Business electricity for retail and supermarkets

A regional supermarket chain we work with has eleven stores, each one with refrigeration that runs continuously regardless of trading. The combined cooling load is the dominant single line on every electricity bill. Switching supplier doesn’t change that. But the unit rate applied to that continuous load makes a meaningful difference at scale.

Retail electricity is shaped by refrigeration. Walk-in chillers, freezer cabinets, open chiller displays, ice machines. Lighting is the second-largest line; HVAC and ovens follow. Larger supermarkets are half-hourly settled with capacity charges.

This page covers how we help UK retailers and supermarket operators review their electricity contracts. The mechanics of switching are in our business electricity switching guide. Our business electricity service covers the open UK market across every commercial sector.

How we help retail operators

We pull every store’s MPAN, contract and renewal date into one view. For chains with twenty or more stores, this consolidation alone is the first useful step. From there we benchmark against the market, look at half-hourly profiles on bigger stores, and coordinate portfolio renewals.

Why retail electricity is different

Refrigeration as the dominant load

Refrigeration is the line that almost any conversation about retail electricity comes back to. It runs continuously, is hard to switch off without product loss, and scales with the size of the chilled space. We don’t engineer cooling improvements. That’s facilities. But the unit rate negotiated on the contract applies to every kWh hitting that load, year after year.

EV charging on supermarket forecourts

Supermarket car parks are increasingly hosting rapid EV chargers. That adds significant new demand. Existing site capacity often needs review when adding charging infrastructure. We flag where DNO engagement is likely needed.

Portfolio switching across retail chains

Each store was probably contracted when it opened with whatever supplier was easiest. By the time a finance director looks at it, there are five or six suppliers across the estate. Consolidating onto one supplier with one renewal cycle simplifies admin and often improves the rate via aggregated volume.

How a retail electricity review works