How to compare business energy brokers

If you’re planning on arranging your next energy deal without using a commercial energy broker, you’ll need to contact each supplier individually to make sure you’re getting the best rates. And because business energy suppliers don’t offer dual fuel deals, you’ll need to run separate quotes for business gas and business electricity.

If you don’t have the time or inclination to navigate the whole process yourself, a business energy broker can help in the following ways:

• Energy brokers for business can gather both a business gas quote and a business electricity quote from a range of suppliers on your behalf.
• Compare business electricity brokers and business gas brokers to find one with access to a wider choice of deals than you would find online.
• An expert business energy broker can find you a tariff that works for your specific needs and handle all the paperwork involved in switching contracts.
• Energy brokers for business are skilled negotiators and may be able to broker power deals with better rates that you’d be able to secure yourself.

Before you compare business energy brokers, bear in mind that there are certain brokers that specialise in different areas, such as green energy or a specific business industry. For most companies, it’s best to use a business energy broker or price comparison site that has access to a range of different suppliers. 

Remember, a reliable supply and good customer service are often as important as low rates, so it pays to compare what’s on offer from smaller energy suppliers as well as the more established brands.

In short, there’s no easy answer as each supplier needs to factor in a lot of different things when designing a bespoke quote, including:

• The type of business often dictates the energy usage pattern. Businesses that consume most of their energy when there is less demand from the network will have lower rates.
• Your business’s credit rating can impact the overall cost of your energy and the suppliers available to you.
• The amount of energy your business uses in a year. A higher volume normally means a lower price. But if unit rates decrease, the daily standing charge can increase. Always check your overall offer for the cost incurred for a full year rather than unit prices.
• The size of your business determines your energy buying power. If you compare business gas brokers and business electricity brokers, you’ll see that there are some that specialise in group energy buying services for small and medium businesses, but they’re rare.
• Location. Energy prices vary around the country. Scotland has some of the highest prices in the UK, whereas the Midlands has some of the lowest.
• The length of your contract. On average, each year you extend your contract adds an additional 6% to the unit cost whilst 2%-6% is deducted from the standing charge. Negotiation plays a part in determining contract length so it’s important to both compare business electricity brokers and compare business gas brokers to find a representative that’s a leading expert in their field.
• Using the same supplier for electricity and gas may get you a discount. This is another reason to properly compare business gas brokers and business electricity brokers to find one that works with many different suppliers.

Because of all the different elements involved, business energy prices will vary if you compare business energy brokers, suppliers and types of businesses. And because every business uses energy differently and has different energy efficiency measures in place, there’s no way of definitively saying how much energy your business should be using or working out the rates you should be paying.

The only way to find out how much you should be paying is to run a business energy comparison, but we’ve compiled a list of average usage figures to help you get a rough idea of how much you should be paying for your business energy according to company size. You should keep this in mind when you come to compare deals.

Latest business electricity prices

Business size	Annual usage	Unit price per kWh	Daily standing charge
Micro Business	5,000 to 15,000 kWh	25.6p	69.4p
Small Business	15,000 to 25,000 kWh	24.9p	79.1p
Medium Business	25,000 to 55,000 kWh	26.0p	103.1p
Large Business	More than 55,000 kWh	27.8p	52.5p

Latest business gas prices

Business size	Annual usage	Unit price per kWh	Daily standing charge
Micro Business	5,000 to 15,000 kWh	8.2p	108.5p
Small Business	15,000 to 30,000 kWh	8.1p	37.8p
Medium Business	30,000 to 65,000 kWh	8.0p	66.8p
Large Business	More than 65,000 kWh	8.3p	51.1p

^{Note: Prices correct as of February 2024. Rates and bill size may vary according to your meter type and business location. The prices you’re quoted may be different from the averages shown. The figures shown are the average unit rates and standing charges quoted by Bionic per business size from February 1 to February 7, 2024. Rates do not include any Energy Bills Discount Scheme discount.}

How much you could save using the services of a business electricity and gas broker depends on the price you’re currently paying. But if you haven’t switched tariffs recently, you’re likely missing out on substantial savings that a great business energy broker could help you to get.

At USwitch for Business, we work with energy suppliers from across the whole market, from the big six to smaller providers. If you compare business energy brokers, you’ll see that USwitch for Business always makes sure you get the full picture. And if you're not within your renewal window, we can monitor the situation and get back in touch with a great business gas quote and business electricity quote when the time is right.

Give us a call today on 0800 188 4930 to find out how much you could save.

Using Uswitch for Business to compare energy deals and switch can help to save your business both time and money. Unlike when switching with other brokers or going directly to suppliers, we only need your postcode to kick off your comparison. And we compare rates from our panel of trusted UK suppliers in one phone call.

If you go directly to the suppliers, you'll need to have the following information to hand: 

• Your MPRN to help the supplier locate your supply.
• Your energy consumption and how much you currently pay
• When your switching window opens and your contract end date

And you'll need to run through all these details with each supplier you contact. 

Remember, you need to compare rates from a range of suppliers to make sure you're on the best rates.  This can be very time consuming and quite frustrating. And if you need to switch both business gas and business electricity suppliers, you'll need to go through the whole process twice    

If you've got the time and patience to do it yourself, once you've agreed a new deal then need to let your current supplier know you're leaving. Your switch will take place when your existing contract ends.

Or you can let our energy experts do all the hard work for you. We use smart data to cut the amount of time it takes to gather the information we need to compare quotes. And we only need to take your information once to compare business energy prices from our panel of trusted UK energy suppliers.

Give us a call now on 0800 188 4930 or pop your postcode in the box on the right and we'll get back to you.