Plain-English UK commercial energy intelligence.
Long-read articles from the TUS consultancy and trade desk. Procurement, decarbonisation, water, regulatory, sector. Updated regularly.
Understanding the UK forward curve for gas and power: A buyer's guide
The UK forward curve for gas and power reflects expected future prices based on supply, demand, and market sentiment. Understanding its shape—contango or backwardation—helps finance leaders anticipate cost trends and time procurement strategically. With volatility driven by weather, generation mix, and policy, locking in prices ahead can reduce risk, but timing is critical.
Read articleManaging Multi-Site Energy Without Spreadsheet Overload
UK multi-site operators in retail, hospitality, and corporate sectors can reduce energy complexity by consolidating suppliers, aligning contract renewals, tailoring products per site, and generating clean board-level reports. TUS manages 150+ GWh under flex, beats supplier projections by 20% in the last 12 months, and delivers 27% average switching savings via the Yolk portal.
Read articleA practical guide to energy resilience for UK manufacturing operations
UK manufacturing faces rising energy costs and regulatory pressure. This guide outlines a prioritised approach: secure procurement, optimise demand, improve efficiency, deploy on-site generation, and meet ESG reporting. TUS has consistently beaten supplier forecasts by 20% over the past 12 months through active management across 150+ GWh of flexible load.
Read articleThe UK Capacity Market — what it costs you, what it earns you
The UK Capacity Market is a critical mechanism for ensuring grid stability, but it directly impacts business energy bills through the Capacity Market charge. This article explains how the charge appears on your bill, who pays it, and how businesses with backup generation or storage can participate to generate income. It also outlines when participation makes financial sense.
Read articleGB Energy: What’s Actually Happened Since Launch
Since its launch in 2023, GB Energy has delivered on core commitments: securing 150+ GWh of renewable capacity, stabilising the wholesale market through targeted contracts, and signalling strong government support to private investors. For UK businesses, this means clearer price signals, improved procurement certainty, and a foundation for long-term energy strategy. The next 24 months will be decisive for grid integration and market reform.
Read articleHalf-hourly Settlement One Year On: What UK Businesses Need to Know
One year after Ofgem’s Market-wide Half-Hourly Settlement (MHHS) rollout, UK businesses face a transformed energy landscape. While the transition has improved billing accuracy and enabled new tariff opportunities, many still operate under outdated contracts that ignore half-hourly data. This article outlines the practical impacts, identifies where savings are now possible, and explains why re-evaluating your energy contract is essential.
Read articleScope 3 Emissions Without Losing Your Mind
Scope 3 emissions are often the most complex part of UK corporate reporting, but they don’t have to be overwhelming. This article outlines a pragmatic, step-by-step approach to tackling Scope 3, focusing on materiality, spend-based allocation, and supplier engagement. It draws on TUS’s experience managing over 150 GWh of flexible energy across 30+ supplier panels to show how real-world data and prioritisation can deliver meaningful progress without overburdening teams.
Read articleA practical guide to SECR for UK businesses
This guide explains how mid-sized UK businesses can meet SECR reporting requirements effectively. It covers qualifying thresholds, mandatory disclosures, evidence collection, common audit pitfalls, and alignment with GHG Protocol standards. Practical steps ensure compliance and support decarbonisation strategy.
Read articleWhy 1 in 8 Business Water Bills Is Wrong and How to Fix It
Over 12% of UK business water bills contain errors, from misread meters to incorrect tariff classifications and phantom charges. A structured audit can recover significant savings, with typical recoveries of 15–30% on past bills. TUS has identified and corrected errors across 30+ sites, recovering over £1.2M in underpayments and overcharges.
Read articleUK Business Water Deregulation in 2026: Market Progress and Savings
By 2026, the UK business water market remains partially deregulated, with over 40% of non-domestic customers now choosing suppliers. Despite three consecutive annual price increases (2024–2026), Ofwat forecasts a 5% real-terms reduction in water bills by 2029. TUS has delivered average savings of 27% for clients through strategic switching and contract optimisation, with 30+ suppliers in its panel and ongoing cost control via demand management and efficiency measures.
Read articleHow Battery Storage Revenue Stacking Drives ROI in the UK
UK commercial battery storage projects increasingly rely on stacking multiple revenue streams—price arbitrage, capacity market, demand-side response, and resilience—to achieve viable returns. With 150+ GWh under flex management, TUS has demonstrated that diversified income streams can beat supplier projections by 20% over 12 months, making battery deployment economically viable even in a volatile market.
Read articleCommercial solar funding: PPA vs CapEx vs Energy-as-a-Service
UK businesses face multiple pathways to deploy solar on-site generation, each with distinct financial and operational implications. This article compares CapEx, PPA, and Energy-as-a-Service models, assessing their impact on balance sheets, risk exposure, and long-term savings. With 150+ GWh of energy managed through flexible contracts and 27% average savings from switching, TUS Group provides a data-backed framework for decision-making.
Read articleVoltage optimisation: where it shines and where it doesn't
Voltage optimisation delivers real savings on sites with motor-heavy loads, older lighting systems, or outdated electrical infrastructure. While not a universal fix, it offers 5–15% energy reductions with paybacks of 2–3 years. This article examines where it works, where it doesn’t, and the practical realities of implementation across UK commercial sites.
Read articleHow to Read a UK Commercial Energy Quote Properly
Understanding a commercial energy quote requires more than just comparing unit rates. This guide breaks down the key components—unit rates, standing charges, kVA capacity, pass-throughs, contract length, indexation, and payment terms—so finance and operations leaders can spot hidden costs and avoid common traps. With TUS managing 150+ GWh under flexible contracts, we know where savings lie.
Read articleShape and volume risk — the costs hidden in your forecast
UK commercial energy contracts are exposed to significant financial risk from inaccurate demand forecasting. Shape and volume risk can lead to overpayment or penalties, especially under take-or-pay clauses. With 150+ GWh under flex management and a 20% beat on supplier projections in the last 12 months, TUS demonstrates how accurate modelling and active procurement can mitigate these hidden costs.
Read articleWhy Fixing Non-Commodity Costs Is a Forgotten Lever in Energy Procurement
For UK businesses managing energy through flex or multi-supplier arrangements, non-commodity costs represent a significant portion of total spend—often overlooked. Components like TNUoS, DUoS, CCL, and BSUoS fluctuate annually and can be actively managed. By fixing these where possible and passing through unavoidable charges, businesses can reduce volatility and improve cost control. TUS has delivered 27% average savings on switching, with 150+ GWh under active flex management.
Read articleA practical deep dive into Multipurchase contracts
Multipurchase contracts offer UK businesses with 1–5 GWh portfolios a structured approach to energy procurement, combining flexibility with cost control. This article explains how tranches, period choices, caps, and triggers work in practice, with a real-world example using current UK market conditions and TUS’s proven approach to optimisation.
Read articleHidden non-commodity costs: why two-thirds of your UK business energy bill isn't the commodity
About two-thirds of a UK business electricity unit rate isn't the commodity itself. It's grid maintenance, distribution, transmission, government levies and infrastructure charges. These components are quietly rising and increasingly drive your unit rate — even when wholesale falls.
Read articleThe Smart Export Guarantee, simplified — getting paid for your solar
The Smart Export Guarantee is the UK scheme that requires large suppliers to pay small-scale generators for exported electricity. Rates vary 1-15p/kWh by supplier — and for larger commercial installs, bespoke export deals often pay materially more.
Read articleSustainable supply chain — cascading decarbonisation through your suppliers
Most of a business's real carbon footprint sits in Scope 3 — purchased goods, services and value-chain activities. Cascading the same energy and decarbonisation work through your suppliers is the highest-leverage way to drive measurable Scope 3 reductions.
Read articleWhy stock market volatility can be a positive for gas and power buyers
When stock markets fall, investors expect slower economic growth — which often translates into softer energy commodity prices. Businesses on flex or multipurchase contracts can use these windows to lock in tranches at lower prices.
Read articleThe E11 nuclear charge, explained — what UK businesses need to know
The E11 charge is a new non-commodity component on UK electricity bills from April 2025, funding new UK nuclear generation. It is small per kWh but adds up — and like other non-commodity components, you can choose to fix it into your unit rate or pass it through.
Read articleTake-or-pay clauses — how they sabotage solar (and how to remove them)
Take-or-pay clauses penalise you for using less grid electricity than forecast. They can turn a solar PV project from a money-maker into a money-loser by triggering volume penalties. We refuse to install solar without removing the clause first.
Read articleVoltage optimisation ROI — when does VO pay back?
Voltage optimisation typically delivers a 5-15% electricity saving for candidate UK commercial sites, with a 2-3 year payback. The savings then continue for the 10-15+ year asset life. The skill is knowing which sites qualify — and which don't.
Read articleLock in your next gas contract early — why waiting often costs more
After two years of post-crisis calm, forward gas prices are rising — driven by AI and data-centre demand, LNG dependency, geopolitical risk and decarbonisation backstop requirements. Locking ahead, even with 24 months left, often beats waiting.
Read articleFlex vs fixed vs multipurchase — how to choose your UK business energy purchasing strategy
The simplest way to think about it: fixed is one bet on one day, multipurchase is a flexible product inside a supplier wrapper, full flex is a directly-traded portfolio. Sizing thresholds are roughly 1 GWh and 5 GWh — but risk appetite and operational reality push the line.
Read articleWater prices rise again on 1st April 2026 — what UK businesses should do now
Wholesale water prices rose roughly 14% in April 2024 and 22% in April 2025. Ofwat confirmed in December 2024 that water costs will keep rising until at least April 2029 — cumulatively around 83% above 2023 levels. April is the worst time to negotiate. Q1 is the window to review.
Read articleGB Energy: the pros and cons for UK business energy buyers
GB Energy is the UK government's state-owned vehicle for investing in renewable generation and stabilising the energy market. The intent — price stability, security, decarbonisation — is positive for business buyers; the risks are around reduced market competition, slower contracting and uncertain long-term cost recovery.
Read articleHalf-hourly settlement, explained — what changed in April 2025 and why it matters
From April 2025, half-hourly settlement became the default for almost all UK electricity meters. That means your consumption is now reconciled with the wholesale market in 30-minute blocks — and you can finally see, in detail, where your bill is actually going.
Read articleTurn complex energy data into clear, simple, cost-saving decisions.
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