Energy contract renewal checklist

Start about six months before your contract ends. Some contracts need notice well ahead of the end date, and suppliers usually price new contracts some months in advance. Why the dates matter is covered in what happens when your contract ends; this page is the practical list to work through, one meter at a time.

1. Your dates

• The contract end date for each meter.
• The notice window: the earliest and latest dates you can give notice, and how notice must be given (email, letter or online).
• Whether the contract renews or rolls over automatically if you do nothing.
• A calendar reminder set well before the last date for giving notice.

2. Your supply details

• Supplier name and account number for each site.
• The MPAN (electricity) and MPRN (gas) for each meter, copied exactly.
• Meter type: single rate, day and night, or half-hourly.
• Every site address, including any you have opened, closed or plan to move from.

3. What you pay now

• Unit rate or rates, in pence per kWh.
• Standing charge, in pence or pounds per day.
• Any capacity or availability charge on larger sites.
• VAT rate and Climate Change Levy treatment, and whether either looks wrong.
• Whether any meter is already on deemed or out-of-contract rates.

4. How much you use

• Total kWh used over the last 12 months for each meter.
• Whether recent bills used actual or estimated readings. Send a reading if they were estimated.
• Changes coming up: longer hours, new equipment, extra sites, or moving out.

5. Your current contract terms

• Termination fees if you leave before the end date.
• Any security deposit or credit check the supplier requires at renewal.
• Your payment method and billing frequency.
• Any renewable or green energy requirement your business has.

6. Permissions and loose ends

• Any Letter of Authority you have signed: who holds it, what it allows, and when it ends. Withdraw any you no longer want. (How LOAs work.)
• Who in the business can sign a new contract.
• Any open complaint or billing dispute with your current supplier, settled or noted before you move.

7. When you compare offers

• Offers compared over the same contract length and start date.
• Yearly cost worked out on your own usage: standing charge × 365 plus unit rate × annual kWh.
• The new contract starts the day after the old one ends, so there is no gap.
• The offer and its principal terms in writing before you agree.
• Your current supplier’s renewal price checked too, as staying can be the right choice.

Write it down

One row per meter. Keep the printed copy with your bills.

Unsure what a term on your bill means? See how to read a business energy bill or the BizUp360 glossary. General guide only: your own contract terms decide your dates and fees.