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As energy costs continue to rise and we head into the coldest months of the year, we know just how important it is for businesses to keep costs low whilst being able to heat and run their business this winter. Having control over your business’ energy consumption, paying close attention to your usage and keeping bills low, could help as we enter a difficult period of time economically. At D-ENERGi we are supporting businesses of all sizes, offering our advice to business energy customers in this time of much needed support. Here we have outlined some of our best advice for keeping energy consumption low in the business environment (particularly offices) throughout winter. Reduce heating temperatures by just 1℃ Many will be preparing themselves for a cold winter and believing that it will feel even colder with managers switching heating systems off completely to curb the energy costs. Interestingly, however, this does not need to be the case. In the vast majority of cases, simply dropping the heating by only 1℃ can cut consumption by 8%! So, you don’t have to bundle up in coats and scarves while sitting at your desk. Set timers to match your working hours Plenty of businesses are guilty of using energy they don’t actually require. So many offices leave lights on overnight and devices plugged in 24/7. One way to reduce your business’ energy consumption is to simply set timers on your lighting and electrical devices so these are only connected when the office is in action. Heating and lighting should all be automatically set to turn off at the end of the day, the same time everyday. For those who wish to work later into the day, you may wish to provide individuals with desk lamps to provide light to only where it is needed. Aim for a comfortable working temperature Although the outdoor temperature plummets into the winter months, there is no reason why the heating inside an office, particularly smaller offices, should exceed a comfortable temperature. In fact, the lowest comfortable working temperature is between 18–21℃ depending on the workplace. As mentioned above, dropping your thermostat down just a few degrees will cut energy consumption by a large amount. It is also important to note that warmth in offices doesn’t just come from the heating system but also the lights, the many people and other devices that are running continuously. Upgrade your lighting to LED lights A big expense for business energy customers is outdated lighting. If possible, and within budget, an upgrade to LED lights will help lower your energy costs. LED bulbs are far more energy efficient than standard incandescent bulbs and will last much longer. LED lights provide businesses low-maintenance, low cost lighting that does the job and is the more sustainable option! Consider installing a business smart meter A great way for businesses to keep on top of their business energy consumption, monitoring usage, is to install a business smart meter. At D-ENERGi we offer business smart meters to our customers, no matter what industry you are in. If you are an energy-conscious business, or simply seeking ways to save your business money, the benefits of a business energy smart meter should not be underestimated. To find out more, why not get in touch with us and arrange a business smart meter install today!

Whenever you receive an energy bill, whether that is by post or via email, it may be tempting to put this to one side and ignore it. However, it is incredibly important to read your business energy bills when you receive them. This will help you to understand your energy usage and how your energy supplier has calculated your costs.  Our quick guide provides all the details you need to decipher your business energy bill and use this to your advantage.  How to break down your bill  Receiving a letter with numbers across the page, graphs and more, can make understanding your energy bill confusing. But, it doesn’t have to be. Being able to break down each section of your bill will simplify the information you have been provided. Bills will look slightly different, depending on who your supplier is. However, the majority of energy bills will display the following information in some format.  Your usage period – this will be a date range, indicating what period of time this bill is for. Usually this will be between several months.   The amount required – The total amount will be shown clearly on the page, this is the figure that you owe your energy supplier. Your energy consumption – Your energy bill will typically display the amount of energy you have consumed during this period. This will be measured in kilowatt hours (kWh).  Your meter readings – If you were providing your energy supplier with regular meter readings during this period, they will display your actual meter readings. If this was not the case they will display their estimated meter readings based on previous energy consumption. Your meter serial number must also be shown here, so be sure to check this is correct.  A breakdown of your bill – this will usually be included in your bill to further explain the figure you owe.  When you first receive your bill, you should read it through thoroughly and identify each of these key sections. If there is anything missing or information that you do not believe to be accurate, it is important that you get in contact with your energy supplier who can further explain this. If the meter serial number shown on your bill is incorrect, you must identify this immediately and let your supplier know, as they could be retrieving data from the wrong meter and making poor estimations.

Setting up your utilities is an important step in the early stages of your business. By doing this early on, you will be able to conduct forecasting, allowing you to budget for the forthcoming year. If you have never owned or run your own business before, you may be slightly unsure as to how setting up business utilities will differ from your own personal utilities. In this guide we explain everything you need to know, so you can get started making money and growing your business.  Identify your necessary utilities The first step in the process is quite simple, but will help you to prioritise which utilities you should be setting up first. For example, water, gas, and electricity, will be three of the most essential utilities you will need to set up before you can start running your business. Broadband and telephone connections will also be required to help get you connected to your customers or clients.  Choosing a business utilities supplier  Once you have identified your essential business utilities, now it is time to find suitable suppliers for each. There are some key things to bear in mind when finding the right utilities supplier for your business, these include:  Your budget  Your projected usage  What payment options are available and which would suit you best Check contract lengths  How to pay the best rates for your business utilities  Some of the most common ways to find the cheapest rates for your business is to use price comparison sites or to access the information of a broker. Although, the point should be raised, those who opt to go through these third-party services must be cautious. Read all the information provided before agreeing to sign any contract and be sure you understand what you are signing up for. With energy rates currently at an all time high, it may be useful to refer to information provided by Ofgem who is the government regulator for the electricity in Great Britain.  For water in the UK you will have to pay for any water that your business uses and the liquid waste produced from your premises. Ofwat is the regulator for the water sector in England and Wales.  D-ENERGi Business Energy  At D-Energi, we make it simple for businesses from a range of sectors to access competitive prices and rates for business energy in the UK. Our services include business electricity, business gas, business water, half hourly electricity and more. To get quotes for your new business, contact our friendly team today.

Plans unveiled today (21/09/2021) by Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg have been announced to support growth, prevent unnecessary insolvencies and protect jobs in response to the rising energy bills faced by businesses, households and public sector organisations in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. What are the government doing to support UK businesses To support UK businesses, the government has set a Supported Wholesale Price which will help to cut bills this winter. This price is expected to be £211 per MWh for electricity and £75 per MWh for gas, less than half the wholesale prices anticipated this winter. Key points from the latest government announcement: The introduction of a new government scheme will see energy prices as businesses, charities and public sector organisations cut – protecting them and their jobs from rising costs. Through a new government Energy Bill Relief Scheme, the government will provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic customers This support is in addition to the Energy Price Guarantee for households, with further measures today to strengthen support for families across the United Kingdom, including those in rentals or park homes source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-outlines-plans-to-help-cut-energy-bills-for-businesses How will this energy support be applied? In this latest announcement, the UK government has stated they will apply this support to fixed contracts agreed on or after 1 April 2022, as to deemed, variable and flexible tariffs and contracts. This will also apply to energy usage from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023, initially running for a six-month period. Businesses can expect to see these savings applied to their October bills which are, in most cases, received in November. As with the Energy Price Guarantee for households, business energy customers do not need to take action or apply to the scheme to access the support. Support (in the form of a p/kWh discount) will automatically be applied to bills. To ensure the protection of businesses during winter months, the introduction of this scheme will help businesses manage what was expected to be an incredibly challenging time. Liz Truss, the newly appointed Prime Minister, had this to say: “ I understand the huge pressure businesses, charities and public sector organisations are facing with their energy bills, which is why we are taking immediate action to support them over the winter and protect jobs and livelihoods. “As we are doing for consumers, our new scheme will keep their energy bills down from October, providing certainty and peace of mind. At the same time, we are boosting Britain’s homegrown energy supply so we fix the root cause of the issues we are facing and ensure greater energy security for us all.” Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng added: “We have stepped in to stop businesses collapsing, protect jobs, and limit inflation. And with our plans to boost home-grown energy supply, we will bring security to the sector, growth to the economy and secure a better deal for consumers.”  For any of our business energy customers concerned about the current energy crisis, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our customer service team for advice and guidance regarding your bills and payments.

As the government continues to consider means to curb the increasing energy prices, customers around the country will be reviewing solutions for managing their energy usage and keeping bills low. Many small businesses, without support, face the risk of closure as they struggle to cope with their rising bills. As businesses are not protected by the price cap introduced by Ofgem, there is little support or solution from the government. Considering the solutions for reducing energy costs, is now the time for businesses to consider renewable energy? Reducing dependence on fossil fuels Witnessing the invasion of Ukraine from Russia at the beginning of the year, we may not have initially predicted the impact this was to have on the price of fossil fuels. Within just a matter of days, however, the cost of oil rose considerably. A wake-up call to every nation, our reliance on fossil fuels puts us at risk. With the market now suffering, as a result, our dependence on fossil fuels must be reconsidered. Not only to avoid the volatility of this market but to move towards a greener energy market, whereby we make the transition to renewable energy. This would be both beneficial for our economy and our goals for achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Is switching to renewable energy possible? As the UK has set out policies to decarbonise all sectors of the UK economy and to achieve a net zero target by 2050, electricity must become renewable. According to recent statistics from the year 2020, renewable energy sources made up more than 43% of the UK’s total electricity generation. So, although we are on the right track, work is still required. The positive trend does indicate that switching to renewables completely is 100% possible. The benefits of switching to renewable energy for businesses For businesses, making the switch to renewable energy offers the potential option for reducing energy costs and can even improve the reputation of the brand. The benefits of making this switch include: Stable energy prices Will reduce your company’s emissions Improves your brand’s reputation with consumers, particularly those looking to commit to companies that are conscious of the environment Exemption from the Climate Change Levy is a tax designed by the government to reduce carbon emissions among businesses. For those businesses that can not generate their own renewable energy (particularly smaller businesses that do not have the funding), switching to a green energy tariff is the second best option. It is important to do your research and recognise when a company is truly offering 100% renewable energy. Plus, in the current economic climate, it makes sense to switch to a green energy deal that will actually save you money. At D-ENERGi, all our electricity supplied from D-ENERGi Trading is sourced from UK based wind farms. Supplying 100% UK wind power. To get a quote from us today, simply get in touch.

An energy price cap is a tool introduced by the independent regulatory authority, Ofgem. The tool has been put in place to protect consumers from rising energy prices. With the intention of restricting energy suppliers from making excessive profits. The recent announcement from Ofgem in April 2022, stated that the energy price cap on variable tariffs will increase by 54%. This explains why the majority of consumers will have noticed a rise in their energy prices. On average, for tariff customers, energy bills will increase by £693 to £1,971 per year. As this new increase takes hold, more and more customers are noticing the effect. The reason for this increase is as a result of wholesale gas shortages which has greatly impacted the energy suppliers’ ability to meet demand. Therefore, creating a need to pass on some of their increased costs. While the price cap somewhat protects domestic consumers, this does not do anything to protect businesses. This means, that where they are experiencing an increase in wholesale costs, energy suppliers are passing the majority of this onto their business energy customers. With many businesses experiencing incredible rises to their business electricity and business gas bills, as well as receiving huge quotes for business energy, with some exceeding a huge 90p/kWh. What should businesses do to manage the rising energy costs? As the energy market continues to navigate a very volatile period of time, it is important to shield your business from rising energy prices for your business. For those businesses that are seeking a new energy supplier or need to secure a price due to being up for renewal, there are some solutions to consider. One of the ways business owners can shield themselves and their businesses from the current market volatility is to consider working ahead of time of your existing renewal. This is to avoid the anticipated future price rises and great uncertainty of the current energy market as we go into the winter months. Smarter procurement is one-way businesses can benefit from better energy rates. Instead of requesting quotes for immediate start dates, consider reviewing your tariff ahead of time. In the current market we are finding that unit rates and standing charges of quotes with ASAP contract start dates are coming out the most expensive. In contrast to this, if the contract end date is much further away (e.g. 6 months or more), then we are finding we are able to access lower prices. Therefore organisations can benefit from locking in lower prices in advance now, than those they would end up with if they left their renewal to within a month of their end date. Avoid out-of-contract pricing with any supplier One of our top tips is to avoid running down your contracts in the hopes prices may fall. For those D-ENERGi customers who do this or have done this, you will go onto our Deemed Energy Tariff which is the most expensive option for business energy customers as it is influenced by the daily energy wholesale market fluctuations. For us at D-ENERGi, this means we could be paying more than 3 times as much on wholesale prices in comparison with our fixed price plans, and these costs will unfortunately have to be passed on to the customer. We cannot stress this enough; avoid at all costs running down your contracts if possible. For additional advice, do not hesitate to contact our helpful team who can support you in renewing your contract before it is too late. Whilst some experts are concerned that there could be a drop in  prices resulting from users consuming much less energy thus creating an energy surplus, there has been no signs of this being the case over the past few months. Monitoring your energy consumption Energy consumption management is an important and valuable process that all businesses should practice. By monitoring your energy usage closely you will gain a greater understanding of your bills while allowing you to optimise and control the energy usage of your company. To do this, it is as simple as enquiring about a business energy smart meter that will take automatic meter readings while providing you with real-time consumption data. At D-ENERGi we offer smart meters for businesses, available through our smart meter roll out. For more information on the energy market and how to get the best tariff for your business energy, please contact our team.