Recent UK energy supply disruptions have coincided with the coldest temperatures of the winter and prompted a substantial spike in gas prices.

The combination of cold temperatures, increasing heat demand, and unplanned supply outages have placed the UK energy system under severe stress in recent weeks. Gas prices in particular have taken a hit and are forecast to rise a further 1.9% between now and February 2018.

This comes after 6 months of significant energy price increases – since July 2017 gas prices have increased by 61% and electricity by 49%, so it’s important you take action now to avoid any future rises.

The North Sea Forties pipeline has been shut down for the next few weeks due to maintenance work. This will cut available oil and gas production in the UK, triggering another price spike given that we’ll be even more dependent on foreign imports.

System breakdowns are more common during harsh weather conditions, but recent events have raised concerns over the viability of the UK gas infrastructure.

So, what does this mean for your business?

Firstly, don’t panic. We can help. Our dedicated team is on hand to answer any questions. They’ll advise you on safeguarding against any future rises in price or issues related to cold snaps and increased demand.

Contact us as soon as possible and we’ll look to switch you to the right energy tariff for your business.

To find out more about how Utilitywise could help your business, click here.

Non-commodity charges (NCCs) are on the rise – act now to minimise the effect on your bills!

Non-commodity costs are the elements of your electricity bill that are not your direct electricity rate. NCCs are imposed by distribution and transmission companies and changes imposed as a result of government schemes and levies.

Currently these charges account for more than 50% of your electricity bill; however, this amount is set to increase to over 60% by 2020.

Utilitywise have experts on hand to look at these charges and ensure that they are correct. If any discrepancies are discovered by the team, they will act on your behalf to recover any excess money that you may have paid to your electricity supplier.
Quite often, hidden savings are identified resulting in money being returned to your pocket.

Furthermore, all businesses, are under more and more pressure to reduce overall costs. Saving money on their energy bills will allow companies to maintain competitive prices and offerings rather than having to inflate these to offset the costs of rising overheads. Utilitywise offers a range of energy saving solutions that accompanied with analysis of bills can account to up to a 20% overall saving.

The consultancy works with businesses to increase energy efficiency through the installation of smart technology, monitoring software and offering a consultative approach to utilities. Regardless of a business’ size, the Utilitywise team work to identify any areas where possible savings could be made. It’s a win win!

To find out more about how Utilitywise could help your business, click here.

Water deregulation provides a fantastic opportunity for 1.2 million businesses in England to trim their overheads and save around 10% or more on their water bills.

Utilitywise estimate savings of over £200m are available on a national scale.

However, recently published statistics by MOSL (the Market operator) show that the much heralded ‘#Openwatermarket’ is failing small businesses especially and switching is actually decelerating.

a. Only 2% (61k) of the 2.6m water meters have switched in the first 6 months
b. This equates to less than 1% of businesses, as focus has been on larger corporate businesses with hundreds/thousands of meters in their estates.
c. The number of meter switches fell 31% in the second quarter to just 25,010
d. At this rate it will take until 2039 for all businesses in England to switch water supplier

Utilitywise would like Ofwat to be empowered by DEFRA to make the necessary changes that the water market needs.

WHAT POLICIES DO WE WANT FROM GOVERNMENT?

Utilitywise’s four-point plan to make the water market truly open, honest and competitive calls for:

1. Enforced standardised and simplified pricing that is published in the public domain, giving businesses the chance to easily compare like-for-like water contracts and ensure all retailers are making prices available to out of region customers.
2. Ensure that customers receive clear offers and tariffs from retailers no matter their location, by standardising the use of customer data held in MOSL, the central customer database used by the industry.
3. Improved levels of understanding amongst businesses, encouraging them to review their current water contracts, and how to assess different options available.
4. A review and assessment of the Scottish Water market conditions, to deliver comparable margins available to retailers to make competition come to life

To get a better deal for your business water, click here.

UK businesses contribute a staggering 33% of all the country’s Co2 emissions.

With small to medium sized businesses making up 70% of the UK’s total business count, it’s crucial they become more environmentally aware. And, switching to a green energy tariff is the single biggest thing a business can do to reduce their carbon footprint.

Unlike that of large corporate organisations, the switching process for energy contracts is simple and can often be done quickly for smaller businesses.

Furthermore, the prices of such renewable contracts are in line with tariffs sourced through the burning of fossil fuels – so there’s really no excuse not to go green.

At Utilitywise we’ve already taken our first steps on our green journey through agreeing renewable energy tariffs for all of our offices across the UK. We’re also now offering 100% renewable tariffs to our customers.

Why go green?
• It’s easy – Using a green energy tariff is one of the easiest ways to reduce your business’s carbon footprint. All Utilitywise green tariffs use 100% renewable energy
• Customers like it – Going green sends a strong message to customers that you care about the environment, making them more likely to buy from you.
• Reputation enhancing – Get green certification to display in your business and promote your carbon commitment to customers, employees and potential investors.
• Business winning – When bidding for certain contracts, you may not be eligible unless you meet certain environmentally friendly preconditions. We can help you meet them.
• Money saving – A Utilitywise green tariff could be cheaper than what you pay today, plus we’ll help you reduce your bills through energy saving.

Click here to learn more about green energy tariffs https://hubs.ly/H08R0Jv0