Questions
Why shop around?
Can any business compare energy prices and switch?
What can I search for?
How do I transfer to a better deal?
What information will you ask for?
Which suppliers do you work with?
Are you independent?
How do you make money?
Can I trust your information?
How accurate are your results?
How does your calculator work?
Is your website secure?
Answers
Up until a few years ago energy was something that all businesses took for granted. Record price rises have changed that. Now energy has moved up the list of priorities and getting the best deal is vital.
You may be looking for a new supply contract for a number of reasons:
- because you know that your current contract is about to end
- because you have moved into new premises
- because you have never signed a contract and want to save on your current tariff
Whatever your circumstances there are significant savings available to you by finding the right energy deal. For example, if you are coming to the end of your energy contract you could save as much as 50% (against your suppliers renewal offer) by shopping around.
Business energy exchange will make it easy for you to compare prices and contract with the supplier that best suits the needs of your business.
Any business with a supply point (Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN) also known as the Supply or ‘S’ for electricity or a Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN) or ‘M’ number for gas) can compare prices and contract with an energy supplier.
Unlike the residential marketplace, were a customer can change energy supplier every 28 days, commercial energy is supplied via contract. The contracts that energy suppliers offer small and medium sized businesses will almost always be for a fixed term, typically between 1-5 years.
You may find that you are already under contract with your current supplier and will therefore not be able to shop around for a better deal until your contract renewal date. If you find yourself in this situation our
free renewal reminder service will give you some very important advice and assistance on how to reduce your renewal costs by up to 50%
If you have recently moved into new premises, never agreed a contract or are coming to the end of your current contract (and have met the termination conditions of the contract) you will be free to compare prices and contract with a supplier offering you the best deal.
Business energy exchange will present you with a wide range of rolling and fixed term contract options from major and independent business energy suppliers.
Business contracts will vary in length, method of payment, features & benefits, terms & conditions, environmental services and most importantly price.
The contracts available to your business will depend on variables such as your contract start date, your business type, meter type, how much energy you use, whether you want green energy and finally how you want to pay.
Our step by step process, with interactive help panel, will ensure that you find the right energy contract for your business needs.
Buying energy through business energy exchange is simple. Our advanced calculator will compare the commercial marketplace in seconds helping you to choose a supply contract that best suits the needs of your business.
Comparing and applying for your new energy contract on our site should take you about ten minutes and our interactive help panel will assist you each step of the way.
Step 1: Compare energy suppliers
We will ask you some questions about your business such as supply details, your business type and your best estimate of how much gas or electricity your business uses.
It helps to have a recent bill at hand and details of your current suppliers contract renewal offer (where applicable).
Step 2: Review your results
Your results page will show a summary of each supplier quoation. Your results will be in the order of the lowest unit rates first and to make your comparison easier we will multiply each suppliers quoted unit rates to your estimated energy usage (or an average usage based on your meter type) to give you a projected annual energy cost for each supplier quotation.
In addition to comparing prices our results will also present you with a detailed summary of each contract offer, covering contract features, key contract terms & conditions, meter/billing & payment options, environmental services and finally a supplier overview.
This information will give you a rounded view of the contract offer from each supplier and ensure that you make a transparent and well informed purchasing decision.
Step 3: Apply
You can apply for your new energy contract immediately using our online application form. It will take you around five minutes to complete the form and confirm your application.
Step 4: Switch to your new supplier
Once you have confirmed your application we will send you an email to confirm details of your new contract.
Your new supplier will validate your application and begin the transfer process. They will also tell your current supplier that you are transfering. The transfer usually takes between two and four weeks unless you specify a deferred start date.
During the transfer process your new supplier will keep you informed of any progress.
For gas and electricity quotations you will need the following information for all premises you wish to contract:
- Business name and nature of your business
- The reference number for all the meter point(s) at the premises i.e. Meter Point Reference Number (MPR) for gas and Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN) for electricity
- A recent bill (if possible)
- Details of a contract renewal offer from your current supplier (where applicable)
Most of this information will be available from a copy of your latest bill or from your current supplier.
We provide business customers with the widest choice of suppliers and contract options in the marketplace.
We currently have a commercial relationship with eleven business energy suppliers and are working hard to bring on board the remaining few.
Energy suppliers have no shareholding in business energy exchange and we have no contracts with any supplier that commits us to giving them business.
The choice REALLY IS YOURS
Anyone can access our online comparison calculator for FREE. Suppliers will pay us a small one off commission if you use business energy exchange to arrange your new energy contract.
ALL commissions are INCLUDED in the prices on the calculator and are generally a fraction of the savings our customers make by using our service.
Business energy exchange will tell you the actual commission amount on YOUR contract if you contact us
Because you choose which supplier to contract with you can be confident that we are not leading you to any supplier in particular.
Business energy exchange is independent and our commercial relationships will have no bearing on the ranking of suppliers in your results.
All suppliers will have the opportunity to quote for your business.
The prices and contract information that appear in your results is provided directly by suppliers.
We continually monitor all supplier information and updates to ensure that your results are comprehensive and accurate.
About our energy calculator
Our advanced calculator will provide you with a projected annual cost for each supplier’s contract offer. This is calculated from your best estimate of how much energy your business consumes in a year and the quoted contract prices for each supplier.
The calculated results will be displayed in a league table with the contract showing the lowest projected annual cost ranked first.
If comparing prices against your suppliers renewal offer our calculator will use the same consumption figure to ensure a ‘like for like’ quotation. The results page will display all contract offers and highlight the money that can be saved by switching to each supplier.
Your consumption details
Gas consumption
Before quoting a gas price suppliers will need to know how much gas your business uses in a year, otherwise known as your Annual Quantity (AQ).
We can calculate your Annual Quantity of gas if you enter the consumption details from a recent gas bill. Our calculator will take into account the time of year the bill was produced (summer month bills are lower than winter month bills).
If you don’t have a gas bill handy we can calculate your Annual Quantity of gas from an indication of how much you currently spend on gas.
Electricity consumption
The projected annual cost for each electricity supplier is based on an industry average consumption figure for your meter type.
For a more accurate quotation you can adjust your annual consumption figure by entering your consumption details from a recent electricity bill. Our calculator will take into account the time of year the bill was produced (summer month bills are lower than winter month bills).
With this information the calculator will re-calculate your annual consumption and adjust the projected annual cost of each supplier quotation.
Variables
The projected annual costs and savings for each supplier will take into account the following variables:
Unit rates
Each unit of gas or electricity your business consumes is measured in Kilowatt Hours (kWh).
Standing charge
A standing charge is a fixed amount you pay for every day you are connected the gas network (like a line rental for your telephone). A standing charge will typically be charged as a Pence per day (p/day) or pounds per month (£/mth).
Some suppliers now have tariffs that do not incorporate a standing charge, but their unit charges may be slightly increased to make up for this.
Meter type
A meter will measure, in Kilowatt Hours, how much energy your business consumes – the amount of energy used by a load of one Kilowatt over the period of one hour.
Commercial gas meters are generally a ‘standard’ meter type where all units (charged as Pence per Kilowatt Hour (p/kWh) will be charged at the same rate.
As well as ‘standard’ meters there are also variable rate meters in the electricity market. Some examples are ‘Economy 7’ meters or ‘Evening & Weekend Economy 7’ meters. Variable rate meters operate on the same principles as standard meters, except they give more readings: one for daytime electricity usage, one for night time usage and so on.
This allows the suppliers to charge different (usually lower) rates for electricity used during the evenings and weekends.
Our calculator will factor in your meter type and unit rate splits when giving projected annual costs for each supplier.
Consumption thresholds
Some suppliers will charge you a lower unit rate if your annual consumption passes above a certain threshold
Filtering products and suppliers
On the results page you have the opportunity to filter your results to find the contract that best suits the needs of your business.
For example; you can filter by contract period, payment options, green contracts and contracts with or without standing charges.
Business energy exchange makes every effort to ensure that our website is secure and that your personal information is protected.
Our website is protected by secure socket layer technology and you can verify our details by clicking on the VeriSign logo in the bottom right hand conrner of this page.
We also also registered under the Data Protection Act 1998 - Registration number Z9567908