EDF business energy: contact, switching and complaints

This is a neutral guide to EDF's business energy arm: who is behind it, how to get in touch, how its renewals and exit terms work in general, and how to complain. It is not a rating or recommendation. Biz Energy is independent, takes no commission and is not affiliated with EDF.

Who is EDF and who owns it?

EDF supplies gas and electricity to homes and businesses in Great Britain. EDF Energy in the UK is part of the wider EDF Group, the French energy company. The French State has held all of EDF's share capital since a squeeze-out of the remaining shareholders was completed on 8 June 2023, according to EDF's own press release. The legal company that supplies you is named on your bill and contract; check Companies House if you need more detail.

EDF's business pages split customers into SME and large-business routes. Its large-business page describes fixed, flexible and bespoke contracts, buy-back of surplus power from generators such as solar sites, metering and monitoring, and a partner hub for brokers and consultants. It also says its Business & Wholesale Services division serves the public sector. Its SME pages are aimed at smaller firms and it publishes separate terms for small-business tariffs.

How to contact EDF Business

EDF's SME contact page lists these options when we checked:

• A MyAccount login for meter readings, invoices and details.
• Text and WhatsApp messaging to 07782 569 959.
• Email to hellobusiness@edfenergy.com, including your account number.
• Phone for general queries on 0330 912 9959 (Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm, Friday 9am to 4pm).
• A separate business sales line, 0333 188 6725. When we checked, the page gave two different closing times for Monday to Thursday (5pm and 6pm), so call before 5pm to be safe.

Hours and numbers can change, so use EDF's own page to confirm: EDF: contact us for small business.

Reading EDF renewals and exit terms

According to EDF's small-business FAQs and notice page:

• You are sent a renewal letter or email about 90 days before your contract ends. A new fixed contract starts the day after the old one ends.
• If you do nothing, you roll onto its variable Freedom product, which has no termination fees.
• Fixed-term contracts can include an early termination fee. EDF's FAQs describe it as linked to your estimated consumption and the length of the fixed term; the exact formula is in your own terms. EDF says it will object to a transfer request before a fixed-term end date.
• Your tariff end date is on your invoice and in MyAccount.

Ofgem's rules mean microbusinesses cannot be required to give notice to leave once out of contract, except under an evergreen contract (up to 30 days), and that out-of-contract customers can't be charged a termination fee. A rollover can last no more than 12 months. EDF's notice page says that since 1 October 2022 suppliers cannot require microbusinesses to give notice. See rollover contracts and business energy renewals.

Worked example: what an early exit might look like

We cannot give EDF's fee formula, as it is in your contract. But the principle in any such clause is that the fee grows with your expected use. If a clause charged, say, 1p/kWh on remaining estimated use, then for 40,000 kWh a year and half a year left the fee would be 20,000 × £0.01 = £200. That is purely an illustration of the sum; read your own terms before acting.

Moving premises, VAT and readings

EDF says tariffs are priced for each property and meter, so they cannot be transferred to a new property. If you move into a property EDF already supplies, you will be placed on a deemed tariff, which it says is usually not the cheapest, so review it promptly. You will need evidence of responsibility such as a lease or completion statement. See moving premises and deemed contracts.

On VAT, EDF's FAQs say business supplies use the reduced 5% rate for electricity up to 33 kWh a day or gas up to 145 kWh a day, and charities using premises only for non-business purposes get the reduced rate. Electricity that qualifies for the reduced rate because it is for domestic or charity non-business use is temporarily zero-rated in Great Britain from 1 October 2026 to 30 June 2027, under HMRC VAT Notice 701/19: fuel and power. HMRC first set the end date as 31 March 2027. Normal business use stays at 20%, and if you only qualify through the small-user limit, ask EDF which rate it applies. See which VAT rate applies.

For readings, customers without smart meters are encouraged to submit monthly; EDF says it aims to collect at least one actual reading every 12 months. Smart meters send readings automatically.

How to switch away

On renewal or rollover contracts you generally switch by choosing a new supplier, who handles the transfer, once any balance is cleared. For fixed terms, check your terms and any early termination fee first. Citizens Advice's suggestion, quoted on EDF's page, is that it is usually best to wait for the end of a fixed term. Our guide to how to switch business energy covers the steps.

How to complain

EDF's SME complaints page says the person who logs your complaint becomes your complaint handler. Contact the business team by phone or email, ask for reassessment if you are unhappy with progress and, if still unresolved, go to the Energy Ombudsman after eight weeks or on receipt of a deadlock letter. Micro and small businesses are eligible. Complaints about a broker go to the broker first and then the Ombudsman. For free advice, Citizens Advice covers England and Wales and Advice Direct Scotland covers Scotland. See energy disputes and the Ombudsman.

Keep a written record: dates, names, account numbers and copies of bills. If you are told something by phone, follow up by email.

Questions to ask EDF before you renew

• What is the contract end date, and what is the renewal window?
• Does the quoted rate include Climate Change Levy, and which charges are fixed?
• Is there an early termination fee if I leave or move premises, and how is it worked out?
• What is the broker's commission in pounds across the term, if a broker is involved?

Keep the answers in writing. Remember that there is no cooling-off period on business energy contracts once you agree one, so ask before you accept.

Next steps

1. Locate your contract end date and tariff name on your invoice.
2. Check whether an early termination fee applies before you decide to move.
3. Compare any renewal offer with other suppliers listed in our UK business energy suppliers guide.
4. If using a broker, ask for the commission in writing; see energy brokers and commission.