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Business electricity
Compare business electricity prices in minutes
Our tech-enabled experts will find a business electricity tariff to suit your needs from our extensive list of electricity suppliers.
We compare a vetted panel of trusted UK business suppliers
What is business electricity?
Business electricity is simply electricity that is supplied solely for business use. Although business electricity comes from the same sources as home electricity (and even from the same supplier, in some cases), the way commercial energy deals are structured makes switching a little trickier.
That’s why it makes sense to get help from the tech-enabled experts at Bionic.
We’ll compare business electricity prices in minutes and talk you through the options on our panel to make sure you’re on the very best deal for your business. This is especially important when signing a new energy contract as, unlike domestic tariffs, business energy deals don’t come with a cooling-off period.
How Bionic business electricity comparison works
No long forms
Start a business electricity comparison with just your postcode. We use secure smart data to find the details we need to run your quote.
We’ll do the comparison for you
Once we know more about the needs of your business, we'll compare quotes and exclusive deals from our panel of trusted UK suppliers.
We’ll talk you through the quotes
One of our experts will explain the quotes on screen and answer any questions. You choose the best deal and we’ll handle the rest.
Your Bionic comparison is free.
If you decide to switch, we’ll be paid a commission by the new supplier that is included in the prices we quote.
Why it’s better to talk
Switching business electricity is more complicated than switching domestic energy. That's why 75% of business owners say they'd sooner speak to someone to get their questions answered. Our tech-enabled experts are on hand to help business owners just like you.
Look behind headline savings figures
Business electricity prices are calculated with many ‘moving parts’, like standing charges, unit rates, and other fees. We’ll help you look behind the headline figures to see which deals will result in savings for your business.
Tailor your price
Why accept the first price you’re given? As the UK’s market leader for business electricity comparison, we get exclusive rates from our panel of trusted UK energy suppliers, and can tailor prices to suit your business’s needs.
Make your new contract more likely to go live
Bionic has a dedicated team who manage your old and new suppliers to save you the hassle. When we talk, we can make sure all the details are exactly right so your new contract is more likely to go live smoothly.
All part of the service with Bionic
Proactive comparison for your next contract
Bionic’s Digital Renewal service makes everything much quicker and easier when it’s time to sort your next energy contract. We’ll proactively do your next comparison for you, and share it by email. You then choose the deal you want online, and we’ll take care of everything else for you.
Sort all your business essentials in one place
Bionic is a one-stop shop for business electricity, business insurance, business connectivity (phone line and broadband), and business finance (loans). Save yourself time and hassle by getting all your business products sorted in one place. Just one name to remember for any of your essential services.
Or speak to one of our team now on 0800 860 6833
Bionic provides the business switching services for many well known brands
We’re the market-leader in business comparison.
But don’t just take our word for it, here’s what our customers say!
Business electricity prices can be volatile, sometimes changing daily. That’s why it makes sense to lock your rates in with a fixed-rate deal.
Business electricity suppliers base their pricing on the size of your business size and its electricity consumption. Although the unit rates you pay might be cheaper than domestic deals, VAT on business energy is charged at the higher rate of 20%.
But there are some exceptions. If you use more than 33kWh of business electricity a day (that’s 1,000 kWh per month), then you’ll be eligible for the reduced rate of 5% VAT. Your business will also qualify for the lower 5% VAT rate if it is a charitable or non-profit organisation, or if at least 60% of your business’s energy is used for non-business purposes (this is probably most applicable for those working from home).
You may also need to pay other fees, such as the Climate Change Levy, Renewable Obligation, and the Feed-In Tariff. For more details, check out our guide to guide to understanding business energy bills.
One of the first differences you’ll notice between business electricity and home electricity deals is that there’s no default option to double-up with your supplier and take out a dual fuel deal. But if your supplier offers business gas alongside business electricity, there’s nothing stopping you from using the same supplier for both.
Business energy contracts also usually last longer than domestic deals. While most households will be offered a one-year fixed contract, business owners can lock rates in for up to five years. Although business electricity deals offer less flexibility when it comes to switching (there’s rarely an early-termination option), locking your rates in for longer is a great way to protect against energy price hikes.
When you compare business electricity deals, you’ll notice there are a few different tariff types available. Bionic’s tech-enabled experts will talk you through your options to make sure you get the right deal.
Here are the main types of business energy tariffs on offer to SMEs:
- Fixed-rate - A fixed-term tariff usually lasts between one and four years, during which time the unit cost and standing charges stay the same. Although your bills will still vary depending upon how much energy you use, the actual rates you pay are fixed for the term of the deal.
- Variable-rate - The unit rate you pay on variable tariffs goes up or down in line with the current market prices. If prices drop, you’ll pay less, but energy prices are more likely to increase and leave you paying more.
- Green energy – Green energy deals offer more environmentally-friendly energy by offering electricity from renewable sources, or by offsetting power produced from non-renewable sources by funding other green initiatives.
- Deemed rate tariff - If you’ve recently moved into a new business premises but didn’t sign up with an energy supplier, the supplier that provided energy to the previous occupant will most likely continue to supply the premises. As a result, you’ll usually be placed on “deemed” rates, which are considerably more expensive than the rates offered to new customers.
- Rollover - If you don’t arrange a new energy deal before your current one ends, then your supplier can automatically roll you onto another deal. Rates are usually more expensive than on fixed-rate deals. If you run a microbusiness, this contract can’t last more than 12 months.
If you work from dedicated business premises, then it’s likely you’ll benefit from a business electricity deal. When it comes to business electricity, the size of your business can be determined by the amount of energy it uses.
To give you an idea of current business electricity rates, here are the average electricity unit rates per kWh (excluding Climate Change Levy charges) according to figures from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
What is the average price per kWh for business electricity?
| Business Size | Annual Usage | Unit Price/kWh | Standing Charge | Annual Bill |
| Micro | 8,000 kWh | 16.55p | 27.40p | £1,439 |
| Small | 20,000 kWh | 14.67p | 26.83p | £3,064 |
| Medium | 40,000 kWh | 12.48p | 26.41p | £5,568 |
| Large | 80,000 kWh | 12.19p | 26.20p | £10,439 |
If you run a large business, Bionic offers the following:
- Bespoke procurement service
- Bill validation service
- Metering and data collector service
- Services for business with multiple sites
For more information, check out our guide to large business and industrial energy prices.
At Bionic, we only compare business electricity prices from a panel of trusted UK suppliers. This means we can have confidence that you’ll be getting quality customer service and supply alongside great rates.
| Supplier | Contract type | Term duration on offer |
| British Gas | Fixed | 1-3 year |
| BG Lite | Fixed | 1-5 year |
| British Gas Plus | Fixed | 1-3 year |
| CNG | Fixed | 1-4 year |
| Crown | Fixed | 1-3 year |
| EDF | Fixed | 1-4 year |
| Gazprom | Fixed | 1-5 year |
| Opus Energy | Fixed | 1-4 year |
| Octopus Energy | Fixed | 1-3 year |
| Scottish Power | Fixed | 1-3 year |
| SSE | Fixed | 1-3 year |
| Total | Fixed | 1-5 year |
| Valda Energy | Fixed | 1-3 year |
Business Electricity FAQs
To help you understand more about switching business electricity, here are the answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.
Although you can compare business electricity prices and sign up to a new deal as soon as your switching window opens - usually up to six months before your deal ends - the actual switch won’t take place until your contract expires.
Business energy switches usually take around six weeks to complete. To make sure you’re not rolled onto your supplier’s more expensive rates, you should compare prices and arrange a new deal about two months before your current contract ends.
No. Both your current and the new supplier will work together to organise a date that your supply is transferred, meaning the provision of power to your premises remains unaffected. And your electricity will still be supplied through the existing cables, meaning there’s no need for digging or drilling at your workplace.
You should be able to find your MPAN on your energy bill. MPAN stands for Meter Point Administration number, but is also known as the ‘Suppy Number’ or ‘S Number’. You should be able to easily identify it as it’s a 21-digit number that begins with an ‘S’. Although it’s used to identify the supply meter at your property, you won’t find your MPAN displayed anywhere on your meter.
To find out more about meter numbers, check out Bionic’s guide to MPAN and MPRN.
If you have a standard electricity meter, it’s unlikely it will need to be replaced when you switch. But if you have a smart meter, you may need a new meter if the one you have isn’t compatible with your new supplier. For more information, check out our guide to smart meters for business.
The types of contract available to you will depend on the supplier and your circumstances, but you’ll most likely be offered one of the following four types of deal:
- Fixed term business gas and electricity tariffs
- Blend and extend tariffs
- Flex approach tariffs
- Pass through tariffs
If you don’t sign up to a new contract before your current one expires, your supplier will roll you onto a more expensive rate. For more information, check out our guide to business energy contracts.
There are two things that can happen to your energy contract when moving business premises:
- It will be transferred to your new premises
- It will be cancelled and you will have to set up a new contract at your new premises
To find more about your electricity when moving premises, check out our guide to your business energy when relocating.
Yes. There is a standard VAT of 20% applied to your energy bill automatically. It's possible to reduce this to 5% if you only use small amounts of fuel. To find out more, check out our guide to VAT on business energy.
If your business has a peak electricity demand of 100KVA, you’ll need to have a half-hourly meter installed. Half hourly electricity meters automatically submit readings to your supplier every 30 minutes, to help ensure your bills are accurate.
If you have a half hourly meter installed, the MPAN will have ‘00’ after the ‘S’. For more information, check out our guide to half hourly electricity.
If you applied to the FiT scheme before April 1, 2019, then your business should have been enrolled on the scheme. This means you can make money by selling back to the National Grid any surplus energy generated by solar panels at your premises.
The amount of money you can make depends upon the number of solar panels you have, and your supplier must be a registered FiT licensee.
Switching to a business electricity supplier that uses renewable sources could be good for both your energy bills and the image of your business - showing that you're doing your bit for the environment can go a long way with your customers.
Green electricity is available across the majority of the UK, and is generated by sunlight, wind, rain, plants and geothermal heat. Speak to our tech-enabled team if you want to compare quotes from green energy suppliers.
Business electricity prices are always changing. The only way to make sure you’re on the best deal is to compare prices and switch. And remember, signing up to a new deal as soon as your switching window opens can help you lock in lower rates and beat any energy price rises.
Business energy contracts don’t offer an early termination option. If you want to cancel your business electricity contract, you’ll need to contact your supplier when your switching window opens. Your contract will still run until its scheduled end date, but cancelling it means your supplier won’t be able to automatically roll you onto a more expensive deal and you can sign up to a better deal with a new supplier. To save you time and hassle, Bionic can do all this on your behalf and will do so automatically as part of our Digital Renewal Service.
When you compare business electricity prices with Bionic, we use your electricity consumption data to find the most accurate quotes for your business.
At Bionic, we use smart data to get the info we need to run a business electricity comparison. This means we only need your business name and postcode to start a business energy comparison.
Yes, energy prices vary depending on which part of the country your business is based. The main reason for these regional variations are:
- Supply and demand - How much energy suppliers are able to sell to customers in that region.
- The cost paid by suppliers - How much energy suppliers buy from the national grid in that region.
- Transportation costs - How much the local energy distributors for the region charge suppliers for that energy. This is why energy is often more expensive in rural areas.
With more electricity being generated by sustainable sources, prices are also dropping in areas that can produce their own renewable energy.
Business energy contracts don’t offer an early termination option. If you want to cancel your business electricity contract, you’ll need to contact your supplier when your switching window opens. Your contract will still run until its scheduled end date, but cancelling it means your supplier won’t be able to automatically roll you onto a more expensive deal and you can sign up to a better deal with a new supplier. To save you time and hassle, Bionic can do all this on your behalf and will do so automatically as part of our Digital Renewal Service.
When you compare business electricity prices with Bionic, we use your electricity consumption data to find the most accurate quotes for your business.
At Bionic, we use smart data to get the info we need to run a business electricity comparison. This means we only need your business name and postcode to start a business energy comparison.
Yes, energy prices vary depending on which part of the country your business is based. The main reason for these regional variations are:
- Supply and demand - How much energy suppliers are able to sell to customers in that region.
- The cost paid by suppliers - How much energy suppliers buy from the national grid in that region.
- Transportation costs - How much the local energy distributors for the region charge suppliers for that energy. This is why energy is often more expensive in rural areas.
With more electricity being generated by sustainable sources, prices are also dropping in areas that can produce their own renewable energy.
Our experts share essential knowledge on business electricity
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