Switching your business electricity and gas supplier: step by step

When your business energy contract is up for renewal, don’t just take the first price you are offered - come and compare business energy prices and see what else we can offer at uSwitchforBusiness.com.

We’re here to help every business, whatever its size or field, to get a better deal on business energy. We provide a fully personalised service that gives you the kind of control over energy procurement that has been the reserve of big business for far too long.

Just follow these simple, painless steps to compare business energy prices and start saving your company money.

What you need to have ready

To help us find you a great deal on business energy, it’s helpful to have the following things to hand:

• your latest energy bill
• your contract end date
• an idea of your annual energy consumption in kwh or your annual spend.

Even if you don’t have all of this information we can still get you a quote, so don’t worry.

Step 1 - get in touch with us

The first step is to get in touch and let us know that you want to compare business energy prices. You can contact us in the following ways:

• Phone – give us a call on 0800 688 8568. It’s free and your call will be answered by one of our business energy experts, who’ll be happy to help.
• Web – fill in the form on our website to request a call back from one of our business advisors.
• Send us your bill – send us a copy of your bill and fill in our checklist and we will be in touch with a quote

Step 2 – tell us about your business and what you need from your energy supplier

We’re real people, not an automated service, so we’ll ask you all about your business and your needs. Choosing a supplier is not always just about price, so we’ll also take into account your specific needs regarding factors like:

• online services,
• green energy,
• smart metering,
• account management,
• multiple premises,
• when you use most of your energy,
• how we can help to reduce your costs (e.g. lower standing charges if you will be using less energy over a certain period),
• customer service.

If there’s anything else that’s important to you in an energy supplier, we’ll be happy to discuss it with you.

Step 3 – relax while we find the best deal for your business

Once you've got in touch, we jump into action and start searching the market for a great deal for your business. You don’t pay a penny for this service either – we earn money from commercial relationships with energy suppliers rather than by charging our customers. This doesn’t affect our search for the best business energy deal for you though - we’re independent and if we don't think a tariff meets your specific needs then we’ll tell you.

If you have one or two business meters we can give you a quote there and then and we’ll also send you all the details in an email so you have the information for your reference.

If you have more than two meters, we’ll go away and work on a quote and get in touch with you when it’s ready.

Step 4 – Switch!

Once you’ve got your quote from us and you’ve had a chance to consider it, it’s best not to hang around for too long. The business energy market is volatile and suppliers often withdraw prices at short notice – so if you don’t act quickly, you could miss out.

Just let us know that you’re ready to switch - we’ll take you through a simple verbal contract to secure the deal. Alternatively, if you’d prefer a paper contract we can arrange that too for most business energy suppliers.

Once you've agreed the contract, we will take over and handle almost all the administration on your behalf. (We can’t terminate the contract with your old energy suppliers.) To do this, we’ll need you to sign a letter of authority so that we can act on your behalf and ensure a smooth transition between your old supplier and your new one.

And that’s it... four simple steps and you're on your way to saving money. You’re also saving time too, leaving you to focus on what matters most - your business

What you need to do next

• Terminate your contract with your current supplier - if you're confused about how to do this don't worry, you can call us for help, and we can send you a template letter to take the hassle out of composing one. Check the terms and conditions of your contract to check at what point you need to cancel to avoid being penalised or rolling over.
• Continue to pay your bills as normal and make sure you clear any debt on your account.
• Don't cancel your Direct Debit! You can do this once you are set up with your new supplier, but if you cancel too early and money is still owed you could have your transfer delayed and be charged deemed rates.
• Take a meter reading - your old energy supplier will contact you and ask you to take a final meter reading before you switch.

How long it takes to switch

It takes around 28 day to switch your business electricity and gas supplier. You can apply to switch as early as four months before your contract ends (although some suppliers will let you apply up to six months before).

Once you are live with your new supplier we will email to let you know, and you can expect your first bill from your new supplier within a month of starting supply.

Our future together

Once you’ve switched, that’s not the end of our relationship. (Unless you want it to be!) We will always contact you around your renewal time to ensure you continue to get the best deal for your business gas and electricity; of course you can always opt out of this if you want to.

At uSwitchforBusiness.com we build long-term relationships with our clients – and we’re here to help you with all your business energy needs, whether that’s getting a renewal quote when your contract comes to an end, or offering advice on the many changes and developments in the energy markets. We are only a phone call or email away, and our website and blog are open for business 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to keep you up-to-date with everything business energy.