Comparing Business Energy Brokers and Comparison Sites

If you’re considering comparing business energy suppliers and want to save time and money, business energy brokers and comparison sites are the go-to, but which one should you choose to help you find the right business energy deal.

Business energy contract due to renew? Call us on 0800 9777 000 or fill in our business quote form to see how much you could save…

Unsure how to search for a new business energy deal?

When looking for a new energy supplier for your business, non-profit or other types of non-residential organisation. Knowing how and where to look for the best prices from all of the available energy suppliers can be daunting for some.

For this reason, many business and domestic customers will choose to stay with their current energy supplier. Many domestic customers may stay with the same supplier for a whole range of reasons, such as customer loyalty, the inconvenience of switching, landlords not allowing them to switch or due to being in debt to their supplier.

For business energy customers, staying with the same supplier is an option, but the inaction of doing so when your contract comes to an end will potentially be very costly. At the end of the contract, suppliers will no longer supply energy at the previously agreed rate and switch you to their out-of-contract rate, often referred to as a ‘deemed rate’ or ‘deemed contract’. What this often means is you will be paying vastly more for the energy your business uses.

To avoid these excessive costs to your business’s energy bills, many people seek out the help of either a business energy comparison website or a broker. But which one can provide you with the help you need to find the best deals for your business? Let’s find out…

Why compare business energy suppliers?

Whether you’re still choosing to find a new deal or energy supplier by going directly to the business energy suppliers yourself, which can often be a time-consuming process. Or even one of the estimated 40% of UK businesses failing to change energy suppliers when their old deals have expired.

In the past, the hassle and general wild goose chase of it all just wasn’t worth the time and trouble. Perhaps it’s time to consider an energy comparison service, energy broker or energy consultant to help you get the right business energy tariff for the amount of energy you use. We can also take on the most arduous aspects of changing suppliers, so you don’t need to worry about a thing.

What are business energy comparison sites?

A business comparison website allows you to compare a range of business energy tariffs so you can find the one that best suits your business. Prices of energy bills fluctuate all the time and sometimes staying on one tariff for too long can mean you’re paying more once it comes to an end. Using a comparison site ensures that you can find the right tariff for your business.

Comparison sites are useful if you’re comfortable changing your energy provider yourself. With most comparison websites, you’ll be asked to input personal information and after a few minutes, you’ll be given a list of comparable prices for business energy contracts.

What are business energy brokers?

If you’ve never switched your business energy provider then doing so can be quite stressful which is where the use of a business energy broker can come in handy.

Similar to comparison sites, an energy broker will provide you with a list of energy providers and the prices that they’re able to offer. The difference between the two is that an energy broker will take charge of the full switching process, so you can carry on running your business without the hassle of changing suppliers. An energy broker will work with you to find you the right option for your business which includes understanding your energy usage.

A comparison of the differences

An energy broker will manage the entire process of changing your energy contract, from pricing to paperwork. A comparison site will allow you to compare tariffs from a range of business energy suppliers and select the deal that’s right for you.

So, you’re wondering whether you should use an energy broker or a comparison site. There are differences between the two and there are pros and cons of each, let’s take a look at the differences below…

Feature	Business Energy Broker	Business Energy Comparison Website
Negotiation	Negotiates directly with energy suppliers on behalf of clients.	Does not negotiate directly with energy suppliers, but allows businesses to compare energy tariffs themselves.
Personal service	Provides a high level of personal service and can offer tailored advice to businesses.	Provides less personal service, but allows businesses to compare energy tariffs at their own convenience.
Time and effort	Saves time and effort for businesses by handling negotiations and finding the best deals.	Requires time and effort from businesses to research and compare energy tariffs themselves.
Ability to switch	Can handle the entire switching process on behalf of businesses.	May require businesses to handle the switching process themselves.
Expertise	Has expertise in the energy market and can provide guidance on areas such as tax, regulatory issues and energy efficiency.	May not have the same level of expertise as business energy brokers.

How can I find the right energy broker for my business?

Understand your business needs – Assess your business’s energy requirements, including consumption patterns, peak demand, and any specific energy-related goals or preferences. Understanding your needs will help you communicate them clearly to potential brokers.
Do your research – Conduct online research to identify well-established and experienced brokers. Look at their reviews on Trustpilot and read about the different services that each broker offers.
Ask about customer service – Good customer service is essential when it comes to energy brokers. Make sure to ask about the broker’s customer service policies and procedures before making a decision.
Negotiate and Communicate – If you have specific requirements or if you want to negotiate terms, don’t hesitate to communicate your needs to the brokers. A good broker will listen and work with you to find the right energy solutions for your business or organisation.
Get everything in writing – Once you’ve chosen an energy broker, be sure to get everything in writing. This includes the terms of your contract, the price of your energy, and any other relevant details.

How do I know if an energy broker is a good one?

Comparable Prices – A good energy broker will provide you with a variety of prices so that you can compare the difference between each.
Forget the hassle – Don’t worry about the hassle of comparing as an energy broker will handle all of the stress for you.
Leave it to the experts – Energy brokers will offer you a fair and impartial comparison. And seeing as they’re the experts, you’ll certainly be in safe hands.
Account management – The main issue with comparing business energy is the fluctuation in pricing. Energy brokers can continuously monitor deals so you don’t miss out on savings.

Business Energy Broker FAQs

What is an energy broker?

A business energy broker acts as a middleman between customers and energy suppliers. Brokers don’t distribute or supply energy to you.

What does an energy broker do?

An energy broker will tackle the issues you may have when looking for a change in your energy supplier. They’ll use their expertise and business energy contacts to provide you with all of the information you need to change energy suppliers without the hassle.

Why should you use a business energy broker?

Energy brokers are a great way of saving money on your business energy bills. Finding the right supplier for your business can be time-consuming, so having an energy broker who’ll do it all for you will make comparing energy suppliers a doddle.

Benefits of using an energy broker

Support and advice – An energy broker will offer you support and much-needed advice throughout the full process. So, if any issues were to occur you can have full peace of mind.
Find you the right deal – Energy brokers are there to help you, the customer, find the right energy tariffs for your business.
Save you time searching – Forget about the hassle of having to call up individual energy suppliers to try and get the best deal for your business, and let an energy broker do the work for you.

How will you find your new business energy deal?

Comparison sites have become very popular amongst consumers looking for everything from a new car insurance quote to a new mobile phone contract. The main reason for this is because with only a few details they can quickly come back with the best prices available to that specific comparison site.

Of course, if you’re confident in your ability to be able to choose a good deal, from the many returned by the comparison sites. You may decide you would like to have more control over the decisions you’re making for your business.

However, if you’re less sure or maybe just prefer having the guidance of a knowledgeable business energy broker who can talk you through your options and help you pick through the available deals to ensure you’re choosing the right supplier for your current and future energy requirements. A business energy broker, such as our highly experienced team here at Exchange Utility can help you.

A broker can also help you to future-proof your new energy deal, especially if you have plans to upsize or even downsize at your current business location or plan to use new machinery that could increase your energy needs during the time of your fixed energy deal. Often leading to an increased or decreased demand in their energy usage, but leaving you on a deal less suited to your new usage.

How to do energy comparisons with Exchange Utility

Energy comparison sites and other switching services certainly have their place in the UK. Comparing energy suppliers involves overcoming several hurdles, the first of which is finding the right rate for your business. To put it simply, a comparison website like Exchange Utility does this for you.

We understand your needs – With the rates of the panel of business energy suppliers, we work to find the contract that suits your needs. For this, all we need are a few key details about your current energy usage – this information will usually be on a recent bill from your current supplier.
We search for deals to suit – We’ll find the right deal for you and send you all the relevant paperwork to make the changeover as seamless as possible.
Helping you find the right deal – Once you’re happy with the deal that we’ve found you, it’s time to switch. For this, we need a Letter of Authority from you, which allows us to speak to your provider on your behalf. You can download Exchange Utility’s letter of authority.

Why use Exchange Utility to compare business energy online?

✔ Our customer support team is one of the best in the industry
✔ Contact Exchange Utility to switch your energy tariff in as little as 5 days
✔ We have years of experience in the comparison of businesses’ gas
✔ We have built a solid reputation for being a reliable, independent and trustworthy comparison company
✔ We can compare gas prices from industry leaders to find you competitive rates
✔ Whenever a business gets in touch with us, we always work hard to get them the right rates for their business
✔ Don’t just take our word for it see what our customers are saying about us on Trustpilot

If you have any other questions, take a look at our business energy guides section. Or contact our expert team of business energy brokers who are also available to answer any of your questions about our business gas and electricity comparison services.

Business energy contract due to renew? Call us on 0800 9777 000 or fill in our energy quote form to see how much you could save…