Compare business electricity prices in minutes with Bionic

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.