When running a business, energy can make up a good share of your overheads. This is why many savvy business owners choose to frequently switch their energy in an effort to find a cheaper deal on their business energy. But, sometimes business owners can be deterred from engaging with the energy market, due to the fact that there are certain processes that must be adhered to when switching business energy contracts. However, provided you’re armed with the right knowledge, switching your energy can be quick easy, and pain free.
The first thing to note is that the energy you use at home is in no way differs from the energy you use to run your business. The difference lies in the way these products are packaged. A domestic switcher can choose from a market of predefined tariffs because many home owners have similar needs when it comes to energy consumption. Businesses, on the other hand, differ greatly in the way that they consume energy. Take a barber and a dry cleaner’s for example. A barber will mostly use energy to heat and light their premises, whereas a dry cleaner not only needs to heat and light their premises, but also power multiple industrial washers and dryers. So, naturally, you could expect the dry cleaner’s to consume more energy than the barber.
To meet these varying needs, business energy suppliers offer bespoke contracts to each business they quote - meaning that no two businesses will have identical business energy contracts.
In the business energy market, gas and electricity are sold separately, and so must be secured under separate contracts. This is true whether both the contracts come from the same supplier, or from two different ones.
For a busy business owner, running an energy comparison can be a time consuming task, considering the variance in quotes that can be offered. This can make it hard to run a clear and accurate comparison.
To save time and take the hassle out of switching, many business owners decide to use the services of an energy broker, such as Make It Cheaper. Switching your business energy with us works in exactly the same way as switching it yourself – but we do all the legwork for you, leaving you free to get back to running your business.
If you’re interested in running a business energy comparison, we have outlined the steps that you will need to take below.
Ensure your switching window is open
Businesses are unable to switch their energy until they are within their renewal window. This typically opens six months prior to the end date of your current contract, and your supplier must write to you with their terms of renewal at this point. However, you are not obliged to accept their renewal offer, and it’s worth bearing in mind that it will almost always be more expensive than the best deal on the market.
Once your window is open, you know it’s time to act and start looking for a better deal on your business energy. If you decide to switch through Make It Cheaper, we offer a service that notifies you as soon as your renewal window is open, so we can begin the switching process without delay.
Get your business energy quotes
To make sure your business energy comparison is comprehensive, it’s recommended that you get as many quotes from all eligible suppliers as possible. This means approaching each supplier individually to discuss the energy needs of your business. After this conversation, they will offer you a bespoke quote based on your business needs and energy consumption habits.
Switching through Make It Cheaper’s service means the only conversation you will need to have is with one of our savings experts, to assess your business’s energy needs. This saves you having the same conversation multiple times when contacting each supplier individually.
Which quote best suits your needs?
When you feel you have enough quotes to make a good comparison, you need to assess which offer best suits the needs of your business. Many business owners focus solely on price during this process, however we recommend that you take other factors such as customer service rating into account.
Switching with Make It Cheaper means our savings experts can advise you on the best deal to ensure that you pick the right energy contract for your business.
Inform suppliers of the switch
Once you have decided on a business energy contract, you need to inform both your current and new suppliers of your intention to switch. Typically, this should be done in writing as soon as possible to begin the switching process. Once all suppliers have acknowledged the switch, all that’s left to do is to wait for the new supply to take effect.
It’s worth noting that your newly organised supply will not begin until the terms of your current contract have ended.
