Business electricity for offices

A professional services firm we work with occupies four offices across the South East. Since the shift to hybrid working, occupancy is roughly half what it was in 2019. The electricity bill, however, hadn’t moved much , HVAC was still running to keep the building habitable on the days people did come in, plus weekend air-conditioning to protect IT equipment. The base load didn’t drop in proportion to occupancy.

Office electricity is shaped by HVAC, lighting and IT. Working hours dominate consumption, but base load (cooling for server rooms, security lighting, computer rooms) runs continuously. Most offices below 100kW max demand are non-half-hourly settled; larger HQs and corporate campuses are above.

This page covers how we help UK office occupiers 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 office occupiers

For single-site offices the review is straightforward. Bill audit, market quote, switch. For multi-site occupiers (serviced offices, regional consultancies, public sector estates) we coordinate a portfolio switch onto a single supplier with one renewal cycle.

Why office electricity is different

Hybrid working and the demand curve

Office occupancy is materially lower than it was in 2019 for most knowledge-work businesses. HVAC, lighting, server cooling and security loads have not always scaled down in proportion. The right response varies. Sometimes it’s renegotiating the contract structure, sometimes it’s facilities review of base load. We focus on the contract side.

Portfolio switching for multi-site occupiers

Professional services firms, regional consultancies, serviced office groups and public sector estates often have offices contracted independently. Consolidating onto one supplier with one renewal cycle simplifies admin and often improves the rate.

How an office electricity review works