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The ‘Top 5 tips for reducing energy bills’ is brought to you in association with Make It Cheaper.

Make It Cheaper is the UK’s leading business price comparison and switching service, handling over 2,000 enquiries a week. It provides its customers with impartial, comprehensive and free information about overheads such as business electricity and business gas helping you to switch suppliers and making sure you are not caught out by the small print.

What many businesses are waking up to is that there is no such thing as customer loyalty with energy suppliers and by staying with one company from one year to the next you’ll end up paying higher rates. With 11,000 different business energy tariffs ranging threefold in price switching once a year is the only way to stick on the better rates. Here’s are some tips to help you.

Establish Contract Status

• Call your supplier to clarify your contract status, the unit price you’re paying and the date of your next renewal period. It’s actually better for a business to be in a contract than not. ‘Out-of-Contract’ rates are the highest rates you will ever pay. So, for example, if you’ve just taken over new premises but not contacted the suppliers, you will be clocking up a massive account.

Shop Around

• Don’t accept a new contract with your incumbent supplier until you’ve compared prices. If you don’t have time to call your existing supplier or potential new suppliers try a business price comparison service who can tell you immediately if your rates are competitive and if not, do the legwork of finding out which is the best deal for your business (based on postcode, credit score and consumption).

Check Renewal Dates

• Once on your on a contract, make a note of your renewal dates and what notice you need to give as many suppliers make it difficult to switch towards the end of a contract. Each supplier has different rules with renewal ‘windows’ closing long before the end date. Miss your window and you’ll automatically be ‘rolled over’ for a year on uncompetitive rates.

Serve Notice Regardless

• Not everyone has the time or patience to keep a track of when their contact is up for review. The best way to get around this is to send a notice letter irrespective of how long your contact has to run. You cannot be cut-off for doing this and given that your current supplier knows your switching intentions, they will be more inclined to offer you competitive rates at your renewal.

Sign-up For Help

• For those in any doubt about your existing contract(s) or just looking for an easy solution, Make It Cheaper offers a free contract checking service that deals with suppliers on your behalf and contacts you with the best rates available when it’s time to switch.

For more information please use our contact form and speak to Make It Cheaper today.