RECENT research by Santander has revealed bills have risen at twice the rate of inflation in the past decade. Gas and electricity costs are up more than 70%, with water prices having increased by 41%.
The impact on household bills has been widely reported on – with inflation in the same period identified as just 32%.
Commercial customers have faced similar hikes. This, coupled with the economic situation in the North-east and the increase in business rates, means that being on the best energy deal has never been more important.
Cold callers target businesses and offer quotes which can be up to, if not more, than 30% of the current market prices. Many people think ‘energy is energy’ and will assume this is simply what it costs. It is not. There is a huge variation on what businesses pay for what is essentially an identical service.
We have been contacted by a number of businesses who have fallen into the trap of the cold caller. One professional services firm, which operates from one fairly small premises, had been duped into paying £4500 a year more than it should. A local North-east hotel had signed a contract which would have seen it £17,000 worse off over a period of three years. A family butcher was paying twice the kilowatt hour than it should have been.
Each of these businesses would have faced serious financial hardship if we hadn’t been able to help them. Once a contract is signed, it is unlikely to have it cancelled. However, because of our relationships with the energy companies, we have been able to negotiate reducing the rates and helped achieve significant savings.
USwitch has revealed more than seven in 10 homeowners are paying too much for their gas and electricity. JPR Energy has been in business a little more than two years and of the North-east businesses we have worked with, we have found this figure to be closer to 100% for commercial energy users.
Rather than simply accepting cold callers’ prices or the renewal premium, our clients have saved more than £250,000. These are serious figures in today’s economic climate. One hotel client told us the saving it made allowed them to refurbish its 10 bedrooms which will undoubtedly boost its appeal.
Another client used the savings to invest in installing clean energy systems which will further reduce its bills, as well as its carbon footprint.
Rates are rising and this trend shows little sign of reversing. Energy prices are subject to a range of environmental, political and economic factors including the weather, Brexit and the emergence of shale gas as an energy source.
Bearing this is mind, it has never been more important to know the price of a business’ renewal is the lowest it can be. JPR Energy is an independent, local energy broker that is truly committed to doing the best for its clients. Without trust and integrity, we wouldn’t have a business. We meet our clients face-to-face, we take on the legwork, use our expertise and connections to negotiate the best deals and then remain just a phone call away to deal with the myriad of issues which may arise.
To find out more about how your business could be saving on energy bills, contact Roddie Barclay on roddie@jprenergy.co.uk or 01464 821135.