Almost every expensive business energy outcome traces back to the same thing: starting too late. Not choosing the wrong supplier, not failing to haggle. Simply arriving at the renewal with no time left, which removes your options and hands the pricing decision to somebody else. Here is when to actually start, and what the rules give you.
The short version
- Start about three months out. Earlier for multiple sites or half-hourly meters.
- Find your end date now, because most businesses do not know it.
- Microbusinesses can usually end an evergreen contract on 30 days' notice, so being stuck is rarer than people think.
- Doing nothing is a decision, and it is the most expensive one available.
- Quotes expire in days, so gather usage before you ask for prices.
On this page
The honest answer on timing
About three months before your contract ends, for a single site with straightforward usage. Longer if any of the following apply:
- Several sites, particularly if they sit on different end dates.
- Half-hourly metering, where quotes take longer and the detail matters more.
- You are moving premises in the same window.
- Your usage has changed significantly, so last year's figures will mislead.
Earlier than that and suppliers often will not price it meaningfully, because wholesale costs that far ahead are speculative. Later and you are into the window where your current supplier knows you have nowhere to go.
Why three months and not three weeks: gathering twelve months of usage takes a few days. Quotes are typically valid for a matter of days, not weeks, so they need to be gathered close together to compare properly. The contract itself needs agreeing, and a switch takes time to process. Three weeks does not fit that, and it shows in the price you get.
Find your end date first
This sounds trivial and it is the step most businesses skip. A surprising number do not know when their contract ends, which makes planning impossible.
It will be on your contract, and usually on your bill. If you cannot find it, ask your supplier directly, in writing, for your contract end date and any notice requirement. They have to tell you.
Then put it in a calendar with a reminder three months before, not on the day. The reminder is the entire system. Everything else follows from knowing the date early enough to act.
What happens if you do nothing
You do not keep your current rate. That is the misunderstanding that costs the most money.
When a fixed contract ends without a new one agreed, you roll onto whatever your supplier's default arrangement is, which is almost always substantially dearer than anything you would have been quoted. Depending on the circumstances that will be out of contract rates or deemed rates, which are related but not the same thing.
Our post on out of contract and deemed rates sets out the difference and what each one costs. The short version is that there is no price cap on business energy, so the ceiling is whatever the supplier sets.
Notice periods and what you can actually do
People assume they are trapped. Often they are less trapped than they think.
| Situation | Where you stand |
|---|---|
| Mid fixed term | You are committed until the end date, though you can usually agree a new contract to start when the current one finishes. |
| On a deemed contract | No notice required and no termination fee. You can leave as soon as you have something better agreed. |
| On an evergreen or rollover contract | If you are a microbusiness, you can generally end it on 30 days' notice. |
| Out of contract rates | Usually free to move, but check the specific terms rather than assuming. |
| Supplier has gone bust | You will be moved to a new supplier on a deemed contract, and you can leave without exit fees. |
That microbusiness protection is worth knowing about, because a lot of businesses sit on evergreen arrangements assuming they are locked in for a year. Whether you qualify depends on the microbusiness definition, which is based on employee numbers and consumption.
A timeline that works
- Today. Find your contract end date and diarise it, with a reminder three months before.
- Three months out. Gather twelve months of usage and your MPAN and MPRN. Decide whether anything has changed about how you use energy.
- Ten to twelve weeks out. Get quotes, close together so they can be compared on the same basis. Compare total annual cost, not just unit rates, because standing charges differ.
- Eight weeks out. Decide and sign. Give notice on the existing contract if required.
- Four weeks out. Confirm the switch is progressing and that meter readings will be taken.
- At changeover. Submit a reading and photograph the meter, so the final bill is correct.
- Two weeks after. Check the first bill against the contract you signed.
Nothing in that list is hard. It simply has to start early enough, which is why the calendar reminder matters more than anything else on the page.
Not sure when your contract ends?
Send us a recent bill and we will tell you your end date, what notice applies, and when you should be looking. We will diarise it and come back to you at the right moment, which is usually the whole problem solved.