Business energy comparison

How business energy comparison works here

Business energy is not sold like household energy. There is no price cap, no single published tariff for everyone and no cooling-off period once you agree. Each supplier prices your business individually, based on how much energy you use, when you use it, your meters, your credit position and how long you want to fix for. Comparing properly means asking several suppliers for a price on the same basis and then reading the terms behind each one.

This site is run by Forever Communications, part of Forever Group. Forever Communications works as an agent of Fidelity Energy. Fidelity Energy is a business energy consultancy and broker based in Newbury that has worked with business customers since 2014. It describes itself as an independent energy consultancy, not a supplier. Here is how the pieces fit together:

1. You tell us what you have. A recent bill for each supply, your annual consumption and when your current contract ends. Our guide to business energy quotes lists exactly what helps.
2. Fidelity Energy prices your supplies across its panel. Fidelity Energy says it compares a network of 24+ suppliers. That is a panel, not every supplier in the market, and we say so plainly.
3. We go through the options with you. Unit rates, standing charges, contract length, green options and what happens at the end of the term, laid out like-for-like.
4. You choose, and the supplier confirms. If you accept a quote, the supplier runs its own checks (often including a credit check) and can accept or decline. Once it accepts, Fidelity Energy organises the contract and the switch.
5. You can keep coming back to us. Forever Communications introduced you, so you can still ask us questions about your energy, alongside any other Forever Group services you use.

You can read more about this arrangement, and what Fidelity Energy also offers, on our business energy broker page.

What a business energy comparison looks at

Separate guides cover business electricity comparison and business gas comparison, including half-hourly electricity supplies for larger sites. For plain-English explanations of tariffs, meters and bills, see our sister site Business Gas and Electric.

Who business energy comparison suits

Comparison through Fidelity Energy's panel can help most kinds of UK business energy buyer:

• Micro and small businesses: shops, offices, trades and sole traders with one or two supplies. Ofgem gives microbusinesses extra protections; see our small business energy comparison guide
• Multi-site businesses: groups with several premises who want contract end dates and terms lined up so renewals are easier to manage
• Larger and half-hourly sites: higher users whose price depends on when they use energy as well as how much; see half-hourly business electricity
• Businesses moving premises: anyone taking on new premises who may be on deemed rates until a contract is agreed; see change of tenancy
• Sector buyers: charities, hospitality and farms each have their own VAT, Climate Change Levy and usage questions; see business energy by sector

Switching, renewals and the contract types to avoid drifting onto

Ofgem says fixed-rate business contracts include a switching window that opens a few months before the end of the contract, and that you can sometimes switch during it without paying a fee. Comparing inside that window gives you the most choice. If you miss it, some contracts renew automatically for a further fixed term (Ofgem says usually 12 months), possibly at a higher rate, and some suppliers move you onto out-of-contract rates, which Ofgem says are usually more expensive than a fixed-term contract.

Our guides walk through each step:

• How to switch business energy supplier, step by step
• Business energy contract renewal: timing your renewal and what happens if you do nothing
• How to get out of a business energy contract: exit fees, termination clauses and rollover
• Deemed rates and out-of-contract rates: the two defaults Ofgem says usually cost more
• Business energy contracts explained: fixed, variable, rollover and flexible contracts in one place

How broker commission and redress work

Ofgem says brokers charge for their services: some charge an upfront fee, but most are paid a commission by the energy supplier you choose. It advises checking whether any broker fees or commissions are included in the price. Here is our position, stated plainly:

• You do not normally pay Fidelity Energy a separate fee. Its terms say it is paid commission by the supplier you choose, which Fidelity Energy sets as an uplift on the unit rate and/or the daily standing charge, so the commission is included in the rates you pay
• You can opt at the start to pay Fidelity Energy a fee by invoice instead of having an uplift added to your rates
• Fidelity Energy's terms include a contract cancellation fee if you sign a supply contract through it and then do not go ahead with the switch
• Forever Communications receives a share of Fidelity Energy's payment
• For contracts signed since 1 October 2024, suppliers must show broker fees in the principal terms for all non-domestic customers, and give you that information on request (microbusinesses have had this since 1 October 2022)

Our energy broker fees page explains how the commission estimate is worked out and where to find it in your contract documents.

Ofgem says a broker paid by an energy supplier must be a member of an approved redress scheme. Fidelity Energy Ltd is listed on the Energy Ombudsman's broker register as an active member since 1 December 2022, so if a complaint about Fidelity Energy is not resolved through its own complaints process, you may be able to take it to the Energy Ombudsman. See energy broker ombudsman and complaints.

What to check before you sign

There is no cooling-off period once you agree a business energy contract. Ofgem says that is why it matters to use a trustworthy broker and to read the contract before you commit. Before you accept a quote, check:

• What type of contract it is (fixed, variable or flexible) and how long the term is
• Any fees, including exit fees or charges set out in special clauses
• What protections you have, especially if you are a microbusiness (microbusiness energy rules)
• Whether broker commission is included, and how much the principal terms say it is
• What happens at the end of the term: automatic renewal, out-of-contract rates or deemed rates
• That the business name, sites, meters and start date are right

Our page on the business energy cooling off period explains why accepting a quote is binding. If something in a contract is unclear, ask before you agree: that is what we are here for.

Green business energy

Many businesses want renewable electricity or green gas as part of their contract, for example for carbon reporting or tender requirements. Fidelity Energy says green energy is not all or nothing: you can choose how much of your electricity comes with renewable certificates (REGOs) and blend biomethane (green gas) into your gas at the level that suits you, with each option priced side by side. Our green business energy guide explains what to ask so you know what any premium pays for.

How Forever Communications helps

Forever Communications is part of Forever Group, which also looks after business phone lines, connectivity and business mobile. Adding energy means one familiar point of contact for more of your business's running costs.

We cannot promise the lowest price; no one honestly can, because the right contract depends on your usage, your timing and the terms you want. What we can do is collect your details once, have Fidelity Energy price them across its panel, and help you understand the options, the commission and the small print before you decide.

Contact us with your current contract end date and we will take it from there.