Energy field notes / Quote comparison
How to compare commercial electricity quotes
Two electricity quotes can show different numbers for the same cost. To compare them, put every offer on the same meter, usage, start date and contract length, then check what each rate includes: a supply-only rate, an all-in rate and a partly fixed offer are not the same price. This checklist goes through it in order.
By Wire & Watt Published Updated
Use the same starting information.
Put the same service address, meter, usage information and intended start date on every quote request. Keep the contract lengths visible. An offer for a different start or term answers a different question.
For a restaurant, tell the pricing team about changes such as a new walk-in cooler, longer opening hours or a second kitchen. The recent bill describes past usage; the people pricing the account also need to understand what is changing.
Collect the full offer and contract terms. A rate copied from an email subject or an advert is not enough information to choose a supply agreement.
Separate supply from delivery and the rest.
The supply charge covers the electricity you buy. In eligible competitive markets, that is the part you can compare across suppliers. Your utility delivers the electricity and has its own charges. Taxes and other bill items may also apply.
Supply
The contract you compare.
Check the price structure, included components, term and start date.
Delivery and other charges
Keep them in the calculation.
Read the utility charges, taxes and fees when assessing the whole bill.
Dividing the total bill by kilowatt-hours gives an average cost across those bill items. It is not automatically the supply rate to put beside a supplier quote. Read the labeled supply section and check whether a quoted offer includes or excludes delivery.
Put these details beside every offer.
| Check | What to ask |
|---|---|
| Service and usage | Is this for the same meter and the same usage information? |
| Supply rate | Which supply components are included, and which can change? |
| Delivery | Is utility delivery included in the displayed price or billed separately? |
| Start and term | When does the contract start, and how long does it run? |
| Fees and conditions | Are there recurring fees, usage conditions or charges for ending early? |
| Renewal | What happens at expiry, and is notice required? |
| Quote validity | Until when can the supplier accept this offer? |
Ask for an unclear item to be explained in writing. If two offers include different components, have the pricing team reconcile them before ranking the headline rates.
Ask exactly what is fixed.
A fixed supply offer and an offer with adjustable components can leave the business with different exposure. Check whether capacity, transmission or other supply costs are bundled or can pass through under the contract. A supplier’s plan name alone does not answer that.
Even when the supply rate is fixed, usage changes the monthly cost. The utility’s delivery charges and applicable taxes also need to be considered. Treat “fixed” as a description of specified contract components, rather than a promise that the total bill will stay the same.
Check the contract before you sign.
Match the supplier, meter, rate structure, term and start date to the offer you chose. Read the fees, usage conditions and renewal provisions. Keep the accepted agreement with the current one so the changeover can be checked.
If your present contract still has time to run, use our contract renewal guide to check the dates first. A lower headline rate does not settle whether changing early makes sense.
Wire & Watt works with Box Energy to compare available supply offers for your location. You can start a restaurant rate comparison without your bill and add every page later. There is no separate fee for our help; the supplier you choose pays us. Nothing changes unless you sign, and a lower rate is not guaranteed.
Common questions
- How do I compare business electricity quotes?
- Put every offer on the same basis: the same meter, usage, start date and contract length. Then check which supply components each rate includes, whether delivery is included, any fees, and what happens at expiry.
- Is my total bill divided by kWh my supply rate?
- No. That gives an average across supply, delivery, taxes and fees. Compare a quote against the labeled supply section of your bill instead.
- Does a fixed rate mean a fixed bill?
- No. A fixed rate fixes the contract components it names. Your monthly cost still changes with usage, and the utility's delivery charges and taxes also apply.
- What should I check before signing?
- That the supplier, meter, rate structure, term and start date match the offer you chose, and the fees, usage conditions and renewal provisions in the contract.
Sources and scope
Supplier explanations support the general contract and billing points in this guide. Your own agreement and service location determine the terms that apply to you.
Wire & Watt wrote this guide from the sources below. No supplier or utility paid for it or reviewed it. The supplier a business chooses pays us, never the business: how we’re paid.