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In the current UK business landscape, becoming sustainable is increasingly important. For many business owners, measuring energy performance is crucial for enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and meeting regulatory requirements. In this blog post, we will be discussing how to measure energy performance by breaking down the key metrics and indicators, so you have a clearer understanding of your business’ energy performance.   The importance of energy performance Before we delve into the key metrics, it’s important to understand how energy performance affects a business and how it is measured. Energy performance is simply a measure of how efficiently businesses use energy in the workplace. Your business building is measured on energy performance through an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating.   Understanding EPC ratings An EPC rating is a key measurement used to measure a business’ energy performance. EPC ratings are graded between A- G on overall performance. Grade A means your premise is very energy efficient, and a G rating indicates your premise is less efficient. An accredited energy assessor can provide you with your EPC rating. Having a higher rating is important as it reflects on your businesses sustainability image, and it can extend the building’s lifespan, boosting its value. If your workplace currently has a low EPC rating, there are ways to enhance energy performance to improve this.   Conducting an energy audit to review your energy performance A key way to review your energy performance is through an energy audit. This can give you key insights into your workplace energy performance and offer ways to improve your energy efficiency.   What does a business energy audit do? An energy audit assesses how your business uses energy and identifies areas for improvement to enhance efficiency and improve overall energy performance. An audit examines key metrics and measurables, below are some examples.   Key metrics and measurables Energy cost: Refers to the financial cost of energy for your premises. Carbon emissions: This assesses your businesses environmental impact, through tracking your energy waste. Energy consumption: Refers to measuring the overall amount of energy that your building uses. Energy intensity: This refers to the amount of energy used per unit of production. An energy audit helps to track these key metrics, and suggests areas of improvement to improve your overall energy efficiency. By implementing the suggestions from your audit, you can help your business become more sustainable and energy efficient.   Business smart meters A business smart meter allows you to track your energy usage, allowing you to see exactly how you’re using your energy and provides insight into how changes could be made. Smart meters allow you to have greater control over your businesses energy usage, providing key information into spending and usage. For more information about smart meters and would like to register one, please contact our team.

When submitting an electricity meter reading to your business energy supplier or providing information about your meter when switching suppliers, there’s a few things you need to look for. In this latest blog we will explain how to read different business meter types and explain what your MPAN and MPRN numbers are and where you can find them.   Reading your business electricity meter Reading your meter should be simple, although we understand that posed with this requirement may leave you slightly confused at what to look at or what the numbers mean if you have never done this before or have a new meter. Firstly, there are several different types of meters, so it is important to identify which type you have. However, for the most part, what you will see is a display of numbers, typically six numbers, which identify units of kWh. Reading most typical meters will require you to write down all the numbers you see from left to right. This number indicates to your supplier how much energy you have used. If you have another type of meter display such as a two rate meter, you may see two different displays of numbers. These are usually your off peak and peak or ‘normal’ units of electricity used. If your business energy supplier requires both sets of numbers then supply both, reading from left to right.   What are your MPAN & MPRN numbers? Two numbers that you may be required to supply your business energy supplier with, particularly if you are a new customer is your MPAN and MPRN numbers. Your MPAN number is used to identify your electricity meter and allows your supplier to decide rates for your electricity. You can find your MPAN number on your electricity meter, it consists of 21 digits and will often be displayed in seven small boxes with a capital S at the beginning of the display. Your MPRN number, on the other hand, is not located directly on the meter, but can be found on your gas bills. Your MPRN number is related to gas supply and confirms to your new supplier that they are taking over the right energy supply.   Submitting your meter reading If you are a D-ENERGi business energy customer, we make it simple for you to submit your meter readings directly through our website. Here, you can submit your meter readings by supplying us with your name, account number, email address, date of your reading, and meter serial number. If you run into any problems when trying to submit your latest meter readings we suggest getting in touch with the team for some assistance. We can also take these readings over the phone if you find that easier.   Make meter readings even easier with a smart meter Don’t want the hassle of manually reading and submitting your meter readings? Why not make the switch to a smart meter today? Join the rollout phase of smart meters for business across the nation with our installation partners. At D-ENERGi, we can provide you with a business smart meter and can have this installed by one of our installation partners. Automatically submit meter readings in real time to your supplier Track your business energy consumption thanks to the handy Consumer Access Device Bring an end to estimated billing, you will be billed for the energy you actually use A smart meter is a very good choice for businesses who may have difficulty accessing their standard meter, making readings difficult to retrieve   Register now for your business smart meter.  

Tracking your business energy usage offers numerous advantages that can greatly benefit your operations. It helps you understand how much energy your business consumes over a period of time, understand your energy bills, identify potential areas of inefficiency, and explore opportunities to reduce your energy costs. Tracking your energy usage doesn’t have to be complicated or confusing. It can be a straightforward process.   Understanding what your energy bills mean One of the ways you can understand how much energy you use in your business is to gain a better understanding of your energy bills. Whether these fall through the post box or ping as an alert on your phone, energy bills are easy to access and can quickly be explained. There are several pieces of information provided on a typical energy bill. This includes how much money you owe your energy supplier but also details of how much energy you have used over a period of time. Typically this will be over the past 3 months (if sent quarterly). However, some business energy suppliers can provide more regular bills, if necessary. Your usage will be explained using the meter readings or estimated meter readings your business energy supplier has access to. Providing regular meter readings will ensure your bill is precise and accurate, guaranteeing you are only paying for your actual energy usage. Understanding your usage from your energy bills will help you better acknowledge just how much your usage influences the prices you pay for electricity and gas. More on how to read an energy bill can be found here.   Tracking your energy usage with a smart meter Another method for tracking your usage is to install a smart meter for your business. Providing real-time details of your usage, giving you insight into how each running appliance or electrical good impacts your consumption is incredibly useful. Opting to have a smart meter installed allows you to pay much closer attention to your energy consumption and see just how much this is going to cost you. Plus, information from your smart meter will be supplied directly to your business energy supplier, making it easier to keep meter readings as accurate as possible.   Reduce your energy costs Keeping track of your business energy usage is one of the most effective ways to manage the costs of your energy. Having a greater understanding of how much energy your business uses, gives insight into what is costing you the most and allows you to make proactive decisions in order to lower your energy consumption. Which, in turn, will help to reduce your energy bills.   Improve your sustainability Tracking your business energy usage is the first step to improving your sustainability. By understanding where and how your energy is being used, you can identify areas where you can make changes to reduce your consumption. Which, as we mentioned above, can lead to lower energy bills, but also a smaller carbon footprint, and a more sustainable business overall. You can promote the amount of energy saved to boost your brand.   Struggling to understand your energy usage? If you are struggling to understand your business energy usage and need assistance in understand your energy bills, do not hesitate to get in touch with our friendly energy expert. We can decipher your energy bill for you, explain your energy consumption, implement cost-efficient practices that can help reduce your energy usage, and provide advice on how to lower your energy bills. To get started, simply reach out to us today. Our business energy quote only requires you to provide a few details about your business, we will promptly provide you a tailored quote that suits your business needs.

In today’s energy-conscious world, businesses are seeking solutions to optimise their energy consumption, smart meters have been designed to track business’ energy usage patterns, provide accurate meter readings and a visual representation of real-time energy usage. They are the ideal solution for businesses to gain control over their energy consumption, and find solutions to reduce business energy bills.   Progress in rolling out smart meter Starting in 2011, the smart meter rollout began. According to the government statistics, in smaller, non-domestic sites (such as micro and small businesses) 145,900 smart and advanced meters were installed by all energy suppliers. This is a 48% increase on 2020.   As smart meter installations continue across the country, gas and electricity suppliers now have binding annual targets to achieve to ensure all their non-smart customers have smart and advanced meters installed by 2025.   Are people reluctant to install smart meters?  Although these figures are suggesting an uptake in smart meter installations, the majority of these meters are still yet to be installed.   This may be because there are several misconceptions surrounding the use of smart meters. A commonly asked question regarding these devices is whether or not they use more electricity.   Although it is true that your small device uses your electricity supply for power, the very small amount that it does use, does not counteract the benefits this device provides. In fact, there is no additional cost for the installation of your smart meters. You won’t have an extra charge on your energy bill because you chose to have a smart meter.   How do smart meters work? Smart meters work by measuring your business gas and electricity usage and sharing this data directly with your energy supplier. This means no more electricity or gas meter readings needs to be submitted. The smart meter does all this for you, sending accurate and regular readings to avoid estimated energy bills. A smart meter does not require internet access, instead they use the secure smart data network to share information about your energy usage. The system of which this works can be compared to how other wireless systems and devices use radio waves. Smart meters can be used in replacement of traditional meters, such as prepay meters.   Your smart meter comes in two parts: the smart meter and digital display. The smart meter will be fitted where your traditional meter is housed, while you can choose to place your digital display in an accessible place. This accompanying digital display will give you access to data about your business electricity or gas usage. This will help you to manage your business energy usage, with the intention of helping you save energy usage and save money on energy bills.   Smart meters for small businesses  As small businesses feel the pinch of the rising cost of living, business owners are regularly seeking new tips and advice for saving energy costs.   One way to do this is to pay closer attention to monthly bills and to find ways to reduce these costs, if possible. In a study by Smart Energy GB, 72% of small business owners have already made the switch to a smart meter or are considering doing so to manage their energy use.   It is simple to request a smart meter for your small business, if you haven’t done so already. Our regulator OFGEM has made it mandatory to categorise businesses we supply into 2 categories referred as either micro business or non-micro business. As a D-ENERGi customer you have a choice of between two types of smart meters. These are an AMR meter or a SMETS2 meter. Both of which will offer similar benefits, although we do recommend referring to our handy comparison table here, to familiarise yourself with these devices and to find the meter that is better suited to your requirements. Each type will help you better understand how your business uses energy.   AMR smart meters – you can gain a better understanding of your energy consumption. That can help you reduce the amount of energy you use. And that can help to lower your costs and reduce your carbon footprint. Your AMR smart meter sends your meter readings remotely. So you’ll benefit from accurate bills based on your actual readings, rather than an estimate.   SMETS2 smart meters – give you all the same benefits of AMR meters. These include remote meter readings, accurate billing without the need for estimates, plus access to your energy data. You can view your energy consumption in near real-time.   Whether you’d prefer AMR or SMETS2 smart meters for your business, do not hesitate to get in touch with our friendly Customer Services team at 0800 781 7626.   If you are yet to be D-ENERGi customer and your business energy contract is approaching its end, take the opportunity to compare business energy prices and secure a better deal. Get your free quote today.

Just about everything is becoming smart. From home devices to TVs, doorbells, and even vacuum cleaners. With the technology available to make any typical domestic and commercial appliance ‘smart’, even the tools we use to control heat and lighting have become smart. Now we are seeing the rise of smart lighting, both in homes and in businesses. With the use of smart light bulbs. But what benefits do they provide and are they really the smartest option when it comes to saving you money?   How to utilise smart lighting in workplaces  In order to get the most out of smart lighting, it’s a good idea to think about how best to apply this to your business. But first, consider how exactly does smart lighting work? And what makes it different to traditional bulbs like LEDs?  Smart bulbs are actually a variation of an LED bulb. They are simply internet-connected. Making them a much more customisable lighting option. Smart bulbs can be accessed both manually but also by mobile devices via brand applications. These apps allow users to customise their lighting usage down to very specific requirements, such as the colour of the bulb, brightness, timing of the light being on or off. With accessibility via an app, this also means that lighting throughout the building, wherever it may be, can be controlled off-site.   The benefits of smart lighting for business For businesses the option to switch bulbs to smart bulbs provides a number of benefits.  From gaining even greater control over the usage of lighting, to controlling the intensity of lighting and creating the perfect working environment.  For businesses looking to cut back on their energy consumption, smart bulbs allow time scheduling and the ability to control lighting from outside the room. So, on one of those days where you’re rushing to get home from work and forget to switch off the lights, you can simply access the bulb via the mobile app and turn off the lights, from home, the supermarket, the kids’ school or just outside the building. Plus, being able to schedule your lighting use means when the lights don’t need to be on or very bright, you can control this, helping to minimise energy waste and cut back your business energy costs.  What’s more, with this added control you can create a working environment that is comfortable but encourages productivity for your employees. Many studies into the working environment and how lighting can impact a person’s productivity levels have been conducted. With results highlighting that lighting that matches the typical movement of the sun throughout the day, from brightness to positioning, has a positive effect on a person’s ability to focus. With many employees found to struggle when working in very brightly lit environments.    Factors to consider when going smart As with all IoT products, smart bulbs do come with some concerns. Particularly if you consider the security of these technologies. While we continue to see developments within the security of new IoT devices, it is vital that you pay attention to the vulnerabilities of your chosen smart lighting solution. Considering how it may put your business at risk of attacks. Some good ways to avoid putting your business at risk are to do your research and to keep your smart bulbs and other smart devices connected to a separate network that would not allow access to any of your business’ financial and sensitive data.  Switching to smart LED light bulbs isn’t essential but in conclusion it can certainly offer your business some benefits and give you greater control over your energy usage. Meanwhile, for those who are yet to be convinced by smart devices, simply switching traditional bulbs to standard LED bulbs is an excellent way to improve the energy efficiency of your business and cut your energy costs.  For more smart devices, why not consider a business smart meter? Monitor your energy consumption, spending and more in a simple and easy-to-use way. For more energy saving tips and advice on how to improve the energy efficiency of your business premises, check out more of our D-ENERGi blogs.

As an energy customer you will find you will be asked for meter readings at several different points. Firstly, when you join a new energy supplier or move into a new premises, your energy supplier will ask for initial meter readings which will provide them with a starting point of which to estimate your bills. Over the course of a contract your energy supplier will ask again for several meter readings to ensure your bills are still accurate and up to date according to your usage. Over the past year, you may have heard more and more industry experts suggesting to submit meter readings on a regular basis. This has been suggested as a good way to keep your bills as accurate as possible and to ensure you are not paying for me than you use.  In this blog we will explain how meter readings work and the importance of them, specifically for business energy customers.    What do meter readings mean?  Meter readings are simply a way for your electricity and gas supplier to establish your energy usage. Meter readings are therefore an important element that makes up your energy bills, alongside current energy rates.  The figures supplied by your meters will change as you access electricity or gas within your building. So, when you use your lights, turn on your computers, switch on the heating or use appliances, your meter will advance as electricity or gas flows through. Electricity meters will show your usage in kilowatt-hours and will use a form of numerical display to show your current usage amount.  Each dial has ten numbers (0 – 9) and a pointer like a clock hand. The pointers advance when electricity flows through the meter, so the dials indicate the total number of kilowatt-hours (KWH) you have used. To determine your correct meter reading, simply read the dials in order from right to left.   How meter readings will affect your energy bills  Since your meter can determine when energy is being used, your meter readings will indicate how much has been used over a period of time. As you submit meter readings to your energy supplier, your bills will be adjusted accordingly. The more regular readings you take and supply your supplier, the easier it will be for them to charge you the most accurate amount for your business energy usage.   How to submit a meter reading for your business  At D-ENERGi we make it easy for you to submit your business meter readings online. Our meter reading form can be accessed via our website and allows you to input the details of your latest reading without delay. All we need is a few details including your business energy account number, the date of your reading, and account holder’s name.   Business smart meters  To make taking your meter readings as simple as possible, business energy customers and domestic energy customers are switching to smart meters. As part of the smart meter roll out suppliers are now encouraging energy customers to make the switch from a traditional energy meter to a smart meter.  Smart meters are capable of supplying meter readings automatically to suppliers, so you don’t have to. Plus, with the option for a Consumer Access Device, you will be able to see your energy consumption in real time. Displaying just how much energy various devices and appliances around your business use when in operation.  For more about the business smart meter roll out, click here or get in touch with our friendly team.