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Planning for the future and predicting what may be coming isn’t an easy task but doing so can help a business financially. Preparing for an increase in costs by knowing when to set higher sales targets and push new marketing campaigns is an element of business that keeps things moving in the right direction. Without financial planning and forecasting a business can quickly find themselves in choppy waters.  Part of any financial planning should be expenses. Part of your expenses each month are your utility bills, of which your energy bills will be some of the biggest. If you run a small business and are directly involved in the payment of your energy bills each month, this blog may help shine some light on how to plan for fluctuations in energy costs and what you can do as a business to predict said fluctuations.    See your average spending with a business smart meter  A smart meter is a really useful tool for not only helping you track your energy usage but also predict how much energy you use on average during various points in your working day. Plus, reviewing the data from your business smart meter will help you identify months in the year where you may be spending more on energy and allow you to make predictions about upcoming months. Of course, this won’t give you an insight into energy wholesale prices or the costs associated with your particular provider, but it helps to give a good idea of what you could be using and spending on average.    Protect your business from volatile energy markets  Now more than ever it has become apparent just how quickly things can change for bill payers. Rising wholesale prices have led to a global energy crisis, hitting business and domestic customers hard. However, for those locked into a fixed-rate contract the impact of this is cushioned by the protection of the consistency of monthly bills. This is because a fixed-rate contract provides a locked-in rate per kilowatt hour.  By securing yourself into a fixed-rate contract with an energy provider, you can help to protect your business from the vulnerability of fluctuating energy markets. Which will allow you to make better predictions for your bills each month, particularly if you manage your energy consumption and use a consistent amount per hour, per day.  At D-ENERGi we offer fixed price electricity deals for business customers so you can know how much you will be paying on your monthly bill, with no nasty surprises! With this deal you can take the worry out of predicting your spending each month, with a direct debit that makes things hassle free! Give us a call today for your free quote.

The 15th March 2023 brought the release of the new Spring Budget by the freshly appointed chancellor, Jeremey Hunt. This release has brought Hunt’s first budget as chancellor, laying out the government’s plan for tax and spending policy. Plus the OBR (Office for Budget Responsibility) have published their updated economic forecasts for the next five years.  After a tumultuous few years and even some months and weeks, the release of the budget has been heavily anticipated. Particularly as businesses wanted to know how they will continue to be supported and what may impact their spending over the next year. As many of our business energy customers are small businesses, we have provided this short summary of the spring budget, focusing on what was mentioned regarding energy prices and business taxation.    Confirmation of the Energy Bills Discount Scheme  One of the most important parts of the spring budget for energy suppliers and our customers is the confirmation of the Energy Bills Discount Scheme. This has been confirmed as a replacement for the Energy Bills Relief Scheme, which will come into effect on the 1st April. This scheme is specifically in place for non-domestic gas and electricity customers and will offer support for the next 12 months. For more details on this, we have written a useful blog for our customers here. On top of this it has also been confirmed that the Climate Change Agreement Scheme will be extended until March 2025. This provides eligible businesses with business tax relief for the implementation of energy efficiency measures.    Predictions for energy prices by the OBR   Thanks to the latest forecast by the Office For Budget Responsibility which was published alongside the new budget, we have some idea of what may happen to energy prices over the next year. As part of their fiscal forecast, developing on their previous forecast in November, the OBR have stated ‘Wholesale gas prices have more than halved over the past six months and are expected to fall further over the forecast.’    Corporation Tax Increase The Chancellor has stated that the main corporation tax rate will increase for businesses from 19% to 25%, this will take effect from 1st April 2023.  In regards to capital allowances, the Government has also announced that the 100% first-year allowance for qualifying expenditure on electric vehicle charge-point equipment will be extended until 31 March 2025 for corporation tax, and 5 April 2025 for income tax. This measure is intended to continue to encourage the uptake of equipment for charging electric vehicles. Meaning businesses can incorporate this into their sustainability measures and goals with tax relief benefits.

Switching your business energy supplier doesn’t have to be complicated but timing can make a big difference.  In this latest blog we will discuss when the best time to switch energy suppliers is and explain why some moments are better than others.   The best time to switch supplier  The ideal time to switch to a new energy supplier is when your current contract is coming to an end. This is the easiest time to switch as you are not locked into a contract with any supplier. Your current supplier should have contacted you to let you know that your current contract is coming to an end, requesting that you let them know your decision, either to stick or to switch. Switching to a new supplier is often recommended to ensure you continue to pay the best and cheapest prices for your business energy. Choosing to remain with your current supplier by simply rolling over your contract may also mean that you are automatically placed onto a rollover contract with higher rates. Whether you opt to stick or switch you should always discuss your options, guaranteeing you are getting the best price.   Is it possible to switch supplier mid-contract? It is possible to end your contract early, however most energy providers will have an early exit fee. Your bill or online account will inform you of how much this exit fee will be. Typically you will only avoid paying an exit fee if your contract is set to end in less than 7 weeks. To determine whether this is truly a good idea, it is best to work out if you would still save money by switching even if you have to pay an exit fee and do your research into your new supplier before switching.  You should also make sure that your new supplier can provide you with the services you require. For example, you may currently have a business smart meter. If you want to continue using this you should check if the new supplier can offer the same.   Reasons to switch energy supplier There are many reasons why you may wish to switch business energy suppliers. Some of the most obvious include wanting a better price or customer service. Or you may have simply come to the end of your fixed contract. However some businesses may be making the switch for more complex reasons.  For example, some businesses have decided to switch to renewable energy suppliers in a bid to cut their carbon footprint. As the mentality towards the environment and renewable energy shifts, it is expected that more and more businesses will follow suit in the next few years. Demanding that energy suppliers meet these new requirements of their customers.   Switching to D-ENERGi for business energy  If you are considering switching to a new business energy supplier, consider D-ENERGi as your first choice.  The team here is dedicated to supporting all our customers, old and new, in sourcing the very best business energy deals. Not only that but all electricity we supply is sourced from wind farms across the UK, making us a great choice for companies looking to enhance their approach to sustainability.  Switching business energy is easy, contact our energy experts to get a free quote or take a closer look at our products.

Keeping your hotel and or restaurant well-lit, warm, and operating smoothly with the right tools is essential to impressing your guests. However, with the current energy costs soaring, it can be difficult to cover the bills.  As a business energy provider, we have been helping our customers manage their rising bills, offering our best tips and advice to help keep costs down. For the hospitality industry, lots of energy is required to offer the very best service, so keeping costs low can seem like a far greater challenge. However, with the right advice, you can aim to lower your energy consumption, thus managing your business electricity and gas bills. Below are some of the ways we would recommend managing your energy consumption and costs.   Schedule a business energy audit One of the first and most effective actions you can take as a business is to schedule an energy audit. As we have touched on in previous blogs, an energy audit will provide you with an assessment of your business’ energy consumption and energy efficiency. This information, provided by an external auditor or by a DIY checklist, will provide you with some initial recommendations that will help you to improve the energy efficiency of your business. This information will be unique to your business type and also the premises, meaning the steps you choose to take will be effective.    Monitor your heating and cooling systems  Any modern hospitality business, whether you run a restaurant, bar or hotel, will have heating and cooling systems in place. Perfect for maintaining a comfortable climate for your guests and staff, however these systems can impact your energy costs quite considerably! To ensure you are not overusing these systems and wasting money on heating and cooling your business, be sure to monitor these closely. Most systems will allow you to set a regular temperature. We would recommend staying between 18-20 degrees celsius when heating your premises.    Maintain your commercial fridges  Commercial fridge freezers consume far more energy than the standard domestic fridge freezer, making these a costly expense. However, commercial fridges are essential in the daily running of a commercial kitchen or bar. In order to maintain your fridges whilst reducing your energy consumption and keeping your bills low, we would suggest having these services regularly, whilst also ensuring they are not left open for long periods of time. Servicing a fridge can make a huge difference in the quality of its output, meaning the fridge won’t have to consume excess amounts of energy to maintain a regular, cool temperature.    Shutdown unused electrical equipment  Throughout a large hospitality business, such as a hotel, you may find lots of electrical equipment and tools that are consuming electricity but do not need to be. This is where the energy audit comes into play again. An energy audit could help identify these electrical items, giving you an idea of just what and how many electrical appliances may not need to be switched on permanently. Simply shutting down these items could make a real difference to your bills.    Motivate your staff to save energy while on shift  A positive attitude amongst your staff regarding energy saving and sustainability will support your business in its efforts to cut down consumption. Promoting this amongst your teams can be as simple as creating a checklist of electrical appliances to monitor, communicating your goals with your staff, asking your staff for ideas, and ensuring every team member is involved.  For more information about your business energy bills or to discuss options for cutting energy consumption, do not hesitate to get in touch with the D-ENERGi team.

Understanding the energy market and the details of the deals and prices available to you is important in ensuring you are not paying more than you should be for your business energy. In a financial climate like the one we are currently living through, businesses will be even more cautious to sign up to deals they are unaware of and as they should.  If you are looking to set up a new business energy contract, you may be thinking “what’s best?”. In this blog we are hoping to clear the confusion slightly, delving into the topic of fixed rate tariffs for business energy. Reviewing whether these are best for businesses.    What are fixed rate business energy tariffs? Ensuring we are not assuming you already know the definition, we will start by simply explaining what a fixed tariff is.  Fixed rate tariffs are a good option for businesses hoping to lock in a price for their business energy for the next year or two. Usually lasting between 12-24 months, a fixed rate tariff offers a way to pay energy bills that are not influenced by fluctuations within the wholesale energy market. However, as with any tariff you sign onto, the more you use, the more you will pay. The price you are agreeing to pay in the beginning, that stays locked, is the price you pay per unit.   How a fixed rate tariff benefits a business  Unlike those receiving a salary from their employer, your business relies on the success of its sales each month to bring in revenue. Having the revenue to cover costs such as energy bills is absolutely vital to the survival of your business. Therefore, many tend to consider a fixed rate tariff as the most suitable type of energy contract for business energy customers, since the price per unit is locked in and is much more manageable than variable-rate deals.  Some of the benefits of a fixed rate contract for businesses include:  – They are typically cheaper than a variable rate  – Enable the customer to be protected from the fluctuations of a volatile energy market – Allows businesses to control their monthly spend by simply managing their energy usage It is important to note that when you are looking for a fixed-rate tariff, how ‘cheap’ this will be will ultimately depend on the market at the time. Suppliers will determine their fixed prices based on the conditions of the market, so it is also important to bear this in mind when shopping around.    D-ENERGi fixed price business electricity  AT D-ENERGi we are continuously working to provide our business energy customers with the very best prices for business electricity. Our tailored solutions are designed to suit your business needs. With our offer of fixed price electricity guarantees you know exactly how much you will be paying each month, with no surprises. To get your free business electricity quote today and to find out more about our fixed tariffs, simply get in touch with our friendly customer service team.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed while wading through the energy industry. Whether you’re looking for a new supplier or simply trying to understand your business’ energy bill, there’s lots of new terminology to grasp. From understanding definitions, processes, and terminology – it can quickly feel like you’re trying to understand a foreign language. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what is meant when we talk about ‘capacity’ or ‘demand’, then this post is for you! Here’s a helpful glossary of terms commonly used within the energy industry so that you have all the knowledge needed to make better-informed decisions on your business energy requirements. Below we have provided an A-Z style of glossary to help explain some complicated and good-to-know terms.    Agreed Capacity  This is the agreed amount of electricity load that can be supplied to a property. If you are renting or newly purchasing a property for your business operations this will be stated in your property’s Connection Agreement with the local DNO*.   Automatic Meter Read (AMR) An automatic meter read is taken by a system that takes meter readings remotely. This data will be passed onto your business energy supplier for billing purposes.   Biomass Biomass energy or bioenergy, as it can often be referred to, is an energy sourced from organic materials, this includes matter from recently living organisms such as plants. This is considered a ‘carbon neutral’ method of generating energy.    Carbon Credits  Carbon credits are a rising form of credit that can be purchased on the voluntary carbon market. These are used to permit owners an allowance of carbon dioxide emissions. Also known as carbon offsets. Many businesses are now opting voluntarily to buy carbon credits in order to develop a ‘green business strategy’ that coincides with government plans to achieve net zero carbon.    Carbon Neutral  Carbon neutrality means reaching a state in which there are net-zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be achieved by either balancing the total amount of carbon dioxide removed with the total emitted or by completely eliminating the emission of CO2 from within society. Both are something governments across the world are hoping to achieve, as agreed.    *District Network Operator (DNO) A district network operator or DNO is responsible for the installation and maintenance of electrical cabling, as well as the distribution of electricity to the supply point of the grid.  If you are attempting to contact your DNO, one way you can do this is by looking them up using your location information, such as postcode. Each district will have a different DNO.    Fixed Term Contracts A fixed term contract is a supply contract decided with your energy provider for a fixed price over a fixed period of time.    Greenhouse Gas (GHG)  A GHG is simply a type of gas found in the atmosphere that traps heat. The main GHGs found in Earth’s atmosphere are water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone.