10 questions to ask your business energy provider

About to renew with your energy supplier? Read this first…

Did your business pay too much for energy last year? Are you struggling to reduce consumption? We explain how to save your business time and money by asking these questions of your supplier, so you can boost your profits and competitiveness this year…

1 How can you help me reduce my energy consumption?

To truly drive down your energy bill you need to stop using so much. Is your supplier giving you the advice and help to do this?

2 Can you show me my daily energy use?

If you can see how much you are using day-by-day or hour-by-hour you can uncover ways to seriously lower your bills. One of the key questions is how much are you using when the business is closed.

3 How often will you be in touch?

You want a supplier that is going to be in regular contact and that you know will be available to answer any questions you have.

4 How many prices should I get?

The problem with going direct to an energy supplier for prices is that you now need to contact multiple suppliers to get a true spread of prices.

5 Can you tell me about the laws I have to comply with?

Is your supplier informing you about directives and laws that could hit your business in the pocket if you don’t comply? Ask them about the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS), Display Energy Certificates (DEC), Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) and ISO 50001.

6 Do you offer energy and water audits?

Audits can give your business insight into what you’re using, helping you to reduce consumption by 33% in terms of energy and 45% for water. Air conditioning inspections are also a legal requirement. Can your energy supplier deliver all of these?

7 Will you help me switch water supplier?

In Scotland you can already switch water suppliers – it’s helped businesses there save 20% on their bills. Now many firms can do the same in England. Has your energy supplier told you whether you’re one of them?

8 Can I have all my bills in the same time period?

It’s hard to budget when your utility bills arrive at different times. Can your energy supplier streamline them to suit your needs?

9 Our deal is restrictive – can you be more flexible?

Negotiating the right contract terms and package is a minefield. Are you confident you can secure the right one for your business from your current supplier? Is it offering multiple bespoke deals?

10 Is my electricity and gas bills correct?

Many businesses are paying too much for their energy, sometimes because they don’t understand their bills or they’re on the wrong tariff. Do you have time to check every bill down to the last penny?

How Utilitywise can help

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The easiest way to get the right answer to these questions is not by spending time chasing energy suppliers but by going to one place: Utilitywise.

For small firms, we can save you time analysing your power and water bills (to see what’s hidden) and take the hassle of trying to contact energy suppliers. Large businesses can benefit from our strategic approach to procurement and our expertise in areas where in-house they may not have a subject covered.

We can give any business total insight into power, gas and water consumption and put it in the palm of your hand with our utility insight app.

Whatever the size of your operation, we can help manage the entire portfolio energy procurement process, secure the right contract and manage the switch. By tracking your renewal dates, we can contact you with a new tariff at renewal so you don’t fall out of contract.

We found bingo hall operator Shipley Brothers the right contract and helped it save around £56,000 against budget for electricity, and it can now switch strategy to suit market conditions during it.

Our consultant team can inspect all your air conditioning systems – we contributed to the original TM44 Air Conditioning Inspections, so there’s little we don’t know about air con inspections and compliance. Our water audits and energy audits deliver impressive reductions in consumption.

The energy market is complex. No single energy manager can know everything. We have the expertise in-house at Utilitywise to understand energy, your position in the market and how to manage risk.

On top of this, we have a Utility Management Plan that can help you control your utilities once and for all, helping you reduce energy and water costs so you can concentrate on what you do best: running your business.

Krispy Kreme, the global doughnut experts, saved £84,000 thanks to a Strategic Utility Management Plan.

Let us answer all your questions and use our expertise to tailor a Utility Management Plan for you. Contact us today.