Question 1

Which sectors do you cover?

Accepted Answer

Ten of them, each with its own sub sectors underneath: Hospitality and food venues; Convenience and food retail; Motor trade and vehicle repair; Farming and agriculture; Hair, beauty and personal care; Hotels and accommodation; Bakeries, breweries and food production; Gyms, fitness and leisure; Care homes and supported living; Launderettes, dry cleaners and laundries. If your business does not fit any of them, choose "my business isn't listed" in the form and we will still compare the market for you. We built the service around sectors because a launderette, a dairy farm and a care home buy energy in completely different shapes, and a generic quote treats them all like an office.

Question 2

Is there really no cost for your service?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Our service is free to you. We are paid a commission by the supplier you choose, which is included in the rates you see rather than added to them. There is no fee, no hidden charge and no obligation. If you do not like what we find, you do not switch.

Question 3

Will my gas or electricity supply be interrupted during the switch?

Accepted Answer

No. The pipes, cables and meter stay exactly as they are. The only thing that changes is the company that bills you and the price you pay. Nothing on your site is switched off, disconnected or visited at any point.

Question 4

How long does the switching process take?

Accepted Answer

The instant estimate takes about a minute. Once you have chosen a deal, the switch itself usually completes within two to four weeks, sometimes sooner, and it is timed to your current contract end date so you are never in a gap. We handle the paperwork and the supplier calls.

Question 5

Do I need to contact my current supplier?

Accepted Answer

No. We deal with both the outgoing and the incoming supplier. There is no cancellation letter for you to send and no call for you to make.

Question 6

Will my current supplier charge me an exit fee?

Accepted Answer

Only if you leave part way through a fixed term. If your contract has already ended and you are on out of contract or deemed rates, there is nothing to pay to leave. Where there is an exit fee we work out whether the saving still covers it before we recommend anything.

Question 7

Who are Smart Energy Switch?

Accepted Answer

We are the business energy switching arm of Smart Energy Group, based in Cwmbran in Wales. Our sister brands, Smart Energy Homes and Smart Energy Business, cover domestic energy and on site efficiency work such as audits, lighting, refrigeration and solar.

Question 8

What information do I need to get a quote?

Accepted Answer

To start, your sector, your business type, a rough idea of your size and your monthly spend, then your business name and postcode. That is enough for an instant estimate. For an accurate quote we ask for a recent bill, because it gives us your meter numbers, your current rates and your contract end date.

Question 9

How accurate is the instant estimate?

Accepted Answer

It is an estimate, not a quote, and we say so on the report. It is built from the spend and size you tell us, published UK benchmarks for your kind of business, and current market rates. It is good enough to tell you whether it is worth looking further. The accurate number comes after a specialist checks live rates against a copy of your bill. Savings are estimates: typical spend from published UK benchmarks, multiplied by a 30% to 50% band around the 40% our customers save on average (the business's own figure, not a published dataset). Your saving depends on your current contract, usage and live supplier prices.

Question 10

How much can I actually save?

Accepted Answer

Save on average 40% on your business energy bills.. More if you are on out-of-contract or deemed rates. It depends on your current contract, your usage and live supplier prices on the day. Savings are estimates: typical spend from published UK benchmarks, multiplied by a 30% to 50% band around the 40% our customers save on average (the business's own figure, not a published dataset). Your saving depends on your current contract, usage and live supplier prices.

Question 11

Do you compare all energy suppliers?

Accepted Answer

We compare a panel of 20+ UK business energy suppliers, which covers the large majority of the market for the kind of supplies our customers hold. We tell you which supplier a rate comes from before you decide anything.

Question 12

Will there be a credit check?

Accepted Answer

Some suppliers run a check before offering business rates. Where one is needed we tell you before it happens, and a business energy check does not affect your personal credit score in the way a consumer credit application would.

Question 13

Do you understand how my kind of business uses energy?

Accepted Answer

That is the point of asking about your sector first. A fryer line, a milking parlour, a spray booth, a bank of chiller doors, a tumble dryer bank and a care home laundry all have completely different load shapes and trading hours, and each of those shapes suits a different tariff. Each sector guide sets out where the energy goes and what a typical bill looks like by size.

Question 14

Can you help with half-hourly metered supplies?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Half-hourly meters are mandatory above roughly 100,000 kWh a year and common on larger sites. The consumption data they produce shows your real peak and your overnight baseload, which is exactly what makes a day and night or time of use structure worth pricing rather than guessing at.

Question 15

What about businesses with multiple sites?

Accepted Answer

We handle multi-site portfolios. Sites drift apart over time, so it is normal to find one branch on a competitive fixed rate and another sitting on a deemed rate nobody noticed. Bringing them onto one agreement with a single end date makes the portfolio easier to price and easier to renew, and larger volumes usually price more keenly than the same sites bought one at a time.

Question 16

I rent my premises. Can I still switch?

Accepted Answer

Usually yes. If the meter is in your business name and you get the bill, the contract is yours to move. If energy is included in your rent, or you are on a landlord's shared supply, you cannot switch it directly, but it is still worth a call because a sub metered arrangement can sometimes be separated.

Question 17

My energy bill is confusing. Can you help me understand it?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and there is no charge for it. Send us your latest bill and we will read it back to you in plain English: what your unit rate and standing charge actually are, what CCL and VAT are doing, and whether your contract has quietly ended.

Question 18

What happens when my new contract ends?

Accepted Answer

We hold your contract end date and come back to you well before it, so you never drop onto out of contract rates by accident. We run a fresh comparison at that point and you decide again, with no obligation to stay with us or with the supplier.

Question 19

Can you help me reduce my energy consumption too?

Accepted Answer

Yes, through our sister brand Smart Energy Business, which does energy audits, LED lighting, refrigeration and cooling optimisation, heating controls and solar PV. Switching fixes the price you pay; that work reduces the units you buy.

Question 20

What if I am not happy with my new supplier?

Accepted Answer

Tell us. We deal with the supplier on your behalf to get it sorted, and if it cannot be resolved we look at your options for moving again. If you would rather escalate it formally, our complaints page sets out the process and the timescales.

Frequently Asked Questions

About the service

About your quote

Your meters, sites and premises

After the switch

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Your business. Your savings estimate.