LARGE BUSINESS ENERGY AND UTILITIES

Unsure which is better for your business? What are the pros and cons of these agreements, and which would be most effective for each of your meters and supplies? We have expert account managers that will advise and guide you through the market, identifying the most beneficial large business electricity suppliers for you.

This advice is all part of our award-winning service – you will be able to see pricing fluctuations through your own Trueview portal, for both fixed and flexible contracts. UB Corporate are experts in all elements of the energy market, perfectly placed to provide advice on these types of procurement.

The type of meter that you have installed is no small detail in the energy procurement process. With many options to consider, selecting the correct meter can save you thousands of pounds on your large business electricity rates. Make a wrong choice and disturbances can ripple through many different channels, creating energy chaos. As part of our commitment to you, we offer complementary expert advice on meters, contracting and installations, not to mention arranging and managing any meter changes by liaising with all parties concerned. That’s right, we do it all for you. Thanks to our unique, broad-ranging knowledge of all areas of the energy market, complemented by our established relationships with the key players, we are able to implement any required changes on your behalf.

During the winter temperatures plummet, while our energy bills begin to rise. For large organisations with bigger outlays to make on their energy bills, this can run into thousands of pounds. Here are some tips on saving energy for businesses:

– Make use of ‘smart heating’

Corporates who haven’t made the switch to intelligent or ‘smart heating’ are potentially pouring money down the drain. That’s because smart heating makes use of thermostats that can be programmed for your work schedule each day, and can even shut down your heating when the space isn’t occupied. You should be wary of placing your thermostat anywhere it could give a misguided reading, such as in direct sunlight or a draughty area.

– Effective insulation

For large organisations, making a number of seemingly small tweaks around your workspaces can add up to form big corporate energy savings. Energy efficiency can be improved by ensuring that there are no ‘leaks’ through which heat can escape during winter. It could be around windows, doors or ducts – so ensure that any small weak spots in your insulation do not add up into a large energy bill for your business.

– Get the right equipment

Are you in the market for a new set of computers this winter? For corporates, this is an important procurement decision which will take into account a number of factors – from price to compatibility – but don’t forget to look out for energy-efficient equipment. This can be done by identifying the ‘Energy Star’ logo on computers, which indicates an energy-efficient piece of kit. It’s also important to consider that laptops typically consume a lot less energy than PCs.

– Consider ‘work from home Fridays’

You can give your employees are a special treat on one Friday every month, by offering them the opportunity to work from home – you also stand to slash your energy overheads in the process! In the digital era, there is more chance than ever for staff to work from the comfort of their own home, so it can be a mutually beneficial option for corporates.

Those are some ways in which you can save energy during the coldest time of year. Try some of them and then compare what you pay with the corresponding bill from last year – you might be amazed what you have saved!

It’s widely believed that the proportion of identified, incorrect billing is vastly outweighed by those that haven’t noticed (and probably don’t check their statements with any regularity).

The truth is that manual bill validation can be a painstaking task. Bundle this with the complexity of multiple sites and half-hourly metering, and the end result is that validating all large business energy statements can be an enormous strain on company resources. If a billing issue is identified, those resources can be further burdened by the sheer frustration of contacting and chasing the amendments. If you are unsure about your billing accuracy, then our bill validation service could prove to be an extremely valuable resource.

Enjoy peace of mind, safe in the knowledge that energy statements are being scrutinised in the background, but also gain critical advice on areas that could be addressed to maximise your savings.

A thorough bill validation ensures that all supplier calculations and charges are correct, on each and every statement you receive. It helps to avoid:

-Duplicate billing
-Incorrect government charges
-Incorrect unit measurements
-Invoice doesn’t match profiling

As the private sector continues to move towards renewable energy use, a more in-depth renewable energy program is essential. While all corporate structures will vary, there are a number of approaches to consider. Key elements of an improved corporate energy procurement strategy will include renewable energy certificates and power purchase agreements. However, the primary factors that will need to be planned in advance of any energy transition include:

-Business strategy alignment with the goals of renewable energy adoption
-Thorough research into options for alternative tariffs and profile classes as well as suppliers
-More use of reporting metrics to gain a clearer understanding of how you use your energy and how much you pay for it
-In-house corporate integration that maximizes business operations

Energy use is a vital component of running a business of any size. With clean energy goals and a consistent need to keep operating costs as low as possible, without negatively impacting efficiency, paying close attention to energy is critical. The question is no longer “what is corporate renewable energy?”, but rather: “how can I make corporate energy procurement greener and more cost-effective?”.

kVA, or “Kilo Vault Amperes”, is used to understand the amount of power that an electrical meter can feed to a building. 1 kVA equals 1,000 Watts of power. All companies with half-hourly meters have a kVA allowance, this can also be referred to as a capacity charge. This is worked out at twice the half-hour electricity usage for businesses.

If you are a large business, your priorities will differ from small businesses . All businesses need to be treated differently, which is why supply contracts need to be chosen specifically to reflect particular business needs. Our approach is to offer a fully managed account. With over 10 years’ experience and a bespoke approach to working with our clients, we are fully equipped to ensure you get the best from your business energy. Should you need any advice or direction, your account manager can offer resolution and progression on all aspects of energy procurement and monitoring. As part of our service, we will help to recover any over-charges, so you won’t be paying any more than you should be.

Included within the service:

-Conducting all supplier communication on your behalf

-Offering expert advice and resolving any issues you may have

-Recommending additional products and services which could benefit your business

-Conducting bill validation, including comprehensive statement analysis

-Recovering any over-charges (which are frequently missed by businesses themselves)

A Meter Operator agreement is a legal requirement for all half-hourly meters. The agreement covers the maintenance and rental of the meter itself and the technology used to communicate meter readings to large business electricity suppliers. This element may be included within your business electricity bill as a separate charge, or you may be charged annually. If you need a MOP agreement organising, then your Utility Bidder account manager will be able to look into this for you. We have partnerships with accredited meter suppliers that can quote for your half-hourly meter.

Greener energy use is essential in the current business landscape. Most companies, no matter their size, are looking for ways to maximise their use of renewable energy. With global initiatives as well as national ones to be aware of, the end goal is always going to 100% renewable energy. However, a more bespoke approach is required. This is because all business models are different and will require a range of approaches that factor in the context of their energy use, the resources they have available, and their planned energy use throughout their growth strategy. As a result, for companies that are asking the question of “what is corporate renewable energy and how can we adopt it?”, the solutions are not always straightforward.

Businesses will always be higher users of energy than domestic users. However, the challenge when it comes to arranging energy for businesses is ensuring that sustainability targets are met while also keeping ongoing costs down. This can often be a challenging balancing act to get right and will require a step-by-step integration of sustainability into your existing business processes. However, there are some simple ways to have an immediate effect on your brand’s carbon footprint such as:

-Using energy suppliers that are REGO (Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin) certified
-Ensuring your waste processes are set up for recycling
-Using food waste bins in eating areas
-Swapping light switches for automatic switch-off
-Going paperless
-Telecommuting rather than travelling to meet suppliers and clients
-Insulating workspaces
-Only buying office equipment and resources that have been sustainably sourced

With a more proactive approach, businesses can easily start making steps that will dramatically reduce their carbon footprint.

However, as the climate continues to dominate the news and the economies of the world grow increasingly unpredictable, it’s no longer enough to focus on simply reducing your carbon footprint. The need for more renewable practises at home, at work, and even in between, is directly linked to the costs of living. When you want to take more control of how much you spend on energy bills, but also have a positive impact on the world around you, then reducing your carbon footprint is essential.