What counts as commercial energy
Commercial energy generally refers to premises with higher annual consumption than a typical small business, such as larger retail units, offices, warehouses, hospitality venues and industrial sites. Many of these sites use half-hourly meters, which record consumption in 30-minute intervals rather than periodic manual or estimated readings.
Multi-site contracts
Businesses operating from several premises can often combine their sites under a single supplier agreement, sometimes with different consumption profiles priced individually within one overall contract. This can simplify billing and administration while still allowing site-level pricing that reflects actual usage.
Consolidated multi-site contracts also give more negotiating leverage, since the combined volume across sites is more attractive to suppliers than several small, separate contracts.
Half-hourly metering and procurement
Half-hourly metering gives suppliers detailed visibility of when and how a site uses energy, which can support more precise, and sometimes more competitive, pricing. It also opens up procurement approaches such as flexible or basket purchasing, where volume is bought in tranches over time rather than at a single fixed point.
- Fixed procurement: entire volume priced and locked at one point
- Flexible procurement: volume purchased in stages to average out market movements
- Basket or block purchasing: energy bought in fixed blocks alongside other consumers
Compare business energy prices
Enter your postcode and business details to compare available commercial energy prices.
Indicative commercial pricing
| Site profile | Electricity (p/kWh) | Gas (p/kWh) |
|---|---|---|
| Single large commercial site | 18 - 27 | 5.5 - 8.5 |
| Multi-site portfolio (consolidated) | 17 - 26 | 5.3 - 8 |
| Half-hourly metered site | 16 - 25 | 5 - 7.5 |
Negotiating commercial energy contracts
At commercial scale, negotiation often extends beyond the unit rate to contract flexibility, exit terms, billing frequency and data reporting. Many commercial energy buyers use a broker or energy consultant to run a competitive tender across multiple suppliers rather than approaching a single supplier directly.
Renewal timing for commercial contracts
Because commercial contracts often involve larger financial commitments, renewal planning typically starts further in advance, sometimes six to twelve months before the current contract ends, to allow time for tendering, negotiation and internal sign-off.