Electricity and energy costs have skyrocketed in the last few years, and managing energy bills is an uphill task for most small business owners. Therefore, saving on utility bills has become crucial if you want to keep your small business thriving.
However, it might be difficult to figure out the best business energy suppliers for your small business. Thus, it’s become essential for owners to compare small business electricity prices and suppliers to make better-informed choices for their businesses.
The “Big Six” energy providers in the UK have the largest share of the energy market in the UK, providing energy to about 70% of the market. Even though there is some security in sticking with one of these large energy suppliers, they may not be the best option for your small business. This article will help you understand the average electricity bill for a small business UK.
Top Energy Suppliers for UK Small Business
- Bulb – Best energy supplier with transparent, Budget-friendly pricing
- Utilita – Exciting add-on features
- Opus Energy – Award-winning independent energy supplier
- EDF Energy – Most trustworthy, reliable energy supplier
- Octopus Energy – Customer-focused business energy supplier
Below is a detailed review of the best UK business energy suppliers.
- Bulb
Bulb is steadily becoming the UK’s most popular and highly rated small business energy supplier. This company provides 100% renewable energy for small businesses all around the UK. With over 60,000 mostly 5-star reviews on TrustPilot, it’s hard to doubt the quality of their service.
Furthermore, Bulb offers a straightforward business tariff for all its customers and does not charge exit fees. Like most energy companies, Bulb charges a basic standing charge and a unit rate to calculate your energy billing.
Note that Bulb is still under administration (as of October 2022). However, this will not affect new and existing customers. The energy regulator, Ofgem, has opted for a special administration regime (SAR) to protect Bulb’s customers and ensure they receive their energy supply.
Rates and Pricing
Bulb updates its electricity rates on its website frequently. Their electricity standing charge is 27.40/day. As for the unit rate, it differs based on the location of your small business. It ranges from 60.522p per kWh (in London) to 69.315kWh (in North Wales, Mersey, and Cheshire).
Customer Support and Reviews
Bulb offers a robust customer support service with well-informed staff. They are available every weekday between 9 am and 5 pm.
Several user reviews all over the web applaud its customer support team for their quick response time and their commitment to finding solutions to customer issues. Furthermore, it has an “excellent” rating on TrustPilot with 4.3 out of 5 stars.
Pros
- 100% renewable energy
- Transparent pricing
- No fixed contract
- Responsive customer support
- Excellent customer reviews
- No exit fees
- Budget-friendly energy option for small business owners
- Eco-friendliness
Cons
- No tariff options
- No options for sole traders yet
- Utilita Energy
Utilita is an innovative company that uses smart and prepayment metres to supply energy and track energy usage in homes and small businesses. It also has the best financial add-ons that are flexible to fit customer preferences.
In addition, they offer a pay-as-you-go business tariff and assign dedicated account managers to all customers. They also receive a free smart metre and energy monitor.
Furthermore, their prepayment metre system makes energy payments convenient for small business customers. Therefore, customers can top up over the phone, online, through the company’s app, via SMS, etc.
Moreover, they also offer Emergency and Friendly Credit to help customers who run out of energy credits over the weekend, at night, or on public holidays. Some other exciting add-ons from the company include Utilita Rewards, which allows you to earn credits to pay for your energy.
Rates and Pricing
Utilita Energy, unlike most other energy companies, does not have a standing charge for its customers under their contracts. The advantage of this feature is that you don’t pay any energy bill on days or months when you don’t use energy. Averagely, you can save over £100 yearly. However, out-of-contract business customers pay a standing charge of 35p daily.
Utilita also does not charge its customers a switch or exit fee. Moreover, they have one-price-fits-all tariffs that include a one-year or two-year fixed tariff contract.
Customer Support and Reviews
Utilita has a responsive customer service team that receives user complaints and suggestions from 8 am to 6 pm every weekday via phone and email.
They also have energy hubs where customers can meet with experts around the UK to discuss business energy issues and concerns. Moreover, these hubs are accessible to all customers. The company has over 60,000 reviews on TrustPilot, with an overall rating of 4.4 out of 5.
Pros
- Free smart metres
- No hidden fees
- Energy hubs available across the UK
- Excellent customer ratings
- Eco-conscious company
- Dedicated account managers
Cons
- Pricing information is limited or unavailable
- EDF Energy
EDF Energy is one of the Big Six suppliers that made it on our list. This trusted energy company provides decent pricing to its customers and is committed to increasing energy efficiency in homes and businesses in the country.
Rates and Pricing
EDF offers different tariff types that depend on how much energy you use. The online-only tariff lets users pay lower fees, while full-service tariffs pay slightly more and can access customer support.
However, choosing a fixed tariff also means your rates will be higher. Moreover, the payment method you choose also determines your rates.
Customer Support and Reviews
EDF has thousands of reviews on trusted sites, averaging 4.3 out of 5 stars on TrustPilot. Furthermore, customers also applaud the customer support team for their prompt response.
Pros
- Trustworthy Big Six energy supplier
- Variety of contract types
- Earth-conscious company
- Excellent customer service
Cons
- Pricing information is limited online
- Opus Energy
Even as an independent energy supplier, Opus Energy became the sixth largest business energy supplier in 2015. This caused the company to receive several awards, as it broke into the spot of one of the UK’s big six energy suppliers. Opus Energy provides renewable energy solutions to millions of domestic and business customers yearly.
Rates and Pricing
Unfortunately, Opus Energy does not share its energy rates on its website or anywhere else. Instead, they provide tailored quotes calculated using your small business location and energy consumption.
However, they offer two tariff plans-Opus Advance and Opus Advance Plus. On the Advance tariff, users will not be charged extra for 100% renewable green energy, while business customers on the Advance Plus tariff will pay slightly more.
Customer Support and User Reviews
Opus Energy has a 4.3 out of a 5-star review on TrustPilot. They also have excellent reviews on other review sites. Most reviews applauded the customer support team for prompt responses and for fixing customer requests in a timely fashion.
Pros
- Pro-small business energy supplier
- Quick customer service
- Positive customer reviews
- Provides renewable energy
Cons
- Limited pricing information available
- Octopus Energy
Octopus Energy offers affordable solutions to the energy problems of small business owners. They provide standard rates much lower than any of the Big Six. Furthermore, all the electricity supplied by Octopus Energy is 100% renewable, e.g., solar and wind energy.
Rates and Pricing
Octopus Energy provides fixed business energy tariffs that last for a year. They also offer unique personalised benefits for businesses. Their “Electricity Supply” product is great for small businesses that provide charge points for electric cars. Beyond this, Octopus Energy provides no other pricing information online.
Customer Support and Reviews
Octopus Energy has received rave reviews on trusted review sites online. Also, their customer service has received much praise from users for their reliable and prompt support.
Pros
- Provides renewable energy
- Special offers for charging and energy businesses
- Excellent customer reviews
Cons
- Pricing information is unavailable online
- Business customers to make advance payments
Factors to Consider Before Entering Energy Contracts for Your Small Business
Before signing energy contracts for your small business, you must consider a few factors.
Rates and Pricing: Ensure to compare the contracts and pricing of each supplier you are considering. Also, look out for possible discounts and add-ons.
Fixed or Variable Tariff: As a small business owner, you must determine if a fixed or variable tariff will be ideal for your business.
Contract Length: Ensure you know the contract lengths available, and choose a contract duration you’re comfortable with. You also want to consider a flexible company that will adapt as your business grows.
Type of Energy: Find out the energy source of your energy suppliers, like natural gas and electricity supply. It’s best to use and support more earth-conscious companies using renewable energy.
User Ratings: Customer ratings are a great way to know the quality of service to expect from an energy provider. Therefore, read through customer reviews on trusted sites to see user concerns.
Conclusion
Finding the best energy supplier for your small business can be a hassle, but it doesn’t have to be. So, we’ve listed five of the best energy suppliers if you are running a small business in the UK. However, there are still a few more companies worth considering, like Ovo Energy and Big Six energy suppliers like British Energy.
Consider the factors we listed in this article to choose the best energy supplier for your business. Moreover, you can also use a business energy broker like Love Energy Savings to help you find the best deals that would be in the best interest of your small business.
