It may be fun, but Christmas can be an expensive time of year for the small business owner. With central heating pumping as the winter kicks in, lights on in every room as the evenings get darker, it’s clear that there’s also a cost – your energy bill.

And yet it’s a very easy overhead to cut by paying less for the energy you use and learning to use less of it. There are around 4.7 million small businesses in the UK. Although many owners run their business from home, around 3 million SMEs have standalone business premises, such as hotels, bars and restaurants. Many of these may be locked into a contract with an energy supplier.

But energy is a cost that it is all too easy for businesses to overlook, says James Pink, managing director of Pink Connect.

First by paying less for the energy you use and then learning to use less of it. There are around 4.7 million small businesses in the UK. Although many owners run their business from home, around 3 million SMEs have standalone business premises, such as hotels, bars and restaurants. Many of these may be locked into a contract with an energy supplier.

The average SME electricity bill is just over £2,500 while the average gas bill is just over £3,200. But James says business owners can cut their bills substantially by shopping around and finding a more competitive suppliers – Pink Connect can help you do that.

One stark fact that should tell you everything is that 97% of businesses that send us their current electricity bill so we can evaluate their usage and make suggestions for changing their supplier end up doing business with us. “We must be doing something right!” says James.

Businesses are tied into contracts for Electricity and Gas supply for up to three years; you may be unaware of this. At the end of your contract your supplier has the right to “roll you over” into another two year contract at price of their choosing! Do nothing and your bills will treble. All contracts have a specific notice period (between 45 and 180 days) if you did not send written notice in the right form of words at the right time you will be tied into continuing service with the same supplier but at their “Default” or “Emergency” tariff. This will never be in your best interest!

So, what’s the catch? The catch is you have to do something! Without your bills we can do nothing to help. You are in a fixed term contract with your current supplier, you may have to wait till the end of it to reduce your costs, the great news is that once these dates are in our system, at the appropriate time we can give you the choice to move to the best supplier at that time.

What you need to do

Our experts have huge experience of analysing and monitoring energy markets. We know the best time to buy energy, and we have a long track record of negotiating the best prices. We understand the minefield of contracts and can manage the process for you.

This is what you have to do:

  • Contact us and we will contact you to discuss your gas and electricity needs
  • We will then research your contracts and email you to let you know your current contract details and estimated yearly consumption
  • Near the end of your contract we will go out to tender on your behalf and provide you with every suppliers’ quote
  • You can choose the best for your company (the least expensive)!
  • We will arrange the contract for you – all the contracts are directly between you and the energy supplier

Using less energy and go green with Pink!

Many energy saving initiatives are based on long-term returns on the initial investment and the requirement to spend capital before the project can start! This is not the case with Pink Business Electricity controls system.

The efficiency of your existing boilers (new or old) is largely down to their control system. The right control system will reduce both your annual consumption of gas / oil / LPG and have a corresponding effect on carbon emissions. The good news is that annual consumption reductions are GUARANTEED often by as much as 25% (subject to a free site-survey of the plant / boiler rooms).

There is no capital outlay as the system is rented. The rental costs are 100% reclaimed against tax (thank you Mr Darling).For organisations operating a building management system (BMS) the Pink Business Electricity Energy boiler management system presents no conflict.

The Pink Business Electricity Energy system is designed to reduce the wide ‘firing parameters’ of boilers – With the Pink Business Electricity system, the microprocessor collects and analyses data in real-time as it controls the firing of the boilers to match the actual demand. Less consumption – fewer carbon emissions – same room temperature!

The system is deployed in Hotels, Care Homes, Offices and Leisure Centers. Government Buildings, Local Authorities, Financial Institutions, Cathedrals, Motor Manufacturers and many different types of premises that have a high annual use of gas / oil / LPG.

Rental costs depend on individual systems.