You can’t have failed to notice that there is currently an energy crisis in the UK, with business electricity and business gas prices set to rocket. Here’s what you need to know. The energy price cap has helped to keep domestic energy rates low for the past few months, but this doesn’t apply to business energy, unfortunately. This is why there have been some wild variations in the business gas and business electricity prices that suppliers have quoted over recent weeks. The reason why there have been recent price hikes for both business electricity and gas is due to the fact that wholesale energy prices are currently at record high levels. This is not a new situation, energy market prices are always moving up and down, but the price we are currently seeing are really high and also quite volatile, making it difficult to predict what they will be from one day to the next, never mind in twelve months’ time. Why are wholesale energy prices so high at the moment? The rise in energy prices is a global issue and it has been caused by some unexpected, but far-reaching reasons, including: A higher than usual demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Asia has led to lower LNG availability for Europe An increase in demand for energy in general as lockdown restrictions have eased across the globe Delays and complications with the Nord Stream 2 pipelines, linking Russia to Europe and bypassing Ukraine Gas shortages across Europe in general, thanks to the prolonged cold winter of 2020/2021 which put a drain of gas supplies   What is affecting the UK in particular? These reasons have put us in a global energy crisis, but on top of this the UK itself is also suffering from: A fire at a National Grid site in Kent knocked out a power cable used to import electricity from France to the UK, which is not expected to be back up and running until 2023 Low winds mean less renewable energy generation Outages at some Nuclear Power stations mean a higher percentage of gas being used for electricity production than normal The fact that UK has some of the lowest gas reserves in the whole of Europe, so we have almost no way of stockpiling gas until we need it   With all of this in mind, what is the best way to make sure you are paying a fair price for your business energy? Well, the best way to find the best business energy deals is to contact the expert team at D-ENERGi. We just need a couple of details from you and then we can trawl the business electricity and business gas suppliers UK to find the best tariff for your business in minutes.

If you are running a business, then you will want to be able to easily compare business electricity prices per kWh to ensure you are not paying too much – as this could have a huge impact on your bottom line. After all, business electricity and gas are essential utilities to keep your business going, but this doesn’t mean you should let your energy spending get out of control. When it comes to comparing business gas or business electricity prices per kWh then you need to be aware of a few things before you commit to a certain provider and contract, including: What are business electricity rates? Different utility providers will have different ways they use to calculate your total business energy bill, and understanding these different ways will help you to decide which one is best for you and your particular business. The three main rates are: Fixed-rate – this means you can expect a very similar electricity bill every month as your total consumption is being calculated at a constant rate throughout your contract. Flexible rate – your rate will vary depending on market trends, and so some months may see you paying more for your energy than other months Half hourly electricity – a smart meter is used to record your specific energy usage and send it to your energy supplier at half hourly points throughout the day.   Each of these rates has its pros and cons. The biggest benefit of a fixed rate, for example, is that you always know what your rate is, whether the business energy market fluctuates wildly or not. However, the other side of this is that if rates do drop below your fixed rate, you won’t benefit from any reduction in costs. This is where the benefit of a flexible rate comes in as if utility costs drop so do your bills. However, on the flip side of this, your monthly payments will also go up if the cost of utilities goes up. The benefit of half-hourly electricity is that you always know how much you are spending on business electricity and so can make adjustments to your usage quickly. However, it does also mean that your energy provider may decide to charge you higher rates at peak hours as well. The easiest way to find out the best business rates for both gas and electricity is to contact the team at D-ENERGi. We can quickly compare business electricity and business gas prices per kwh – saving you both time and money.

It is a good idea for all businesses to keep an eye on their business energy suppliers and the rates they are charging to make sure you are getting access to the best deal possible. Completing a business energy comparison is therefore a time investment that will definitely pay you back – as many businesses the D-ENERGi team works with have reported considerable savings when they switch suppliers. When you are looking at a business electricity or business gas comparison, however, it is prudent to keep a few things in mind: #Always read the small print It is essential you take the time to read every aspect of your commercial energy contract before you sign it as some contracts contain a specific window in which you are allowed to cancel or switch the contract without penalty. You probably won’t ever be refused the opportunity to be let out of your contract if you do choose to switch business energy suppliers outside of this window – but you will potentially be liable for quite large costs, so you should think about your timing carefully. #Be sure of your expectations A lot of businesses state that their number one reason for switching business energy suppliers is to save money, which they do, to begin with only to find that their bills go up over time despite their energy usage not increasing. Don’t ever take it as certain that you are guaranteed to save money throughout the length of your new business energy contract. Look at your energy usage and what you are paying for it at the start of your contract, and monitor it throughout the length of your contract so that you can be sure you are really saving the money you thought you would. #Be patient Don’t just plump for the first deal you are offered – take some time to consider it carefully. Remember, you are the one who is in control, so you should only move business energy suppliers when you are ready. Get in contact with the D-ENERGi team, tell us your current circumstances and what you are looking for, and then leave the rest to us. We will contact the suppliers on your behalf and come back to you with some options – leaving you to decide which energy contract is the right one for you and your business. If you want to complete a thorough business gas and business electricity comparison, then get in touch with the D-ENERGI team. We just need a couple of minutes of your time, and we can potentially save you money on your business energy bills.

Climate change and sustainability are high on the agenda in 2022, which means more and more businesses are going to be held to account – and this will have an effect on your business energy quote too. Here is the D-ENERGi team’s round-up of the changes businesses can expect to see this year in regards to carbon and energy reporting. Changes to the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) cap The UK’s ETS was launched in 2021 as a replacement for the EU ETS which the UK left when it left the EU. The ETS places a cost against carbon pollution in order to encourage polluters to reduce the amount of their emitted greenhouse gases. ESOS to potentially be extended to medium-sized companies The UK government recently announced it would be shaking up the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) in a bid to increase the uptake of energy efficiency measures and improve the quality of audits. It is also aiming for businesses to include an assessment of actions needed for them to achieve net-zero by 2050 as a recommendation. Mandatory TCFD for large companies from 6th of April 2022 Recommendations from the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) means that over 1300 of the UK’s largest companies and financial institutions will have to start disclosing their climate-related financial information from the 6th of April. Performance-based energy ratings for larger buildings to come into force The UK government is currently consulting on the use of a framework for the rating of carbon and energy performance of commercial buildings, which if passed means that if you own or are the sole tenant of a large building you may be required to rate the energy performance of the building as it is in-use. Widening of scope of the SECR Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) originally became law in 2019, but the UK government is considering widening its scope in order to drive greater climate change action ahead of the target date for Net Zero carbon. There is some indication that one change they may implement concerns reporting on the scope of emissions. At the moment, SECR focuses solely on Scope 1 and 2 emissions – which may affect your business electricity quote – but some businesses are choosing to report on their Scope 3 emissions voluntarily too. It is likely that Scope 3 emission reporting will become mandatory in the future as the associated emissions make up the bulk of emissions from most large companies. Here at D-ENERGi we aim to provide a real alternative to the big five energy suppliers, by offering the most competitive business electricity and business gas quotes in the UK.