Compare business electricity rates

Comparing business electricity means lining quotes up on the same basis. Same meter, same day, four numbers: unit rate, standing charge, contract length and exit terms. Suppliers reprice daily, so quotes a week apart are two different markets. Every quote we show prints our commission on it, 1.5p per kWh, before you sign.

For scale, the UK average is 24.14p per kWh across all non-domestic consumers, including the Climate Change Levy (DESNZ, Quarterly Energy Prices, 30 June 2026, Q1 2026 data). Treat it as a benchmark; nobody can quote you that price. Figures by size sit on business electricity rates, sourced per our pricing methodology.

What to compare

Unit rate

The pence you pay per kWh, and usually the biggest number on the bill. A quote can win here and still cost more over the year once the daily charge lands.

Standing charge

A fixed daily fee you pay whether the lights are on or not. The lower your consumption, the more it decides the outcome. Convert both numbers into pounds a year and compare the totals.

Contract length

Fixed terms run from a year to several. A longer term buys certainty about price and costs you flexibility, so it is a call about risk. More in our guide on whether to fix.

Exit terms

What happens if you leave early, move premises or close the site. Terms vary widely and no standard charge exists, so get yours in writing first.

How comparison sites actually work

Most comparison sites and brokers compare a panel of suppliers rather than the whole market. Asked whether third-party intermediaries cover the whole market, Ofgem's guidance answers: "No. Some TPIs research the whole market but others represent one or a small group of suppliers" (Ofgem, Third Party Intermediaries guidance, 14 October 2022, checked August 2026). Panels are also fewer than the logos suggest, since several big consumer brands use the same operator.

Commission usually gets disclosed as a mechanism. The number stays off the page. One large operator states its published rates are "inclusive of maximum Bionic commission" (Bionic, retrieved 10 August 2026). Another says "we'll be paid a commission by the new supplier that is included in the prices we quote" (Uswitch, retrieved 10 August 2026). Both statements are honest. Neither can be counted.

Since 1 October 2024, Ofgem requires suppliers to disclose third-party costs to all non-domestic customers, whatever their size; the old rule covered microbusinesses only (Ofgem, Non-Domestic Market Review factsheet, April 2024). It reaches you through the principal terms or on request, so the number exists and you have to ask. We print ours on the quote. Ofgem "does not license TPIs but has set out voluntary principles showing how they should operate", and no badge does that work for you.

Comparing yourself or using a broker

You can do this yourself. For a single site it is a reasonable afternoon: ring suppliers direct, give identical consumption figures, and ask each for a unit rate and standing charge on the same contract length. Quotes normally expire the same day, so gather them together. Some suppliers price small sites only through intermediaries.

A broker runs that pass for you and is paid by the supplier that wins. Ofgem suggests two questions before you commit: "Which suppliers will you be approaching to get prices?" and "How will I be charged for these services? Will I be charged directly or indirectly?" Our answers are the panel in our business electricity suppliers directory, and indirectly, at 1.5p per kWh, on the quote. More in how energy brokers get paid and how to switch business energy.

Sometimes the answer is to stay put. Mid-contract on a rate priced in a calmer week, the market may have nothing better today. A comparison that ends there has done its job, and we say so.