Switching your business energy supplier can reduce costs significantly, but comparing quotes with an inaccurate or misunderstood bill will lead to poor decisions. Before you request a single comparison, it pays to spend fifteen minutes reviewing your current business energy bill in detail. Here is how to do it properly.
Understanding Your Meter and Supply Details
Every business electricity supply has an MPAN (Meter Point Administration Number), a 21-digit reference printed on your bill, usually in a grid format. For gas, the equivalent is the MPRN (Meter Point Reference Number), typically an eight to ten digit figure.
These numbers uniquely identify your supply point, not your account. When you ask a broker or supplier to provide a quote, they will use these references to pull accurate network and profile data. If you provide the wrong number, any quote you receive may not be valid.
Also check that the meter serial number on your bill matches the number physically printed on your meter. A mismatch can indicate billing errors or even that you are being charged for a neighbouring property's consumption.
Checking Unit Rates, Standing Charges, and Annual Usage
Your business energy bill should clearly state:
- Unit rate — the pence per kilowatt-hour (p/kWh) you pay for energy consumed
- Standing charge — a fixed daily charge in pence, covering network access regardless of usage
- Annual or estimated annual consumption — expressed in kWh
Compare the unit rate and standing charge on your bill against your original contract documentation. Suppliers can apply different rates across contract periods, and billing errors do occur. If your bill shows estimated reads rather than actual reads, request an up-to-date meter reading and submit it before you start comparing.
Your annual kWh figure is the single most important input for any comparison. Brokers and suppliers use it to calculate projected costs. If your usage has changed materially, for example due to new equipment, additional premises, or hybrid working patterns, use a recent twelve-month rolling total rather than a historic figure.
You can find this figure summarised on your annual statement or by totalling monthly usage figures across the year.
VAT and Climate Change Levy: Are You Paying the Right Amount?
Most business energy customers pay VAT at 20%. However, businesses that use energy predominantly for non-business purposes, such as certain charities or very low-consumption sites, may qualify for the 5% reduced rate.
The Climate Change Levy (CCL) is a government environmental tax applied to business energy. Check that CCL is listed as a separate line on your bill. Some businesses, particularly those signed up to a Climate Change Agreement, are entitled to a discount. If you believe you qualify and the discount is not showing, contact your supplier before switching, as any rebate due is easier to recover from your existing supplier than to claim through a new one.
Finding Your Contract End Date and Termination Window
Your contract end date and the notice period required to exit or avoid auto-renewal are among the most important details on your bill or associated contract documents. Many business energy contracts include a termination window, often 30 to 90 days before the end date, during which you must give notice if you want to switch or renegotiate.
Missing this window can lock you into a further contract term, sometimes at a higher out-of-contract rate. Check correspondence from your supplier, your original welcome letter, or log into your online account to confirm both dates.
If your contract has already rolled over, you may still be able to exit, though potentially with a fee. Confirm this before proceeding.
How to Use Your Bill for an Accurate Comparison
Once you have gathered the details above, you are ready to compare business electricity and gas tariffs with confidence. When you use Aarubi's comparison tool, having your MPAN or MPRN, current unit rate, standing charge, annual kWh, and contract end date to hand means any quotes returned will be directly comparable to your existing arrangement.
Without these figures, comparisons become estimates built on assumptions. With them, you can evaluate total projected costs, assess whether a fixed or flexible contract suits your usage profile, and time your switch to avoid penalties.
Action Checklist
- Locate your MPAN or MPRN on your current bill and verify it matches your meter
- Check the meter serial number on the bill against the physical meter
- Record your unit rate and standing charge and compare them to your contract terms
- Calculate your annual kWh usage using the last twelve months of actual reads where possible
- Confirm VAT rate applied and check whether CCL is correctly shown as a separate line
- Find your contract end date and identify the notice window for switching or renewal
- Gather all figures before requesting quotes to ensure comparisons are accurate and like-for-like
