What Happens to my Business Energy Deal when I Move Premises?
If your company is looking to move premises, the business energy contract previously in place stops on the move date. This is because business energy contracts are coupled with the supply point, and since your supply point will be changing with the premise, the previous deal won’t be carried over to the new address. Many factors will determine whether the energy deal price goes up or down with the move. This will include things like meter size, consumption and the business energy supplier. If you would like to read more information or learn more about the pricing of business energy, you can do so here.
Warning your Energy Provider Before you Move Premises
It’s essential to provide a warning to your energy provider before the planned moving date if you want to avoid any bumps. This should be at least a month beforehand. In some cases, if you ask, there may be a slight refund available for previous bills that have been overpaid. The final bill is likely to be calculated once the move is complete to make sure that they can bill you accurately up to and including the last day of your residency at the previous address.
It’s also possible that when you move premises before the expiration of the contract at your current premises, your energy supplier will charge you an early termination fee. One of the advantages of preparing beforehand is that you can weigh whether sticking with your current supplier is worth it. If you give them a warning of the move, you will be able to negotiate a waiver of the termination fee in exchange for keeping them as your supplier.
Preparing Your Documents Before You Move Premises
Making sure that things continue smoothly at the new premises will require looking at a few different things. A critical part of the preparation is likely to be getting hold of supporting documentation to prove to your energy supplier that you are the new tenant responsible for the premises’ energy contract. Continuing with the business energy supplier of your previous residence should make things easier. However, it’ll still be necessary to make sure that you tell them your new address and on which date your ownership or lease starts.
This lets the providers work out if they already manage the energy supply of the new location or not. They’re likely to ask questions like whether you want them to supply electricity and gas if it is the case that they are already the energy supplier to the premises. Even if the company does say that everything is already set up and good to go, it’s important not to leave things there. If you do, you could very well end up paying more than you need to for your energy.
In some less fortunate cases, you may fund upon arrival that the supply has been disconnected. In most instances, this is caused by the preceding tenant cancelling their contract or missing out on bill payments. When this happens, you will often have to pay an extra deposit or a reconnection charge. There will be similar things to deal with if it’s a new build that you’re moving into.
As well as the connection charge, there is likely to be a delay before getting connected if you don’t prepare beforehand. The best thing to do is to start getting ready in the months beforehand. This can allow you to compare the business energy prices on the market, find a provider that suits you and get in touch so that you hit the ground running when moving in day finally arrives.
If you’ve recently moved into different premises, you can expect to receive a slew of sales calls from different energy firms who’ve noticed that the premises have been out of contract. Ideally, you would have prepared before the move, so you won’t need to give these calls much attention as you’ll already be up and running.
Compare the Market!
At the very least, make sure you’ve had a chance to like at comparison sites beforehand so if they do call and you’re still on the search, you have a ballpark figure from which you can negotiate. As with all cold calls, however, whilst it may be helpful to get some quotes, resist giving out too much information over the phone. You should be able to take quotes back to legitimate companies once you’ve had a chance to look into them, and those callers who say they need all your information on the same phone call you’ve first met them probably aren’t the people you want to be doing business with if they’re legitimate at all.
Moving premises is also a fantastic chance to optimise your company’s energy usage. Carrying out an independent energy audit is always a good start to see some of the essential parts of the building’s energy performance and what can be done to improve its efficiency.
The most important part of staying on top of your business energy deal when moving premises is preparation. This can save you fees and delays and allow you to compare providers to further optimise your energy costs. This, combined with ensuring maximum energy efficiency at the new premises, means you can look at moving premises as not a hassle, but an opportunity.
You can read a guide to changing your business energy if you are moving premises here.
Other useful links about Business Energy
Are Charities Entitled to Energy Discounts?
Switching Business Utilities
Opus Energy for your Business
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