YORSwitch, Cheaper Business Energy 

What is YORSwitch, Cheaper Business Energy? 

Run by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, YORSwitch takes the hassle out of switching energy suppliers. The council’s appointed energy broker searches the whole market for the best, bespoke energy deals available and presents them to the company, clearly highlighting the key terms, with no obligation.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has teamed up with iChoosr and Bionic, the UK’s top energy comparison and renewal service, to help local businesses save money by getting a better energy deal.

You could save an average of £1,305* a year on business energy bills by getting a new energy deal. It only takes 10 mins.

Get a better deal on your business energy bills

It’s not just households that can switch to a better value energy tariff, businesses in the East Riding can do the same.

The process works a little differently, but if you’ve never switched your business gas or electricity then you could cut your bills by as much as 30% and you can do so with our trusted energy-switching partner, Bionic.

Their service makes it easy for local small and medium enterprises to get a better value deal for their energy. In one quick phone call, a Bionic expert can compare prices from different suppliers, help you choose the right tariff and set up your contract. This means they'll save your business time and hassle as well as reducing your costs and boosting your profits.

Bionic will also ensure you get a fair deal for your gas or electricity when your contract is up for renewal, making certain you avoid unnecessarily expensive rates in the future.

Please note: the process of switching your business gas or electricity isn’t quite the same as switching your home energy, so this isn’t directly part of YORSwitch.

How do I register?

Follow the link below and complete your details.  

We will phone you back to chat about your business and your energy requirements.  It is useful to have a copy of your most recent energy bill to hand:

Register for YORSwitch

Why are the council delivering this scheme?

The scheme is targeted at the twelve thousand micro, small and medium-sized businesses in the East Riding, as well as community buildings and charities.

Only around twenty per cent of these businesses currently engage with the energy market, paying on average thirty-five per cent more for their energy. 

Switching suppliers is complex due to the numerous tariffs and meters, most not published by the energy companies, and time-bound termination periods.  Many businesses do not have the time or resource to understand and tackle the energy market, even though the cost savings which could be achieved are considerable. 

What happens when I receive my offer?

If the offer is accepted, assistance is offered in serving termination notices, making sure credit score criteria are established and other duties required for switching. Contracts can be arranged electronically or on paper and each business chooses the length of the contract that best suits them.

YORSwitch is there every step of the way:  looking after post-sale management, providing support for the duration of the contract and managing the renewal process if requested.

Is there a fee?

There is no fee for signing up to YORSwitch, Cheaper Business Energy, as the energy broker is paid a referral fee by the energy suppliers each time a business switches. For competitive reasons, the fee is undisclosed but the broker is committed to providing a non-biased service, for example, sales representatives do not know the referral fee amounts. 

Do I have to switch?

There is no obligation to accept any offer, so YORSwitch is a useful way to benchmark your existing contract and find out if you are paying too much.

How can I carry out my own business energy audit?

Carrying out an energy audit is a great way to identify how, when, and where your business uses most gas and electricity, and help work out how you can cut consumption, to save energy and save money.

Your current gas and electricity supplier should have energy-saving experts on hand to carry out an audit either on-site or over-the-phone, before providing you with a report outlining ways your business can make savings.

Alternatively, you can carry out your own energy audit, here's how:

Identify energy deficiencies and efficiencies

The first thing to do is make a note of exactly how and when your business uses energy, keeping an eye out for unnecessary use of electricity, such as leaving lights on when rooms are not in use and leaving non-critical equipment switched on overnight.

It also helps to take a look at your energy bill, to see exactly how much gas and electricity you’re using each month, and the amount you’re paying for each unit you use – if the costs are too high, consider switching energy supplier and taking out a tariff that offers cheaper rates:

iChoosr - Switch your business energy provider (external website)

You can also use this information to identify some energy efficiencies. If, for example, the office is clear by 5.30pm each day, set the thermostat timer so the heating switches off half-an-hour before everyone leaves. This small change ensures heat isn’t wasted when no-one is in the building.

Make an energy-saving checklist

Your energy audit needs to build a comprehensive picture of your energy, so It’s important to make sure you cover every aspect of your energy usage. So, compile an energy-saving checklist, taking in every room and piece of equipment used by your business, and arrange them into categories, for instance:

• Lighting 
  
• Heating 
  
• Cooling and ventilation 
  
• Equipment on site
  
• Gas, electricity and water use. 

Then split these categories down even further, making notes for every item on the checklist. Lighting, for instance, could include the following considerations:

• A plan of where each light switch is positioned, and consider whether automatic lighting might be more appropriate for infrequently used spaces.
  
• Take a look at windows and blinds to assess whether you could make more use of natural light. 
  
• Consider whether you could switch to more efficient light bulbs – this alone could save as much as 75% on lighting costs.
  
• Check that lights and fittings are regularly cleaned if dust builds up this can reduce efficiency. 

And remember to check around doorways and windows for gaps where cold air can enter and hot air can escape.

Make sure employees are doing their bit

Energy-saving is a collective effort, so get employees involved in the audit to help get the energy-efficiency message across – they may just have some ingenious ideas to help reduce your business energy bills.