As 2027 budgets begin to take shape, many company directors are looking closely at one of the most difficult areas to forecast: business utilities.
Energy costs can move quickly, contracts have important dates attached to them, and sustainability expectations continue to influence business decisions. At the same time, operational plans may be changing. A new site, additional equipment, fleet changes or plans for solar could all affect the utilities your business needs.
A well-prepared energy and sustainability review gives you a clearer starting point. It is not about making rushed decisions or trying to predict every market movement. It is about bringing together the information that matters, identifying the decisions ahead and understanding which options may support your commercial and net zero priorities.
Here is a practical guide to what to bring to a 2027 business energy and sustainability review.
Start with the commercial basics
The first step is to build a clear picture of where your business stands today. It sounds simple, but utility information is often spread across finance teams, site managers, suppliers and different departments.
Gathering it in one place can make a review more productive and help ensure important details are not missed.
Useful information includes:
- Recent electricity and gas bills
- Water and waste invoices, where relevant
- Current consumption or usage information
- Meter details and site addresses
- Current supplier arrangements
- Contract start and end dates
- Renewal and notice periods
- Any correspondence about upcoming renewals
- Details of standing charges and other items shown on bills
Your bills are not just payment documents. They can help show how your organisation uses utilities, how many supplies are involved and whether there are areas that need a closer look.
Contract dates deserve particular attention. Leaving a renewal until the last minute can reduce the time available to review options properly. Starting early gives directors more room to consider the right approach for the business, rather than making a decision under pressure.
For a useful checklist of the dates and details to review, read our [utility contract renewal countdown for UK businesses](/blog/utility-contract-renewal-countdown-uk-businesses).
It is also worth including utilities beyond electricity and gas. Water and waste costs can be part of the wider picture, particularly for businesses with multiple sites, high usage or changing operational requirements. A joined-up review can help directors see these areas alongside their energy plans instead of treating each one as a separate task.
Bring your 2027 operational plans to the table
An energy contract should not be looked at in isolation. The right question is not only, “What are we using today?” It is also, “What will our business need next year?”
Plans for 2027 could change your energy use, your site requirements or the opportunities available to you. Bringing these plans into the conversation early can support more informed commercial decisions.
Consider whether any of the following are on the horizon:
- Opening, relocating or closing premises
- Expanding production, storage or office space
- Installing new machinery, refrigeration, heating or cooling equipment
- Changing working patterns or opening hours
- Introducing electric vehicles or workplace charging
- Replacing older equipment with more efficient alternatives
- Reviewing the potential for solar panels
- Considering battery storage
- Exploring combined heat and power, often known as CHP
You do not need to have every answer in place before a review. Even early-stage plans are useful. They help create a more realistic view of future demand and allow you to ask better questions before committing to contracts or capital projects.
For example, a business considering solar, battery storage or CHP will want to understand how those options may fit with its wider energy strategy. These technologies are not automatically right for every site or organisation. Their suitability depends on individual circumstances, operational needs and commercial priorities.
That is why an honest conversation at the planning stage matters. It allows directors to consider sustainable energy options alongside contract arrangements, consumption and budget planning.
Our guide to [building a smarter 2027 business energy plan](/blog/build-smarter-2027-business-energy-plan) explores how bringing these areas together can help create a clearer plan for the year ahead.
Be clear about what success looks like
A useful review should be guided by your business objectives. Different directors will have different priorities, and there is no single definition of a successful energy strategy.
For some businesses, the main objective may be greater cost certainty for the year ahead. For others, reducing consumption may be the priority. Some organisations may be focused on making meaningful progress towards internal net zero targets, while others may need a practical combination of all three.
Before your review, take time to set out what matters most. You may want to consider:
- Whether budget certainty is a key priority
- Whether you need to reduce energy consumption
- Whether you want to review electricity, gas, water and waste together
- Whether your current arrangements still suit the business
- Whether sustainability commitments need to be reflected in future plans
- Whether renewable generation or storage should be explored
- Who needs to be involved in final decisions
- What information your board, finance team or stakeholders need
Being clear about these priorities helps keep the discussion focused. It can also help avoid a common problem: choosing an option based only on one part of the picture.
Cost remains important, particularly in a volatile marketplace. But for many directors, the best long-term decision also needs to consider operational resilience, consumption, site plans and sustainability aims.
What honest advice and clear communication should look like
A practical reminder: A good utility and sustainability review should be clear, open and relevant to your business. You should understand what information is being considered, what options are available and where further investigation may be needed before a decision is made.
There is real value in being able to ask straightforward questions and receive straightforward answers. Directors should not feel expected to become energy specialists overnight. The purpose of a review is to help you understand the choices in front of you and how they relate to your organisation.
This is particularly important when considering sustainable technologies. Solar, battery storage and CHP can all form part of a wider strategy, but the right route depends on the business, its premises and its objectives. A clear assessment should focus on your circumstances rather than a one-size-fits-all recommendation.
It is also useful to ask how future changes will be handled. If your business grows, moves site, adds electric vehicles or changes operating hours, you will want an energy strategy that can be reviewed as those plans develop.
Turn preparation into a more predictable 2027
No one can remove every uncertainty from the energy market. However, directors can reduce avoidable uncertainty by preparing early, understanding their contract position and linking utility decisions to operational and sustainability plans.
Bring your bills, contract dates, usage information and business plans together. Decide what a good outcome looks like for your organisation. Then use that information to have a more focused conversation about electricity, gas, water, waste and sustainable energy options.
Business Utility Agents Ltd can support businesses with sustainable electricity, gas, water and waste negotiations, as well as solar, battery storage and CHP considerations. If you are shaping 2027 budgets or approaching a contract decision, now is the time to start the conversation.
[Book a tailored business utility and sustainability review with Business Utility Agents Ltd](https://www.businessutilityagents.co.uk) before budgets and contract decisions are finalised.
2027 energy review pack: the documents directors should request
Before the meeting, ask finance, operations and site teams to prepare one shared review pack. This should distinguish information needed for a strategic decision from documents needed only to administer a supply contract.
- A list of every site, its opening status and the responsible operational contact
- A 12-month cost summary split between consumption charges, standing charges, taxes and other bill items
- Monthly or half-hourly consumption data where it is available
- A forward demand forecast covering planned growth, equipment changes and altered operating hours
- A register of contract end dates, notice deadlines and supplier contacts
- A list of proposed energy projects, their estimated timing and the person accountable for each one
- A short paper identifying decisions required in the next 3, 6 and 12 months
This format helps directors assess cost exposure, operational risk and investment choices together rather than reviewing individual bills in isolation.
Bring supply identifiers and interval data, not just invoices
For each electricity supply, include the Meter Point Administration Number, usually called the MPAN or supply number. For gas, include the Meter Point Reference Number, or MPRN. These identifiers allow a supplier or adviser to match the correct meter and address, particularly where a business has changed tenant, supplier or site name.
Where a site has a smart meter or half-hourly metering, export consumption data in a usable file rather than relying only on the total shown on a bill. Half-hourly data can show when electricity is used during the day and whether demand peaks align with production, refrigeration, heating, charging or building occupancy.
- MPAN and MPRN for each active supply
- Meter serial numbers and meter read dates
- At least 12 months of consumption history where possible
- Any known metering faults, estimated reads or vacant-property supplies
Accurate meter and usage data makes future-demand assumptions easier to test before a contract or energy project is approved.
How should planned business changes affect a 2027 energy contract?
Planned changes should be assessed before agreeing contract volume, duration or site coverage. A contract based only on last year's consumption may not reflect what the business will need after a relocation, extension, production change or electrification project.
Start by estimating whether each plan is likely to increase, reduce or shift energy use. For example, electric vehicle charging can increase electricity demand at a site, while replacing gas heating with a heat pump may reduce gas use and raise electricity use. Solar generation may reduce imported electricity at certain times, but it does not remove the need to understand site demand outside daylight hours.
For each project, record its expected go-live date, confidence level, estimated impact on electricity and gas use, capital approval status and any dependency on grid capacity. This gives directors a transparent basis for deciding whether to contract for current demand, expected demand or a staged approach.
Check whether energy data is also needed for SECR, ESOS or carbon reporting
A 2027 review should identify whether the business has energy-reporting obligations as well as commercial energy decisions. In the UK, the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting framework, known as SECR, requires certain quoted companies and large unquoted companies or LLPs to report energy and carbon information in their annual reports. Large companies generally meet two of three thresholds: at least 250 employees, turnover above £36 million and a balance sheet total above £18 million.
The Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme, or ESOS, may also be relevant to large undertakings and groups. Directors should confirm the organisation's qualification status, reporting boundary and evidence requirements with the appropriate finance, sustainability and compliance teams.
- Annual energy and emissions data used for statutory reporting
- Organisational boundary and site ownership information
- Previous audits, action plans and efficiency recommendations
- Methodology used to calculate emissions and consumption
Keeping these records aligned can reduce duplicated data collection and make governance more consistent.
What to check before proposing solar, battery storage or EV charging
On-site generation and electrification projects require more than an estimate of annual consumption. Directors should ask for site-specific information about roof or land suitability, electricity demand timing, existing connection capacity and potential export arrangements.
For solar, establish whether the organisation expects to use generated electricity on site, export surplus power, or both. For batteries and EV charging, identify the proposed charging times and whether they could create new peaks in site demand. A project may also need discussion with the local Distribution Network Operator, often called the DNO, if it changes the site's connection, import capacity or export capacity.
- Site load profile and current maximum demand
- Proposed technology size and anticipated installation date
- Import and export meter arrangements
- Connection capacity and any DNO correspondence
- Planning, landlord and lease permissions
- Maintenance responsibilities and projected asset life
These checks help distinguish a feasible energy project from an early idea that needs further technical work.