Business energy quotes: what you need before you ask

The short checklist

To get an accurate business energy quote you need: your MPAN (electricity), your MPRN (gas), your annual usage in kWh, your current supplier, your contract end date, and the legal name and address of the business and the site. Everything else is a bonus.

Without the meter numbers, anyone quoting is guessing. The price you are shown can change once the real details are checked, so it pays to gather them first.

What to gather, item by item

1. Your MPAN and MPRN

The MPAN (Meter Point Administration Number) identifies your electricity supply point. The MPRN (Meter Point Reference Number) does the same for gas. Each is tied to the premises, not to a company, so it stays the same when you change supplier. Both normally appear on your bill. If you cannot find them, our guide to finding your MPAN and MPRN shows where to look.

An electricity quote may ask for the "top line" of the MPAN. That is the short block above the long number, and it includes your profile class, which tells suppliers what kind of meter and usage pattern you have.

2. Annual usage in kWh

Quotes are built on how much energy you use in a year. Take it from the annual consumption figure on your bill if one is shown, or add up twelve months of actual usage. Be wary of figures based on estimated readings, because they can be wrong in either direction. See how to read your business energy bill and how to calculate your annual cost.

If your gas meter shows cubic metres or hundreds of cubic feet rather than kWh, convert it with our gas units to kWh converter.

New business with no history? Give an honest estimate based on equipment, opening hours and floor area, and expect the quote to be revisited once you have real readings.

3. Current supplier and contract end date

Quotes only make sense if you know when you can move. Your contract end date is on your contract, renewal letters or online account. If you are already past it, you are probably on a rollover or out-of-contract rate. Our guide to the best time to switch explains the windows.

4. Business details

Suppliers will check who you are and may run a credit check, so have the registered business name, company number (if you have one), the site address and a contact ready. Sole traders and partnerships use their trading details. A credit check can affect the price or whether a deposit is asked for, covered in business energy credit checks.

5. How you want to buy

Tell whoever is quoting what suits you: a fixed price for a set term, or something more flexible. Fixed vs flexible contracts covers the trade-off. Say if you may move, expand or close seasonally, because that affects which term makes sense.

How to compare quotes properly

Comparing only the unit rate is the commonest mistake. A quote has at least four parts: the unit rate (pence per kWh), the standing charge (pence per day), the contract length, and any broker commission built into the rates.

Worked example

A café uses 20,000 kWh of electricity a year. Two quotes arrive:

Quote	Unit rate	Standing charge	Annual cost before VAT and CCL
A	26p	55p/day	20,000 × £0.26 = £5,200, plus 365 × £0.55 = £200.75, total £5,400.75
B	25p	90p/day	20,000 × £0.25 = £5,000, plus 365 × £0.90 = £328.50, total £5,328.50

Quote B has the lower unit rate but the higher standing charge. At 20,000 kWh it is £72.25 a year cheaper (£5,400.75 minus £5,328.50). Drop usage to 5,000 kWh and the picture flips: A is £1,300 + £200.75 = £1,500.75, B is £1,250 + £328.50 = £1,578.50, so A is £77.75 cheaper. The cheaper quote depends on how much you use, so run your own figures through the sums. Our business energy cost calculator does the arithmetic for you.

Ask for the quote in writing and ask whether it includes the Climate Change Levy and VAT. Business prices are often quoted without them and added on top. Our VAT and Climate Change Levy guide explains both.

Where quotes come from, and red flags

You can ask suppliers directly, use a comparison site or use a broker. Comparison sites and brokers are generally paid commission by the supplier, built into your rates. Broker costs added to your bill must be shown in the contract's Principal Terms: for microbusinesses since 1 October 2022, and for all non-domestic contracts signed on or after 1 October 2024. Ask for that figure before you sign. Our page on broker vs direct vs comparison site sets out the differences.

Business prices are not capped, so a quote can move quickly. Ask how long the offer is valid rather than assuming.

Sense-check the numbers

The government's Quarterly Energy Prices release put the average non-domestic price in Q2 2026 (April to June) at 24.51p/kWh for electricity and 5.28p/kWh for gas, including the Climate Change Levy. These are averages across all sizes of business, so treat them as a rough yardstick, not a target. Comparison-site data published in October 2026 (Moneysupermarket Business) put average fixed rates for microbusinesses higher, at about 28.4p/kWh for electricity and 8.8p/kWh for gas, which shows how much the source and the business size matter.

Red flags

• A quote that will not show how the broker is paid.
• Pressure to agree on the phone today. There is no cooling-off period once a business energy contract is agreed, and a verbal agreement is binding.
• A request to sign a broad letter of authority before any quote exists. Read our letter of authority guide first.
• Rates that look far better than every other quote, with the catch in pass-through charges. See pass-through vs fixed charges.

Next steps

1. Find your MPAN, MPRN, annual kWh and contract end date.
2. Collect at least three written quotes, with commission disclosed.
3. Work out the full-year cost of each using your own usage.
4. Check the term, termination fee and what happens at renewal.
5. Only then agree, and put the end date in your diary.