London businesses tend to pay more for energy than the national average. That’s partly down to grid costs, partly commercial property characteristics, and partly because the energy renewal process is easy to ignore when you’re running a busy operation in an expensive city.
A good broker changes that. Here’s what that actually looks like in practice.
Why do London businesses pay more for energy?
A few reasons stack up.
Commercial properties in London — especially older buildings — tend to have higher standing charges due to grid infrastructure and supply complexity. Multi-tenancy arrangements often mean businesses don’t have visibility over what they’re actually consuming, or end up on default out-of-contract rates because no one caught the renewal in time.
And because business energy in the UK is a B2B market, there’s no price cap and no obligation for suppliers to offer competitive renewal rates unless you’re actively comparing.
The gap between a rolled-over default rate and what you could get by switching can easily run to thousands of pounds a year, even for a small office or a single-site restaurant.
What does a business energy broker actually do for a London business?
The short version: we do the comparison for you, across every supplier we can access, and put everything in one place so you can decide without pressure.
You sign a Letter of Authority — that takes about 30 seconds electronically — and it gives us permission to get quotes on your behalf. We go to market, source rates from across the supplier panel, then send you a link to your deal room.
Your deal room is a private page with all your quotes laid out side by side. Every quote shows the unit rate, the standing charge, the contract length, and our commission as a separate line. You see everything. You pick the one that works for you, or you don’t — and if you don’t, you pay nothing.
What types of London businesses does Edge work with?
Pretty much any business that has a meter and pays an electricity or gas bill.
London offices — whether you’re a 10-person startup in Shoreditch or a professional services firm with floors in the City, office energy costs are worth comparing. Especially if you’re on a lease renewal and your landlord isn’t managing the energy procurement.
London restaurants and cafes — high consumption, high standing charges, and usually a renewal date that sneaks up during busy service periods. Getting organised before the contract expires makes a real difference to unit rates.
London retail — shops on the high street or in shopping centres often have rates negotiated as part of a broader tenancy agreement, but standalone retailers frequently end up on standard variable or out-of-contract rates. There’s almost always a better deal available.
London hotels and hospitality — high-consumption sites where even a fraction of a penny per kWh saved adds up significantly across a year. Multi-site portfolios are something we handle routinely.
Mixed-use and multi-site businesses — if you run several sites across London, or a mix of London and out-of-London locations, we manage the full portfolio under one deal room. One process, all your meters.
How is a deal room different from getting quotes the usual way?
Most energy brokers send you quotes over email, or call them through on the phone. You’re left trying to compare numbers across a chain of PDFs and call notes, without knowing what the broker earned from each one.
A deal room puts everything in one page. Every quote, side by side. Supplier rate. Standing charge. Contract length. Our fee. No spreadsheets. No chasing emails. No wondering what the broker is hiding.
It’s especially useful for London businesses where the person managing energy renewals is often also managing fifteen other things. You get a link, you compare, you decide.
What happens when the contract ends?
We track your renewal date from the point you use Edge. When you’re approaching the window to switch — typically 3 to 6 months before expiry depending on your current supplier’s terms — we’ll reach out and open a new deal room.
That means you don’t roll onto out-of-contract rates because you missed the window. And you don’t have to remember to contact a broker. We handle the timing.
How much does it cost?
Nothing upfront. Our commission is paid by the supplier through the unit rate, and it’s shown on every quote. For most London businesses under 250,000 kWh, it’s up to 1p/kWh. For higher-consumption sites, it’s less.
If you don’t switch, you don’t pay anything.
Is it worth switching even mid-contract?
It depends on your current rates. If your contract has exit fees, we factor those into the comparison. If the saving on a new contract outweighs the exit cost over the term, it can still be worth it. We’ll show you the numbers and let you decide.
How long does it take?
Most London businesses get quotes in their deal room within 48 hours of signing the LOA. The switch itself typically completes in 2 to 4 weeks, depending on your current supplier.
Ready to compare?
If your energy contract is coming up, or if you’re not sure when it expires and want to find out, this is where to start.
Want to talk about your energy contract?
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