Compare business energy
Comparing business energy means lining quotes up on the same basis. Same meter, same day, four numbers: unit rate, standing charge, contract length and exit terms. Gas and electricity are contracted separately, so you compare two sets. Every quote we show prints our commission, 1.5p per kWh, before you sign.
For scale, UK non-domestic electricity averaged 24.14p per kWh including the Climate Change Levy in Q1 2026 (DESNZ, Quarterly Energy Prices, 30 June 2026). Nobody can quote you that price. Size bands and gas figures sit on both fuels priced together, sourced per our pricing methodology.
What to compare
Unit rate
The pence you pay per kWh, usually the biggest number on the bill. A quote can win here and still cost more over the year.
Standing charge
A fixed daily fee you pay whether the doors are open or shut. The less you use, the more it decides the outcome, so convert both into pounds a year.
Contract length
Fixed terms run from a year to several. Longer buys price certainty and costs you flexibility, so it is a call about risk.
Exit terms
What happens if you leave early or move premises. Terms vary widely and no standard charge exists, so get yours in writing.
How comparison sites actually work
Most sites compare a panel of suppliers rather than the whole market. A government review of third-party intermediaries found evidence of firms "only seeking quotes from favoured suppliers" (DESNZ, government response, 23 October 2025). Compare the Market lists ten suppliers on its business energy page, and its partner broker Bionic runs the comparison (checked 10 August 2026).
Sites disclose that commission exists without printing the amount. One site publishes an example uplift of 1p per kWh and gives you your own figure if you email and ask (Love Energy Savings, checked 10 August 2026). Ours is 1.5p per kWh, gas and electricity, every contract length, printed on the quote. Higher than that example, and knowable before you sign.
Ofgem says broker costs that reach your bill "must be provided to all businesses via the Principal Terms and upon request", and asks brokers to say whether you pay "directly or indirectly" (Ofgem, Third Party Intermediaries guidance, 14 October 2022). Commission inside your unit rate is still you paying it. Brokers are not licensed yet. Ofgem plans to make them register, with proposals due in 2027 (Ofgem blog, 20 July 2026).
Cheap business energy deals, honestly
The cheapest headline rate is often the wrong contract. EDF's small business terms say that unless you switch away or agree a new contract, "you will automatically be transferred onto a Variable Tariff at the end of your Fixed Term Period". Those prices "can change any time and can be higher than your current contract prices" (EDF, terms dated 18 June 2026).
A cheap headline also hides what the broker took. Ofgem's 2020 review of the microbusiness market found a golf club paying roughly £24,000 in commission it was not told about, around half its energy spend, and a social club billed 41% commission. Those cases predate the 2021 microbusiness rules, and they are why the number belongs on the quote.
Comparing yourself or using a broker
You can do this yourself. For one site it is an afternoon of ringing suppliers direct and asking each for a unit rate and standing charge on the same consumption and term.
A broker runs that pass for you and is paid by the supplier that wins. Ask which suppliers get approached, and how you pay for the service. Our panel is in the business energy suppliers directory. You pay us 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, today's market may have nothing better. We say so when that happens.
Digging out a recent bill for each fuel is the annoying part, and the only part you do.
Questions people ask us
- Who is the cheapest energy supplier for business?
No single one exists. Suppliers reprice constantly and rank differently by consumption and region, so the cheapest name for a shop is mid-table for a workshop. Compare live quotes for your own meters, on the same day.
- Is the cheapest energy deal the best energy deal?
Often it is not. A low unit rate can sit beside a high standing charge, or exit terms that bite when you move premises. Add both charges up over a year, then read what happens on the end date.
- Should I fix my business energy prices for 3 years?
Only if certainty is worth more than flexibility. Three years removes the renewal decision twice and holds today's view of the market. Check the exit terms first, and read our guide on whether to fix.
- Which energy company does Martin Lewis recommend?
None for business. MoneySavingExpert covers household energy, where a price cap and accredited comparison sites exist. Business contracts are negotiated site by site, so no household recommendation carries across.