Business electricity comparison

If you've checked out these FAQs but still can't find an answer to your question, have a look at our Bionic Customer Support Hub.

Although you can compare business electricity deals and sign up for a new deal as soon as your switching window opens - usually up to six months before your deal ends - the actual switch won’t take place until your contract expires. 

Non-domestic switches usually take around six weeks to complete. To make sure you’re not rolled onto your supplier’s more expensive rates, you should business electricity comparison and arrange a new deal about two months before your current contract ends.

No. Both your current and the new supplier will work together to organise a date that your supply is transferred, meaning the provision of power to your premises remains unaffected. And your electricity will still be supplied through the existing cables, meaning there’s no need for digging or drilling at your workplace.

At Bionic, we use smart data to get the info we need to run a business electricity comparison. This means we only need your business name and postcode to compare business electricity rates. 

But to make the switch, we’ll also need your MPAN or MRPN number. 

• You can find your MPAN on your electricity bill. MPAN stands for Meter Point Administration number, but is also known as the ‘Supply Number’ or ‘S Number’. You should be able to easily identify it as it’s a 21-digit number that begins with an ‘S’. Although it’s used to identify the supply meter at your property, you won’t find your MPAN displayed anywhere on your meter. 

To find out more about meter numbers, check out Bionic’s guide to MPAN numbers and MPRN numbers.

If you have a standard electricity meter, it’s unlikely you'll need a new meter installing when you switch. But if you have a smart meter, you may need a new meter if the one you have isn’t compatible with your new supplier. For more information, check out our guide to smart meters for business.

If your business has a peak electricity demand of 100KVA, you’ll need to have a half-hourly meter installed. Half hourly electricity meters automatically submit readings to your supplier every 30 minutes, to help ensure your bills are accurate.

If you have a half hourly meter installed, the MPAN will have ‘00’ after the ‘S’. For more information, check out our guide to half hourly electricity.

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) is a scheme you can sign up for to sell any excess renewable power you generate back to the National Grid. It was introduced by the UK Government on January 1, 2020.  

SEG replaced the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) that closed on April 1, 2019, for new applicants. 

Find out more about selling renewables back to the grid. 

If you applied to the FiT scheme before April 1, 2019, then your business should have been enrolled on the scheme. This means you can make money by selling back to the National Grid any surplus power generated by solar panels at your premises.

The amount of money you can make depends upon the number of solar panels you have, and your supplier must be a registered FiT licensee.

Switching to a business electricity supplier that uses renewable sources could be good for both your energy bills and the image of your business - showing that you're doing your bit for the environment can go a long way with your customers.

Green electricity is available across the majority of the UK, and is generated by sunlight, wind, rain, plants and geothermal heat. Speak to our tech-enabled team if you want to compare quotes from green suppliers.

Business electricity rates are always changing. The only way to make sure you’re on the best deal is to compare prices and switch. And remember, signing up to a new deal as soon as your switching window opens can help you lock in lower rates and beat any electricity price rises.

Because of the way commercial electricity is bought and sold, rates are constantly changing. Suppliers offer various deals depending on when you compare and switch, so the cheapest suppliers can change often. That’s why it’s best to carry out a business electricity comparison sooner rather than later, as historically, rates tend to go up and don’t come down much.

Business electricity contracts don’t offer an early termination option. If you want to cancel your business electricity contract, you’ll need to contact your supplier when your switching window opens. Your contract will still run until its scheduled end date, but cancelling it means your supplier won’t be able to automatically roll you onto a more expensive deal and you can sign up to a better deal with a new supplier. To save you time and hassle, Bionic can do all this on your behalf and will do so automatically as part of our Digital Renewals service.

Yes, electricity prices vary depending on which part of the country your business is based. The main reason for these regional variations are:

• Supply and demand - How much electricity suppliers are able to sell to customers in that region.
• The cost paid by suppliers - How much electricity suppliers buy from the national grid in that region.
• Transportation costs - How much the local energy electricity distributors for the region charge suppliers for power. This is why electricity energy is often more expensive in rural areas. 

With more electricity being generated by sustainable sources, prices are also dropping in areas that can produce their own renewables.