six different ways, including monthly/quarterly direct debit, using credit/debit cards and by cheque, cash or giro cheque. Businesses will receive a discount for opting to pay by direct debit.

Find out more about Scottish Power business electricity tariffs.

Scottish & Southern Energy business gas

Scottish & Southern Energy has over 9 million customers in the UK. Its business customers can benefit from:

• Fixed prices for the entire contract period
• Contract packages with a variety of contract periods and payment methods to suit your business
• Experienced business energy advisers
• Local customer service centres in Scotland, England and Wales. Or the option of a visit from an experienced Business Energy Adviser to talk to you about your business energy needs.

Changing your business’ electricity supplier is quick and easy using the Energychoices.co.uk business energy service. You could save up to 50% on your gas and electricity bills by simply talking to a friendly, UK based savings expert today.