Guides · Contracts

When can I switch business energy supplier?

Utilities Made Simple · 5 minute read

Unlike domestic energy, business contracts generally can't be left mid-term without exit costs. Switching happens at the end of your fixed term — which makes the months before that date the most valuable window in your energy year. Handle them well and you choose your price; miss them and your supplier chooses it for you.

The renewal window

Most suppliers will let you agree your next contract well before the current one ends — commonly up to 6 months ahead, and with many suppliers up to 12. The new price simply starts when the old contract finishes. This matters because you're not choosing between "renew now" and "renew later" — you're choosing between today's market and an unknown future one. When the market is rising, locking early wins; we watch it daily so you don't have to.

Termination notices

Some contracts require written notice that you don't intend to renew — even if you're switching supplier — within a set window before the end date. Miss it and the supplier may be entitled to roll you onto their renewal terms. It's the single most common trap in business energy. When we manage your account, serving the termination notice correctly and on time is our job, not yours.

What happens if you do nothing

When a fixed contract ends with nothing agreed, you don't lose supply — you lose the price. You'll typically move onto out-of-contract or deemed rates, which are usually far above negotiated fixed prices, sometimes by 50% or more. Deemed rates also apply when you move into premises and inherit the supply. Either way, the fix is the same: get a proper contract agreed as quickly as possible — deemed arrangements can be left without penalty.

A renewal timeline that works

1. 12 months out: know your contract end date and notice requirements. (Tell us once — we diarise it permanently.)
2. 6–12 months out: start watching the market; lock early if conditions are favourable.
3. Notice window: serve the termination notice, whatever you plan to do — it keeps every option open.
4. Before the end date: sign the chosen deal so the new price starts seamlessly. No gap, no deemed rates, no rollover.