Spring – the season of rebirth, revitalisation and regeneration – is now upon us, and it’s a time of the year where clean-ups and clear-outs are popular. It’s called a spring clean for a reason, after all.

And it’s something the world of business takes part in too. As the beginning of the new accounting (and tax) year approaches, many of us in the business world will be pondering whether we are getting the best deal on our business energy bills.

With businesses tending to consume more electricity than the average household, in theory we should be in a position to negotiate better deals with suppliers. All the more important when you consider the government’s forecasts that there will be further rises to energy prices between now and 2020. Currently, the average energy bill for a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) is £4,243 a year, but many are still paying over the odds for energy in spite of better rates being available on the market.

Sourcing the best deal for energy can, though, be a frustrating, lengthy and time-consuming process. With that in mind, we’ve come up with five top tips to enable you to secure a better energy rate.

1 – Get to grips with your energy contract

You can achieve this by noting down all of your essential information: your unit rates and standing charge, your meter numbers, your contract end date, your annual energy consumption and your contract notice period. Having this information at hand will put you in a position of strength when it comes to negotiating a more favourable deal.

2 – Collect quotes from other suppliers

This isn’t something, sadly, that you can do online, so you will have to go direct to each supplier and make time to contact them by phone or face-to-face on an individual basis.

3 – Terminate your current contract

Once you have chosen your new supplier and are happy with the deal they have quoted you, it’s time to cancel your contract with your current supplier.  

4 – Take final meter readings

By obtaining this information you will be able to accurately work out your final invoice with your current supplier.

5 – Switch to your new provider

Once your previous contract has finished, you can then switch to your new provider for lower energy bills.

A note of caution

It’s important to remember that switching windows have now been abolished by Ofgem (the official energy regulator). This means you must now make sure you organise a new deal while you still have over 30 days remaining on your current contract.

The above undoubtedly sounds like a long-winded, arduous and stressful process – and that, unfortunately, is the reality. That’s why you should speak to uSwitch today, allowing us to take the hassle away from you. We’ll handle the switching process on your behalf, saving you up to £1,150 a year. What’s more, this will give you more time to focus on the important aspects of your business and growing it year by year.

We offer a simple, hassle-free service. All it takes is one simple call or click for you to be saving over 30% on your business energy bills. We do this by scouring the energy market for the best deals, comparing the rates offered by the Big Six and a wide range of smaller suppliers.

Claire Osborne from uSwitchforBusiness