Electricity is essential for all businesses from a large IT operation to an individual working from their home. Regardless of the type of business you run, electricity is always going to be a business need and will bring associated costs with it.

For most businesses, the usage of electricity is significantly higher than that of a household therefore energy companies offer business specific packages and rates for their business customers. When offering a suitable electricity package, energy suppliers will take into account the size of your business, the type of business and how it operates.

As with any supplier for your business, when deciding on your energy company there are a few important factors you need to consider.

Price of your electricity is going to be the most important deciding factor. For the best electricity deals you need to do your research and shop around. There are many good price comparison websites which are a good place to start. These websites will take your information and return quotes from most energy companies ranked by price, with the cheapest rates and tariffs appearing at the top. Visit a few different comparison websites and gather the best three or four quotes then get on the phone and discuss the quotes and your options directly with the supplier.

You need to be careful about the type of contract they are offering. One trap businesses can fall into is being unclear about the contract renewal terms. Avoid a rolling contract, where you have a very small window of opportunity to change suppliers before being automatically rolled onto a new contract, usually with significantly higher rates. Also, as wholesale energy prices seem to constantly be on the increase you may want to consider a fixed rate.

Not only do you want to choose the supplier with the best deal on cheap business electricity and the most suitable contract but you should also consider their customer service. You should expect the same high level of customer service that your customers expect from you. What sort of support will you have? Your business may be reliant on electricity to operate and therefore you can’t afford to be stuck on a phone in a queue for hours if there is a problem.

Some businesses require more electricity than others, but all business can try to run an energy efficient operation to minimise their costs. Make use of your half hourly meter and monitor your business electricity usage. There is plenty of information on the internet on how businesses can cut back their electricity use and knowing exactly how and when your business utilises its electricity is helpful information.

As the world becomes more environmentally aware, a myriad of government legislation is being brought out regarding energy efficiency and it’s important for you to be up to date with the latest information and changes. There may also be certain incentives your business can take advantage of to help lower your energy costs. Ask the energy company what sort of advice, tools and services they offer that can help your business plan for and comply with all this new, sometimes confusing legislation. If you want to go green, ask them about their renewable energy options and if there are any incentives you can take advantage of.

Electricity is an unavoidable cost for many businesses but if you are smart about the energy supplier you use and make energy efficiency a priority of your organisation, you can keep the costs to a minimum regardless of your business type.

Mildred Potts writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.