Medium and large businesses with meters of profile classes 05, 06, 07, and 08 have had to pay their bills based on their half-hour electricity (HHE) use, since 2017. This is known as half-hour electricity metering and is the result of a change made when Ofgem (Office of Gas and Electricity Markets) amended the Balancing and Settlement code under the P272 legislation. How do you know if you have a Half Hour meter? If your business tends to use more than 100 kWh electricity in half an hour, then it is likely that you already have a HH meter installed. This will be an Automatic Meter Read (AMR) that will automatically send your half-hourly electricity suppliers a meter reading every half hour using a fixed-line. You can check your meter type on your electricity bill by looking at the S number. If the number after the S reads 00 then your meter is a half-hourly one. What are the benefits of an HH meter? Before the introduction of HH metering, business energy suppliers tended to match energy consumption to customers using profiles to describe their business type. These classes were number 00 to 08 and included Domestic Unrestricted Customers, Non-Domestic Unrestricted Customers, and Peak Load Use of Electricity above 100 kW. Businesses then had to submit their own meter readings, so that their supplier could: • Check that their energy consumption matched the given profile • Balance the amount they were paying with the amount of energy used, so they could reconcile any billing differences If you change to an HH meter, it will send your readings automatically every half-hour so your bill will be based on actual use, not a profile class estimate. This then gives you an up-to-date view of your electricity use, and how much you should be expecting to pay. Business electricity suppliers can also use the data to get a deeper understanding of your pattern of energy use, which may well work to your benefit as they should then be able to offer you a contract that is tailored to your business need. HH Meters and the smart grid If we widen out the thinking about what benefits a HH meter brings, it can also help with the modelling of the UK’s future energy needs as ‘time of use’ tariffs could help manage demand at peak times, or even reward businesses who are able to be more flexible with their electricity use. HH Meters and business gas HH meters are not available for business gas as it isn’t paid for in the same way as business electricity. You pay for business gas based on your daily use, not your half-hourly use. If you’re thinking about moving to a HH meter to take advantage of half-hour electricity prices or would like to know more about how it works – please contact our friendly and experienced team today.

Money is tight for everyone at the moment, so no-one wants to be overpaying for business electricity. It may surprise you to learn, then, that many businesses are missing out on potential savings due to deemed energy contracts. What is a deemed energy contract? A deemed contract is the name of the contract that is put in place by the business electricity supplier when a business moves to a new premise and begins consuming electricity before they have agreed to a contract. Businesses may also move onto a deemed contract if their existing contract ends, and they continue to consume electricity. This can happen if a contract expires and the business hasn’t realised, or when the contract is terminated early (by either the business or the supplier). How much do deemed contracts cost? Deemed contracts tend to cost a lot more than tariffs that have been negotiated. For example, micro-businesses can end up paying 80% more on a deemed contract than on a negotiated contract. Research has shown that around 10% of micro-businesses are currently on deemed contracts, which means they are paying way more than they need to for their business electricity. What happens if you allow your contract to roll over? If you allow your business electricity contract to roll over, you will more than likely be placed onto a more expensive standard tariff – which can be 50% more expensive than negotiated contracts. You may also face an exit fee if you decide to switch early. If your business is reaching the end of its energy contract, it is vital that you compare the latest prices. Delaying taking action on this can leave you stuck on expensive rollover rates. What are your rights if you are on a deemed contract? If you discover you are on a deemed contract, then don’t worry, you still have the right to switch supplier without paying a fee. If you are on a deemed contract, your business electricity supplier cannot: • Ask you to give notice before terminating the contract • Charge you a termination fee • Prevent you from switching for any reason at any time Your electricity supplier must take all reasonable steps to provide you with the Principal Terms of your deemed contract if you request it – including all charges and fees. If you are on a deemed energy contract, you should compare business electricity rates and switch to a better contract as soon as possible.

Recent statistics released by Ofgem reveal that nearly 40% of SME’s haven’t tried to compare business energy supplier in over five years! This is a shocking statistic to us, as it means that a large proportion of businesses out there are probably paying over the odds for their electricity and gas – and there is no need for that! Comparing and switching suppliers with the help of D-ENERGI is such a simple task! Why might businesses be reluctant to switch energy supplier? We’ve talked to a lot of customers who want to compare business gas and electricity prices this year, and when we ask them why it’s taken them so long to decide to do so they say things like; “I haven’t had time” Time is one of our most valuable commodities – especially if you charge your customers by the hour. Your time is worth a lot, and you may think that it is more sensible for you to spend this valuable time doing things that will generate sales for your business, and therefore more profit for you. However, if you can spare us just ten minutes – yes, just ten minutes – we can take control of searching the market and finding the best quotes for you, potentially saving you hundreds of pounds in the process. “I don’t know how to do it” This is a poor excuse, as you don’t really have to do anything. Just fill in our quick quote form, and we will call you straight back with the best quotes on the market. It’s as simple as that! “I don’t really understand the prices” Some business owners are embarrassed that they don’t really understand what makes up their energy bill – but actually, it is quite common. We know all about ‘standing charges’ and ‘Kilowatts’ as we deal with them every day – but many people don’t have a clue what we are talking about. So, let’s explain: • Standing charges – the small amount per day you pay the supplier regardless of how much energy you use? This can be as much as 70p a day, which is a staggering £175 a year, so you want to make sure this is as low as possible. • KWh – this stands for Kilowatt per hour and usually, one unit on your meter will equate to one kWh. Again, prices for this will vary so it is best to shop around. “My business will suffer if my energy supply is disrupted” The team at D-ENERGi will take care of everything for you, so you won’t see any disruption in service when it comes to switching suppliers. So, what are you waiting for? If you want to compare business electricity or business gas, or both, just head over to our website and fill in our quick form today for a free, no-obligation quote.

Everybody uses electricity on a daily basis, and reports show that this usage is on the rise – especially when it comes to commercial businesses – which is why we have also seen the demand for cheap business electricity rise. This year the UK Government published a report entitled “Energy Consumption in the UK” which stated that: “There has been a shift in the share of consumption by the three key sectors: in 1970 public administration accounted for 47% of services in consumption and the commercial sector 43%. By 2017, public administration consumer 26% and commercial’s share had risen to 67%. Agriculture’s share decreased between 1970 and 2017 from 10% to 7.2%.” What are the top uses of electricity in business? Business electricity usage comes from a variety of sources, with the main sources being: • Air conditioning units • Computers, laptops and printers • Fridges and dishwashers • Heating equipment • Lighting • Telephones, routers and modems • TVs This is why it is key to keep on top of your business electricity usage and understand what is contributing to your energy cost in order to ensure you are accessing the cheap business energy you need. What is the average electricity use per year for businesses? Obviously, every business is different, but as a guide, the figures for electricity usage per size of business are generally believed to be: Micro – 7500 (Annual Usage (kWh)) 14.4p to 15.9p (Unit Price (kWh)) Small – 20000 (Annual Usage (kWh)) 14.3p to 15.1p (Unit Price (kWh)) Medium – 35000 (Annual Usage (kWh)) 14.3p to 14.7p (Unit Price (kWh)) The cost of electricity will depend on a variety of different factors, including: • Location • How much electricity you consume? • Length of contract • Tariff you are on How can you reduce the amount of electricity your business uses? There are lots of different ways you can try and reduce the amount of electricity your business uses – apart from the obvious way of checking you are on the right tariff for your business usage. • Switch business energy supplier to one who can beat your current costs. • Replace light bulbs with energy-saving ones and switch them off when not in use. • Never leave electrical equipment on standby mode and ensure it is switched off at the end of each day. • Use inkjet printers rather than laser ones, as they use less energy. • Draft proof your windows and doors to keep your workplace at a stable temperature. The easiest way to save money on your business energy bills and access cheap electricity and cheap business gas is to contact the experienced team at D-ENERGi.