Compare business energy quotations using the same supplies, contract dates and consumption assumptions, then examine all the charges and terms. A lower unit rate can still produce a higher overall cost. This guide helps businesses in Great Britain build a clear comparison before choosing an offer, including where some charges can change during the contract.
Put the quotations on a common basis
Start with a supply schedule: legal business name, site, electricity meter point administration number (MPAN) or gas meter point reference number (MPRN), intended start date and contract duration. Check every quotation against it. A price for a different meter or start date is not ready for comparison.
Use the same annual consumption and, where relevant, the same day, night or other time-band split. Record the period and source of those figures. If a supplier has estimated a missing value, make that assumption visible rather than allowing it to disappear into the total.
Construction programmes and changing occupancy can make last year's usage a poor forecast. Give suppliers the same explanation of expected changes and ask how each offer accounts for them. Keep a version date on the comparison and record when each price expires.
List the charges beyond the unit rate
Check which items are included in the quoted price and which appear separately. Use a table like this for each supply:
| Item | What to establish |
|---|---|
| Consumption charges | Rates for every relevant time band and the usage assigned to each. |
| Standing charges | Daily rate, number of days and whether it can change. |
| Capacity or availability | Applicable agreed capacity, charging units and rate. |
| Metering and other services | Included services, separate agreements and any additional charges. |
| Broker remuneration | Included commission, direct fees or a combination. |
| Taxes and other exclusions | What is excluded from the total and how it will be treated. |
Do not assume every supply attracts every item. Our capacity guide explains what to check where an availability charge applies. Keep the charging units with the number: pence per kWh, pounds per day and a capacity-based rate cannot be compared as though they mean the same thing.
Ask what is fixed and what can pass through
A product label is not enough to establish which costs are fixed. Read the price schedule and relevant clauses. Ask which elements can be adjusted, the circumstances allowing a change and how the supplier would calculate it.
Ofgem's business-contract guidance highlights contract type, duration, fees and broker commission as matters to understand before agreeing. Compare the actual wording rather than assuming two products described as fixed provide identical protection.
If an item is excluded or passed through, show it separately in the comparison. An estimate using today's assumptions is useful, but it is not a guaranteed final bill. Ask the supplier to explain any unquantified item and record the uncertainty beside the total.
Check the arithmetic without counting a cost twice
Hypothetical illustration: assume 50,000 kWh of electricity over 365 days, one unit rate and no other charges in this calculation.
- Offer A: 25p/kWh and £1/day = £12,500 + £365 = £12,865.
- Offer B: 24.5p/kWh and £2/day = £12,250 + £730 = £12,980.
Offer B has the lower unit rate but costs £115 more on those assumptions. These invented figures exclude VAT, Climate Change Levy, capacity and any other applicable costs. A real comparison needs the complete charge schedule and relevant treatment of each item.
Where commission is already included in the quoted unit rate, do not add it again. Use our broker-fee guide to understand remuneration separately from the total customer cost.
Resolve differences before recommending an offer
Mark discrepancies as questions with an owner: a different start date, an unexplained standing charge or a missing capacity assumption. Request written clarification and update the comparison when the answer arrives. Keep superseded versions so colleagues can understand what changed.
BBA Energy's procurement support helps organise offers, assumptions and supplier questions. The useful outcome is a comparison the decision-maker can follow, with unresolved points visible, rather than a headline rate presented without its conditions.
Use the pre-signing renewal checklist for final approval. After agreement, move to the after-signing guide to track supplier confirmation, the supply start and billing.