We compare business gas and electricity from 20 plus suppliers for microbreweries and taprooms. Typical bills run £9.4k to £69.4k 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 microbrewery or taproom 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 breweries from nano scale up to regional independents, with or without a taproom on site. Gas fired or electric coppers on brew days, glycol chillers and fermentation control every hour in between, plus cold store, keg washing and often a bar trading at weekends.
A glycol chiller that runs every hour of every day, brew day or not
Long gas fired boil on brew days followed by a full CIP and hot water demand
A cold store holding kegs at temperature through quiet weeks as well as busy ones
Two energy profiles on one meter when the taproom trades at weekends
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 |
Insulate the hot liquor tank, the copper and all hot side pipework. Boil and mash heat losses are the largest single avoidable gas cost in a small brewery.
Check your glycol set point and jacket insulation. Running the glycol two degrees colder than the process needs pushes the chiller compressor hard for no gain.
Recover heat from the boil or the wort cooling stage into the next brew's hot liquor. Even a simple heat exchanger cuts a meaningful slice off gas use.
Schedule brew days together where you can. Back to back brews reuse hot liquor and cut the number of cold starts on the copper.
If you have a taproom, get the site profiled as a production site with hospitality attached, not as a bar. Bar tariffs price the weekend well and price the chiller baseload badly.
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 microbrewery or taproom actually uses energy: the equipment, the hours and the fuels on your meters.
