We compare business gas and electricity from 20 plus suppliers for craft and high street bakeries. Typical bills run £8k to £30k a year and businesses that switch with us save 40 per cent on average, typically 30 to 50 per cent. The figures on this page are estimates from published UK benchmarks, not quotes.
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What a typical high street bakery uses and pays across the UK, from published benchmarks.
Figures are estimates from published UK benchmarks priced at 25p/kWh electricity, 7p/kWh gas and about £365 a year in standing charges. They are not quotes. See how we estimate.
Independent bakeries with a shop front and an on-site bake. Deck or convection ovens, a retarder prover working overnight, dough mixers, chilled display cabinets and a walk-in chiller, usually trading from early morning to mid afternoon.
Ovens up to temperature from 3am or 4am, long before the first customer
A retarder prover that holds dough at set temperature seven nights a week
Chilled display cabinets running open-fronted through the whole trading day
A bake that finishes by lunchtime while the shop lighting and fridges run on to close
Typical equipment loads across bakeries, breweries and food production, with annual kWh and cost bands from published benchmarks.
| Equipment | kWh a year | Cost a year (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| Deck, rack and tunnel ovens (gas) | 30,000–300,000 kWh | £2,100–£21,000 |
| Electric convection, combi and roasting ovens | 8,000–45,000 kWh | £2,000–£11,250 |
| Provers, retarders, dough mixers and depositors | 4,000–20,000 kWh | £1,000–£5,000 |
| Refrigeration, walk-in chillers and cold stores | 10,000–90,000 kWh | £2,500–£22,500 |
| Steam boilers, coppers, stills and jacketed kettles (gas) | 20,000–350,000 kWh | £1,400–£24,500 |
| Glycol chillers, compressed air, extraction and lighting | 8,000–60,000 kWh | £2,000–£15,000 |
Stage the oven start times so decks come up in sequence rather than all at once, which flattens the morning peak and can move you onto a better priced profile.
Check the retarder prover door seals and set point. Holding two degrees colder than you need runs the compressor harder every night of the year.
Fit night blinds or covers to open-fronted chilled display cabinets. They cut compressor run time for the fifteen hours a day the shop is shut.
Bake in full loads and cut the number of heat up cycles. Reheating an empty deck oven is the most expensive gas you buy.
Ask for your contract end date in writing. High street bakeries are one of the most common trades we find sitting on a rollover rate.
Illustrative example
Deck ovens on from 4am with a shop out front
Ovens are most of the gas, proving and refrigeration most of the electricity, and both start before dawn.
Illustrative example, not a real customer. Figures are estimates based on published UK benchmarks. See how we estimate. See all worked examples.
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Switching your energy supplier is just the start. Our team can help you reduce consumption too — with expert energy audits, LED lighting upgrades, refrigeration optimisation, and solar PV installations.
Get a comprehensive analysis of your energy consumption with actionable recommendations.
Learn moreUpgrade your heating systems with smart controls to reduce waste.
Learn moreOptimise your fridges, freezers and cooling systems for maximum efficiency.
Learn moreGenerate your own electricity and slash daytime energy costs.
Learn morePart of the Smart Energy group — trusted by businesses like Bargoed YMCA and Treforest Football Club for energy efficiency solutions across Wales and the UK.
Get a tariff matched to how a high street bakery actually uses energy: the equipment, the hours and the fuels on your meters.
