Energy is one of the biggest overheads for R&CA members. Make it Cheaper’s energy bill guide will help you understand what options are right for your business.
Let’s start with the bill basics.
There are two main types of business energy contracts – standard retail contracts for households and small businesses, and large market agreements.
We see most R&CA members on standard retail contracts, meaning you usually receive your bill quarterly and pay a daily supply charge (the fee which you pay to have power supplied to your premises) and then rates for the energy you use.
If your business is a large market customer, you’ll receive a monthly invoice from your energy retailer, showing energy consumption and network and environmental charges.
Depending on the network and the time of use; tariff, peak, shoulder, or off-peak rates apply. Check the diagram below for a typical breakdown of rates during the week.
What else should I look out for?
It’s important to also consider -
1. Contract Terms – most small market contracts have a fixed energy period and don’t usually have cancellation fees, so it’s easy to switch if you find a better deal.
2. Solar – do you have solar panels? Then solar feed-in tariffs come into play. That’s the price you get when you sell your solar energy back into the grid.
3. Discounts – most retailers don’t offer pay-on-time discounts, rather guaranteed discounts for the period, or just really sharp rates instead.
Every business is different so don’t assume that your current deal is the best deal for you, or if you have multiple sites, the retailer that gives you a competitive rate at one site my not be the best option for your other sites.
There is often a better deal out there once you calculate all the different factors.
Sounds complicated? Let us help you. We compare your current bill with the plans offered by our panel of retailers, to find you a better deal. In 2020 we’ve saved R&CA members an average of $3,399* on their annual business energy bills. What could you do with that kind of savings?
*Average savings for R&CA members who switched their business energy deals with Make it Cheaper between January and August 2020.
