Moving business premises: what happens to your energy?
From your first day in new premises you are automatically supplied by whichever company served the previous occupier — on deemed rates, typically the most expensive in the market (commonly 35–45p+/kWh for electricity in 2026). There is no contract, so you can leave whenever you like: take meter readings on day one, identify the incumbent supplier, and get a proper contract agreed in the first week. On the way out, give your old supplier notice, final reads and a forwarding address — or you can stay liable for the next occupier’s usage.
Last reviewed 2 September 2026 by Utilities Made Simple · independent, whole-of-market, supplier-paid — how we are paid
Moving in: the first-week checklist
- Read every meter on day one — electricity, gas, water — and photograph them with the serial numbers visible. This is what stops you paying for the outgoing tenant’s usage.
- Find your meter identities. The MPAN (electricity) and MPRN (gas) are on any bill left behind, inside the meter cupboard, or we can look them up from the address — What is an MPAN? shows what you are looking for.
- Identify the incumbent supplier. Ask the landlord or previous occupier, or check with the regional network operator’s enquiry line — or send us the address and we will find out.
- Tell that supplier you have taken occupation (a “change of tenancy”), with your reads and company details — otherwise their bills, at deemed rates, pile up addressed to “The Occupier”.
- Agree a proper contract in week one. Deemed rates need no notice to escape, so every day on them is money burned. We price the whole 57-supplier market from just the address and reads, usually the same working day.
- Check the water too. Business water has been competitive across England and Scotland since 2017 — a move is the natural moment to put it on proper terms.
Why deemed rates are so punishing
A deemed contract is the statutory fallback that keeps the lights on when premises change hands with nothing agreed. Suppliers price it high — they carry your credit risk with no commitment from you. The full picture, including out-of-contract rates at renewal, is in Deemed & out-of-contract rates. The practical point for movers is simple: it is not a trap you must serve time in. You can contract away from it immediately, and should.
Moving out: protect yourself on the way through the door
- Give your current supplier notice of the move as soon as the date is known — check whether your contract has a change-of-tenancy or early-exit provision.
- Take dated, photographed final readings on handover day and submit them for closing bills.
- Provide a forwarding address — until the supplier knows you have gone and where to send the final account, charges can keep accruing in your name.
- Tell your broker. If we hold your renewal diary, one message re-points everything at the new site.
Multi-site moves and openings
Opening an additional site rather than relocating? The same day-one rules apply per meter, plus a portfolio decision: aligning end dates across sites (a “basket”) gives you one renewal event and stronger buying power. We manage estates from two meters to two hundred.
Common questions
Do I have to stay with the previous occupier's supplier?
No, and there is no notice period on deemed rates — you can agree a contract with any supplier immediately. The incumbent must simply be told you have taken occupation so opening reads and final bills land correctly.
What if I don't know who currently supplies the premises?
Ask the landlord or outgoing tenant, check any bill left on site, or enquire via the regional network operator. Or send us the full address — identifying supplies from industry data is routine for us and free.
Can I transfer my existing contract to the new premises?
Contracts attach to the meter, not the business, so usually no — but many suppliers offer a change-of-tenancy route that re-prices your deal at the new site, and where they don't, we terminate cleanly and re-contract the new meters properly.
The old tenant left a debt on the meter — am I liable?
No. Liability follows occupation: your dated day-one readings draw the line. A supplier chasing you for a predecessor's usage should be given your evidence of occupation date and reads.
How long does it take to get a proper contract live at new premises?
Pricing takes a day; going live depends on registrations, but because deemed arrangements need no notice, the switch runs as fast as the industry process allows — and you are protected from backdated surprises by your day-one reads throughout.
Not sure where you stand? Send us a bill.
Upload a recent bill and a specialist will check your rates, VAT, levies and contract end date against the live market — free, usually the same working day. Prefer email? Send it to info@utilitiesms.co.uk. If your deal is already good, we will tell you to keep it.