Last updated 16 September 2026. Gas looks cheap per unit next to electricity, which is exactly why businesses stop scrutinising it. But gas standing charges vary more than any other line on a business energy bill, and the gap between a sharp gas contract and a lazy renewal is wider than most owners expect. Here is where the market currently sits, broken down by business size.
What you get
The table below shows current rates by business size. If your renewal quote sits above it, that is a conversation worth having.
Rates vary by region, meter size (AQ band), credit profile, contract length and market timing, and are confirmed on quotation.
| Business size | Annual usage (kWh) | Unit rate (p/kWh) | Standing charge (p/day) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micro | Under 15,000 kWh | TODO | TODO |
| Small | 15,000–73,000 kWh | TODO | TODO |
| Medium | 73,000–293,000 kWh | TODO | TODO |
| Large | Over 293,000 kWh | TODO | TODO |
TODO: figures below are placeholders — no verified rate/standing-charge data source exists in this repo yet. Confirm against a live supplier panel or the Arkline pricing engine before publishing. Figures exclude VAT and the Climate Change Levy.
Gas standing charges scale with your meter’s annual quantity band and vary enormously between suppliers, from pennies to well over £1 a day. For low-usage sites, the standing charge can outweigh the gas itself, meaning the “cheapest unit rate” quote loses on total cost. We compare the full annual figure, always.
Gas prices carry a seasonal shape: winter demand prices differently from summer. Renewing a gas contract in a calm shoulder season regularly beats renewing in a cold snap, even for identical consumption. If your contract end date lands awkwardly, we can plan the approach rather than accept the timing.
Suppliers classify gas meters by Annual Quantity. Sitting just above a band threshold can change how you are priced and which suppliers want your business at all. We check your AQ against actual consumption, sites that have reduced usage are often still priced in the wrong band.
Bundling gas and electricity with one supplier is convenient, but the sharpest gas supplier is frequently not the sharpest on electricity. We price the fuels separately and together, and recommend whichever combination genuinely costs less, sometimes that is one supplier, often it is two.
Our fee is agreed upfront and disclosed in writing before you sign. It may be paid directly or collected via the supplier as a transparent p/kWh uplift. The exact amount depends on consumption, contract length, and service scope.
As a guide, our fee is typically 1–2p per kWh on electricity and approximately 1p per kWh on gas.
One adviser reviews your situation, checks the market, and gives you a straight answer. No portals. No pressure. No tariff confetti.
It depends on business size, region, meter (AQ) band and contract length, which is why we publish current rates by business size in the table above rather than a single average. Larger consumers typically pay less per unit and more in standing charge; smaller consumers see the opposite pattern. Send us a recent bill for a rate specific to your meter.
Unlike domestic gas, business gas is not covered by the Ofgem energy price cap, and business contracts carry 20% VAT rather than the 5% domestic rate (low-usage sites can qualify for the 5% rate and Climate Change Levy exemption). Business contracts are also individually negotiated rather than set by a single regulated tariff, so the price genuinely depends on how well the market was tendered.
Wholesale gas prices move constantly, but what you pay is normally fixed for the length of your contract once you sign. Prices are worth reviewing whenever your contract approaches its renewal window (we recommend 5 to 6 months ahead), or immediately if you have fallen onto an out-of-contract or deemed rate, since those track the market with no fix in place.