Business energy: How to manage multiple sites

High business energy using warehouse

Running a business across several sites can be complicated and cost you more than it needs to if a properly coordinated energy management programme is not in place.

Over time, extensions may be added to existing properties or new sites may be bought as your company grows.

If this scenario is not properly managed, and not all companies have the necessary in-house expertise or time to do this, you could end up with a disparate energy contract portfolio with different renewal dates for your gas and electricity and find yourself dealing with multiple suppliers.

A lack of joined-up thinking in procurement, cost management and consumption makes it difficult to pinpoint areas where energy, and therefore money, can be saved.

Looking specifically at business energy procurement, aligning energy contracts into one brings clarity and has several advantages:

  • An identical start and end date to an energy contract allows for smoother negotiations at renewal time
  • Buying larger volumes from one supplier should help secure a better price for your power
  • Uniformity of billing makes it easier to spot errors contained within invoices. Big savings can be made through our Invoice Validation service.

Accurate reporting of energy data is also essential, which is where energy management portals such as EM-Powered are invaluable for target setting, energy auditing and other key objectives in reducing consumption.

Speak to one of our procurement team to find out how we can help secure the best deal for you regardless of how many sites or meter points you have.

Energy Bill Relief Scheme extended

Electric lamp

The government has expanded the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) by four months so that relief can be claimed on all fixed contracts signed on or after 1st December 2021. Previously this was only applicable to contracts signed from 1st April 2022.

The expansion of the EBRS means that non-household customers who signed contracts at the end of last year or in Q1 of this year are now covered.

We are currently in the process of clarifying some of the details of what this means for flex contracts and other aspects such as green levies and will update you accordingly as the situation evolves.