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Best Business Energy Suppliers | October 2024
Companies across Britain rely on energy to keep lights on, computers working, and machinery powered. Having a reliable business energy supplier is crucial.
In fact, it’s so important that we have prepared this guide to answer the question – Which business energy supplier is best?
Choosing the best energy supplier in the UK is tricky because each company’s needs are different. To help, our experts have rated business energy suppliers in several categories:
- Best business energy supplier
- Biggest business energy suppliers
- Greenest business energy supplier
- Best business energy supplier for small businesses
- Cheapest business energy supplier
Our experts start our rankings with the best business energy supplier according to customer reviews. Here are the top ten-ranked business energy suppliers based on verified customer reviews on Trustpilot:
| No | Supplier | Average review | Reviews | Customer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Gas and Power | 4.8 | 859 | Business |
| 2 | Octopus Energy | 4.8 | 366,898 | Home and Business |
| 3 | Good Energy | 4.8 | 11,936 | Home and Business |
| 4 | Shell Business Energy | 4.7 | 135 | Business |
| 5 | Total Energies | 4.7 | 6,036 | Business |
| 6 | Opus Energy | 4.5 | 7,566 | Business |
| 7 | EDF | 4.5 | 94,783 | Home and Business |
| 8 | Ecotricity | 4.3 | 5,771 | Home and Business |
| 9 | Corona Energy | 4.3 | 1,699 | Business |
| 10 | Clear Business | 4.2 | 6,714 | Business |
Source: Extracted from Trustpilot in September 2024, extracting licensed non-domestic energy suppliers in the UK ranking according to the average score of verified customer reviews.
It’s worth mentioning that a significant number of Octopus Energy reviews are from their residential customers. Still, there is a general consensus that Octopus Energy provides a fantastic service.
Greenest business energy suppliers
Most business energy suppliers now offer a green electricity product which supplies electricity from renewable sources like wind and solar. Power generation in the UK is increasingly sourced from green sources, making renewable electricity affordable for most businesses.
It’s difficult to single out a business electricity supplier for being the greenest. However, we’ll use this as an opportunity to highlight an innovative supplier: Good Energy.
Unlike other business energy suppliers, Good Energy generates electricity from 1,700 independent generators, buying directly from small renewable sources, including businesses that generate their renewable electricity.
Best business energy suppliers for small businesses
The best small business energy suppliers follow some additional rules from Ofgem, prioritise customer experience and provide special tools to help small business owners, like:
- Self-service online portals
- Card payments for invoices
- Easy to understand tariffs.
Notably, Opus Energy, E.ON Next and British Gas Lite have earned recognition for their robust offerings tailored to the needs of smaller businesses. Their strong propositions often include features and services designed to simplify energy management for small business owners.
Cheapest business energy suppliers
Unfortunately, there’s no straight answer to which business energy supplier is the cheapest. All business energy suppliers change prices daily with market changes and target specific customer groups.
Business energy supplier quotes are affected by factors such as:
- Contract length
- Tariff type
- Meter type
- Size
- Location
- Energy usage
We recommend comparing the market and getting bespoke quotes for your business to find the cheapest business energy supplier.
Request quotes today with the free AquaSwitch business energy comparison tool.
How to find the best business energy supplier
Finding the “best business energy suppliers” depends on your company’s needs. You’ll need to consider factors such as who offers the best business energy rates and the quality of their customer services.
Our commercial energy experts are here to help you compare the market and find your next business energy supplier. Our process is simple:
Where is your energy supplied?
Each business property connected to the mains has a unique code called an MPAN or MPRN. We’ll use this to get all the information needed for your supply.
Collect quotes
We’ll request quotes from our panel of trusted business energy suppliers and let you know the best options available in the current market.
hassle-free switch
We will take care of the switching process for you and make your move to a new business energy supplier as painless as possible.
Biggest business energy suppliers
There are over 80 business electricity and gas suppliers competing to offer commercial energy products; however, the market is dominated by a handful of major business energy suppliers.
According to Ofgem’s market indicators data, here is our summary of the nine biggest business energy suppliers.
EDF Energy is one of the largest energy suppliers to businesses and is Britain’s biggest zero-carbon electricity generator. It is currently building two new-generation nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point C that will significantly reduce the country’s overall carbon emissions.
EDF provides 24/7 live chat support for its customers and offers a wide choice of deals to small and large business properties.
E.ON Energy is another member of the ‘big six’ energy suppliers. E.ON Energy works with both its business and domestic customers to reduce their carbon footprint by implementing smart technologies.
E.ON Energy has recently acquired the business energy supplier arm of nPower. The combined E.ON and nPower businesses are now among the largest commercial energy suppliers in the UK.
SSE’s Business Energy division is one of the largest in the commercial market. SSE Energy Solutions currently supplies over half a million business energy meters across the UK.
SSE’s business energy supplies are sourced from SSE’s own wind and hydro generation plants. SSE was a principal partner of the UK government in the Glasgow COP 26 climate change conference.
British Gas is the largest supplier of energy services to homes in the UK and forms a significant part of the British business energy market. British Gas is owned by Centrica, a London Stock Exchange-listed multinational energy firm.
British Gas supplies Energy to over 350,000 organisations across the country, providing a full suite of additional services such as new connections, renewable energy generation, EV charging points and boiler maintenance.
Scottish Power is an energy company based in Glasgow, a subsidiary of the Spanish utility giant Iberola. Scottish Power has various roles in the UK energy industry as a distribution network operator, transmission owner and supplier to homes and businesses.
Scottish Power offers energy supplies to businesses, small and large, with various deals to suit all needs. Scottish Power provides 100% renewable deals supplied by Scottish Power’s own wind turbine generators.
Octopus Business Energy is growing fast, offering innovative commercial energy solutions to compete against the more established brands on this list while providing award-winning customer service.
Recent new business energy solutions include a 21-hour off-peak tariff, a no standing charge tariff and an export tariff where you can share electricity generated from commercial solar panels across multiple sites.
Drax is the new name for Haven Power. The Drax brand supports large businesses through the process of decarbonisation offering renewable power procurement, corporate PPAs, and carbon credits.
Drax previously provided energy services to small businesses under the Opus Energy brand. In Q3 2024, most Opus Energy customers will transfer to EDF.
Engie is committed to assisting SMEs in transitioning to low-carbon operations by providing a clean, affordable energy supply.
Engie also offers competitive purchase agreements through the Smart Export Guarantee scheme for businesses that generate their electricity.
Like British Gas, Total also claims to be the biggest supplier of energy products to UK businesses.
Total Energies is focused on becoming the UK’s most trusted business energy supplier, providing its customers with a secure, hassle-free power supply.
Commercial Energy Suppliers
In this guide, we explore all you need to know about business energy suppliers, from what they actually do to which ones have recently gone bust.
What are business energy suppliers?
A “business energy supplier” is a retail supplier of energy used by commercial properties.
The energy market is complicated, with many different companies generating, transporting and selling energy. However, the role of a business energy supplier is actually quite simple.
A business energy supplier provides a supply of energy to non-domestic properties. Here’s how business energy suppliers provide electricity to commercial properties:
First, the supplier will purchase electricity on the national grid from:
- Electricity generators including wind farms, solar farms, nuclear power plants, Drax, gas-fired power plants and hydropower plants.
- Importers of electricity from the European mainland and Ireland through undersea interconnectors.
The business energy supplier then pays to move the electricity through the local electricity distribution network to your business property. An energy meter at your property measures your business energy usage.
Your business energy supplier will bill you for the electricity your property uses based on rates agreed in your business energy tariff.
Business energy suppliers who have gone bust
The last quarter of 2021 and the start of 2022 were difficult for business energy suppliers. The wholesale cost of natural gas has increased by 250%, resulting in several corporate failures in suppliers.
Here’s the list of business energy suppliers that have gone out of business over the last few years:
| Business energy supplier | Date | Number of customers |
|---|---|---|
| Whoop Energy | 18 February 2022 | 212 |
| Xcel Power Ltd | 18 February 2022 | 274 |
| Together Energy Retail Ltd | 18 January 2022 | 1 |
| CNG Energy | 3 November 2021 | 41000 |
| MA Energy | 2 November 2021 | 300 |
| Ampoweruk | 2 November 2021 | 2000 |
| Bluegreen Energy | 1 November 2021 | 5900 |
| Daligas | 14 October 2021 | 9000 |
| Symbio Energy | 29 September 2021 | 48000 |
| People's Energy | 14 September 2021 | 1000 |
| PFP Energy | 7 September 2021 | 5600 |
| Hub Energy | 9 August 2021 | 9000 |
What happens if my energy supplier goes out of business?
Ofgem, the energy industry regulator, has issued the following advice to customers of business energy suppliers that have gone out of business:
- Arrange to take regular meter readings at your business properties.
- Do not try to arrange a switch of business energy supplier
- Wait for a new supplier to be appointed.
In the case of a corporate failure of a licenced business energy supplier, Ofgem will step in and ensure there will be no disruption to your supply of energy.
In a supplier failure, Ofgem appoints a supplier of last resort. All customer accounts of the bankrupt supplier will transfer to the supplier of last resort. Once the appointment process is completed, your new business energy supplier will contact you.
You’ll receive communications from your new business energy supplier when the transfer has been completed. You’ll be supplied with energy from the transfer point under a deemed contract.
Under a deemed contract, you’ll pay expensive, variable out-of-contract rates, but you can switch to another supplier anytime.
Once your supplier of last resort transfer has been confirmed, we recommend using the AquaSwitch business energy or business gas comparison service to ensure your new supplier offers competitive prices.
Business Energy Suppliers – FAQs
Here are the most commonly asked questions surrounding business energy suppliers answered by our in-house experts.
Which business energy supplier is best for large businesses?
Finding the best energy supplier for large businesses is tough due to the complex deals on offer. To help, we’ve created a specific guide for large business energy users.
We can also recommend the following list of the top five business energy suppliers that focus on delivering to large business customers:
Which business energy suppliers offer green tariffs?
Opting for a green energy tariff brings numerous advantages to your business, extending beyond reducing your carbon footprint. It contributes to supporting the renewable sector and mitigates the impact of climate change.
The cost of green energy is declining, thanks to the increasing integration of wind and solar farms into the British electricity grid.
Here is a list of business energy suppliers most well-known for offering exclusively green business energy tariffs:
- Good Energy
- Green Energy UK
- Ecotricity
- Octopus Energy
- OVO Energy
- SO Energy
For a detailed exploration of the benefits of renewable business energy, refer to our comprehensive guide.
What are the differences between domestic and business energy suppliers?
Some business energy suppliers are also domestic energy suppliers, but there are some key differences between the two services:
- Commercial energy suppliers are not limited by a business energy price cap and generally have much more expensive standard variable tariffs.
- Business energy suppliers charge VAT at 20%, whereas home energy suppliers charge 5%. Business energy suppliers must add the climate change levy to their bills.
- Home energy suppliers offer dual-fuel products, whereas business energy suppliers offer them separately.
What are the benefits of using an energy broker to find a commercial energy supplier?
Most businesses can find cheaper energy quotes quickly and easily by engaging the services of a business energy broker. To assist you in deciding whether to work with an energy broker, we have developed a comprehensive guide on business energy brokers.
This guide includes:
- How business energy brokers operate
- How business energy brokers get paid
- Is using a business energy broker right for you
Can I negotiate prices with my business energy supplier?
It depends; if you’ve agreed to a contract with your current business energy supplier, it will not usually be possible to negotiate rates before your contract end date.
However, if you’re out-of-contract paying standard variable rates, then it is certainly possible. Out-of-contract business energy rates are typically needlessly expensive, and your supplier may offer a cheaper fixed tariff as an alternative.
To get the best business electricity rates, it’s important to negotiate with your current supplier and compare the whole market.
What’s the difference between a business energy supplier and a distributor?
Business energy suppliers and distributors perform very different roles in the energy market.
An electricity distributor owns and operates the local electricity distribution network, consisting of powerlines, underground cables and substations. The function of a distributor is to transport electricity from the core National Grid to homes and businesses in their local area.
In contrast, a business energy supplier will purchase electricity in the wholesale market and then pay the distributor to transport the energy to the commercial customers they supply.
Business energy supplier complaints
Business energy suppliers must provide a customer services department to handle problems and customer complaints. If you have a complaint, the first step is to call your supplier and explain the problem and how you would like this to be resolved.
You can find the contact numbers of your supplier’s customer services departments in our guide above.
If you don’t feel your complaint has been appropriately resolved, you can formalise your complaint using a letter. The Citizens Advice Bureau have published a handy template to prepare your letter. We recommend including any supporting evidence, such as photos, to support your formal complaint.
Ofgem sets out a further and final step. If you reach eight weeks of dialogue with your business energy supplier without resolution, you can escalate your complaint to the Energy Ombudsman. See contact details below:
Energy Ombudsman:
Contact number: 0330 440 1624.
Website: https://www.ombudsman-services.org/complain-now