Blog

What Are The Utilities For A Small Business?

It might have sounded like a great idea before you started your own business to run a small business. Once the starting expenditures start to mount and you become unsure about how to stick to your monthly budget, issues may arise.

You must keep track of all expenses, including the typical small company utility costs, to avoid financial difficulties. If you become aware that you require help paying your bills, you should create a savings plan or decide on a loan for your start-up or small business.

If you're not cautious, you can wind up shelling out a lot more money for your company's gas and electricity. It might be challenging to decide which providers and tariffs are best for your business when there are so many options available.

This paper provides information on the typical utility bill for businesses so that you may better understand what constitutes excellent value for money. It also describes the costs and details you will discover on your gas and electricity bills, together with payment options and - most importantly - strategies for reducing your energy use.

What is the typical company utility bill?

The size of your facility, the number of staff you have, the kind of machinery you use, and how effective your systems are will all affect the typical power cost for businesses. For instance, a small business's average utility expense is probably going to be fairly low than the bills generated by large enterprises with larger facilities.

Explanation of business energy bills

Your gas and electricity bills contain a lot of fees, which might make them seem difficult. This comprises the price of electricity at wholesale as well as any fees levied for the use of the transmission and distribution systems.

Additionally paid are metering fees, VAT, which is typically levied at 20%, and supplier margins. This is the price your provider charges you to recoup their expenses and turn a profit.

The Climate Change Levy, which is intended to incentivize businesses to increase energy efficiency and reduce their carbon emissions, is also probably included in the energy bill. You could be excluded from this, though, based on how much green energy you consume.

Your consumption rate in kilowatt-hours is one of the key factors on your energy statement, which you must pay special attention to (kWh). Essentially, this is the amount you must pay to cover the gas or electricity you consume. As was already noted, this differs greatly between various business kinds.

Average utility expenditures for businesses

Micro businesses - In general, these businesses consume around 5,000 and 15,000 kWh of gas annually, and their gas costs range from £400 to $820.

Small enterprises - They often use more energy (15,000–30,000 kWh), and their annual energy costs typically range from £820 to £1,458.

Medium-sized companies' yearly energy costs range from £1,450 to $2,240, with use averaging between 30,000 and 65,000 kWh.

Large companies - It should come as no surprise that major companies consume the most gas overall, averaging about 75,000 kWh annually. Larger businesses frequently have customized tariffs and receive the lowest per-unit gas rates, but because of the enormous volume of gas that they use, their average gas cost will be much higher.

The average electricity bill for businesses

The various industries and business sizes in the UK will affect their typical business power cost once it comes to electricity use.

Small enterprises. Micro businesses in the UK typically use around 5,000 and 15,000 kWh annually, costing around £900 and £2,250.

Small companies. Small businesses generally use around 15,000 and 25,000 kWh, which results in annual energy costs between £2,370 and 3,660.

Medium-sized companies. These businesses spend an average of £3,780 to £7,240 per year on energy, which ranges from 25,000 to 50,000 kWh.

Large firms are at the upper end, using an estimate of 90,000 kWh of power each year. Similar to gas, despite the fact that large businesses frequently receive the most affordable rates owing to their size, their extensive use of electricity may result in their spending substantially more overall.

How to cut your company's energy costs

The first step in improving energy costs is starting with an energy audit so you can identify where costs are coming from. Then you can determine what changes could be made to decrease your costs.

Most energy audits include a look at consumption; however, specialized audits, such as rate class optimizations or billing error audits, can provide more detail and often bear greater fruit in regards to future savings and large refundable costs.

An enhanced and specific energy audit requires knowledge and experience with the many utilities to find additional cost savings that will often cost nothing to implement. These types of audits can be done without an on-site visit, which can make them an efficient choice for customers.

You can determine if you're on a reasonable tariff by having a comprehensive understanding of the energy costs that other companies in your industry pay. You may now assess how much your particular small business is spending on gas expenses by comparing it to the typical gas bill for small businesses that we described earlier.

It could be time to shift if you believe you are paying too much for your electricity. Utility Bidder can help you quickly and easily identify a tariff that works for you, and we will handle the shifting procedure on your behalf. Utility Bidder is a specialized energy comparison and transitioning service provider.

There are further strategies to cut your company's energy costs. Among the most crucial things is to figure out how to make your business use less energy.

The efforts you take might be as significant as replacing your equipment with more energy-efficient models and insulating your facility or as simple as posting signs throughout your office reminding employees to turn off lights and other machinery when they aren't in use.

You may want to perform an energy audit to assist you in locating possible wasteful areas. Reduced energy use can not only save you money but also assist your company in becoming more ecologically friendly.

Important note

Typically, when considering ways to cut energy bills, it is assumed that using less kWh of power will result in lower total costs. Although purchasing new, efficient technologies to reduce kilowatt-hour use is an efficient approach to save money, it may cost a business thousands of dollars. Other strategies exist for lowering utility expenses without spending money on new machinery.

Broker   Business