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How to compare business electricity suppliers

Switching between electricity suppliers has become an easy way to keep a tight lid on overheads but, for businesses, it can only usually be done towards the end of your current contract. This is why knowing what date that contract comes to an end is vital information but equally important is finding out what termination requirements are lurking in the electricity suppliers' terms & conditions.

Make It Cheaper research shows that only 20% of businesses know when their business electricity contracts come to an end and even fewer are aware that there is a 'deadline' for serving notice to the electricity suppliers up which is often up to 3 months beforehand - see below. Leave it too late and you'll be automatically  rolled onto expensive tariffs for at least another year with any attempt you make to compare electricity suppliers' prices becoming a frustratingly wasted effort.

That's why we created our online Switching Tools which help you serve notice at the right time and with the correct letter of termination. If it's easier, we're happy to talk you through this process over the phone and can email you with the relevant paperwork along with a quote of the best prices currently available in the market.

Serving Notice to Business Electricity Suppliers

So how soon before the contract end date should you be writing to your business electricity suppliers? Here are some examples taken from the terms & conditions (current at the time of writing) of a selection of the electricity suppliers.

Eon: 3 week window anywhere from 120 days before the contract end date

British Gas Business: between 120 to 90 days beforehand

Opus: at least 90 days

Npower: at least 90 days

Scottish & Southern: at least One calendar month

Shell: at least 30 days

EDF: at least 28 days

Scottish Power: between 90 and 45 days ahead of contract end date

If you are in any doubt about your electricity supplier's contract terms of or how to compare business electricity rates, contact us for free and impartial advice.