Business energy rate checker: are you paying too much?
Put in the unit rate and standing charge from your business electricity or gas bill and roughly how much you use. We compare them with what UK businesses of your size actually paid, from the government’s own survey of suppliers, and show the difference in pounds a year.
- Official averages for every size of business, from the smallest shop to the largest site
- Electricity and gas, like for like: standing charge and Climate Change Levy included
- A clear flag if your rate looks like an out-of-contract (deemed) rate
Check your business energy rate
Enter the unit rate and standing charge from your bill and roughly how much you use a year. We compare it with what UK businesses of your size paid on average in Q2 2026, from the government’s Quarterly Energy Prices survey (published 29 September 2026).
Electricity
Gas (optional)
Use the unit rate before VAT (your bill or contract shows it in pence per kWh). If your bill lists the Climate Change Levy as a separate line, leave the box unticked and we add the levy that applied in Q2 2026 (0.801p), because the government averages include it. The averages are all-in prices: they include the standing charge, spread over the units used. Add your standing charge and we do the same with yours.
What businesses paid on average, Q2 2026
Pence per kWh with every charge included – standing charge and Climate Change Levy – but not VAT. Q2 2026 figures are provisional; the change is against Q2 2025.
Electricity
| Size band | Usage a year | Q2 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very small | under 20,000 kWh | 38.4p | up 3.5% |
| Small | 20,000 to 499,999 kWh | 28.6p | down 0.1% |
| Small/medium | 500,000 to 1,999,999 kWh | 27.7p | up 0.0% |
| Medium | 2 to 20 million kWh | 25.2p | down 2.5% |
| Large | 20 to 70 million kWh | 24.4p | down 0.6% |
| Very large | 70 to 150 million kWh | 22.7p | up 3.8% |
| Extra large | over 150 million kWh | 22.2p | up 6.1% |
| All businesses | 24.5p | up 2.0% | |
Gas
| Size band | Usage a year | Q2 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very small | under 278,000 kWh | 9.31p | up 6.1% |
| Small | 278,000 to 2.78 million kWh | 4.86p | down 4.6% |
| Medium | 2.78 to 27.8 million kWh | 4.20p | down 6.6% |
| Large | 27.8 to 278 million kWh | 3.83p | down 5.7% |
| Very large | over 278 million kWh | 3.97p | down 7.3% |
| All businesses | 5.28p | down 0.6% | |
Source: DESNZ Quarterly Energy Prices, tables 3.4.1 and 3.4.2, published 29 September 2026. Next update 17 December 2026. The averages cover every business in the band, including those on out-of-contract and deemed rates, so a newly negotiated contract usually prices below its band average.
FAQs
What is a good unit rate for business electricity?
It depends on how much you use. Small businesses pay more per kWh than large ones, so compare against your own size band: the table on this page gives the government’s latest average for each band. Those averages are all-in prices, with the standing charge and the Climate Change Levy included, so your unit rate on its own should sit below your band’s figure. A newly negotiated fixed contract usually comes in below the band average, because the average also includes businesses on expensive out-of-contract rates.
Why do you add the Climate Change Levy to my rate?
The government averages include the Climate Change Levy, a tax on business energy that most bills show as a separate line. Adding it to your unit rate makes the comparison like for like. If the rate you entered already includes it, tick the box and we leave it alone.
Does the checker include standing charges?
Yes. The official averages are all-in prices: the total businesses paid divided by the units they used, so the standing charge is part of every figure. Enter your standing charge and the checker spreads it over your yearly usage and adds it to your unit rate, which makes the comparison like for like. Without it the checker says so instead of giving a verdict.
What if my rate is far above the average?
A rate 40% or more above your band average is typical of a deemed or out-of-contract rate, which suppliers charge when a contract has ended and nothing new has been agreed. Getting any contract in place usually cuts it quickly, and you can usually arrange a new one straight away.
Where do the figures come from?
From the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s Quarterly Energy Prices statistics, which survey what suppliers actually charge UK businesses, by size of consumer. We update the checker when each new quarter is published.
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