Every month your energy bill shows up like clockwork. You wince, peek at the overall, and put it away. The worst thing is that passive acceptance is actually costing you money. Most likely more than you would reasonably confess in your next board meeting. Discover on https://www.thecoffeemom.net/business-premises-maintenance/
Let’s pull off the band-aid: commercial energy pricing makes roughly the same sense as a submarine’s screen door. You not asking inquiries counts to suppliers. Regarding that “competitive rate” they promised? Might be competitive for them, not really for your bottom line.
The following describes methods to stop bleeding:
First, get your present contract out. Most likely, it’s buried among a stack of documents you intended to sort. Look at the expiration date; that’s your golden window for negotiations. You’ll roll onto “out of contract” rates that make luxury hotels seem inexpensive if you miss it.
Although standing charges are where they slide the knife in, unit rates get all the attention. A supplier might show 12p/kWh, which appears fantastic; but, silently charge £1.50 everyday only for running the lights. Do the calculations; that comes to £547.50 annually before you turned on the coffee maker.
There are three tastes to contracts:
- Fixed (pricing stays put, sanity stays whole)
- Variable (travels the rollercoaster of the market)
- “flexible” (Supplier-speak for “we’ll surprise you monthly”)
Half-hourly meters: That’s the VIP part of the energy world. Should your company have one, generic comparison sites will guide you in the wrong direction more quickly than a faulty GPS. You want experts speaking the language of your field of business.
Deemed rates should include a warning label. They are what transpires in cases of non-active contract selection. Imagine entering a restaurant and allowing the chef charge whatever they choose for your dinner. That is the deemed rates in action.
Switching sounds difficult. That is not. There is no power loss. Not one disruption in a service. Just… decrease numbers where they are relevant. The hardest thing is gathering the will to start (pun fully meant).
Although they’re not the complete menu, comparison sites are good appetisers. Some vendors keep their best offers off these sites totally off-limits. A brief call might find savings your accountant might find embarrassing.
Though not in the way you would believe, timing counts. Energy price prediction is useless, much as trying to forecast British weather. But waiting until almost your contract is due? Suppliers then know they have you right under their short hairs.
Green energy is no more about virtue signalling now. Many renewable tariffs are exactly like conventional ones. It also looks ugly on your CSR report and entitles you bragging rights on tender applications.
When you become aware of your usage patterns, the real magic starts. A manufacturing factory run 24/7 requires entirely different rates than a 9-5 accounting company. If your energy use seems to be a rollercoaster, you require different solutions than a company with consistent demand.
Treating electricity as a constant expense is ultimately like using a leaky bucket to carry water at the end of the day. Though typically large, the savings are not here for you. Time to start rolling things out. Your overall bottom line will appreciate it.
One last consideration: the energy market moves more quickly than the mood of a youngster. Tomorrow’s rip-off could be today’s “unbeatable deal”. Remember: nobody cares about your energy expenses as much as you do; keep smart, stay wary.