Looking at the average energy consumption in the UK can give you an indication of where your business falls on the average gas and electricity usage scale, helping you compare your energy consumption and cost to those of other UK businesses.
Of course, your average energy consumption depends on a number of variables, including:
- The electrical appliances and machinery used - intensity and duration
- The time of day, week and year
- The size of your business
- The nature of your business and the relative amount of energy required to run it
For the purposes of this business energy consumption comparison, we'll break down the average business energy consumption by the size of the business:
- Micro
- Small
- Medium
Having an idea of how much energy businesses of a similar size are spending on electricity helps your business identify if you are using too much energy - or being charged too much for it!
FYI - Comparing UK energy tariffs to the rest of Europe, the UK falls somewhere around the middle.
Average electricity consumption
Relative to size, here are the estimated average business electricity consumption figures for organisations in the UK:
- Micro: 5 000 - 15 000 kWh per year, with an average annual electricity cost of £1 349
- Small: 15 000 - 30 000 kWh per year, with an average annual electricity cost of £2 566
- Medium: 30 000 - 50 000 kWh per year, with an average annual electricity cost of £4 208
Average gas consumption
Relative to size, here are the estimated average business electricity consumption figures for organisations in the UK:
- Micro: 5 000 - 15 000 kWh per year, with an average annual gas bill of £516
- Small: 15 000 - 30 000 kWh per year, with an average annual gas bill of £965
- Medium: 30 000 - 50 000 kWh per year, with an average annual gas bill of £1 502
So, how do your business energy consumption and prices compare?
You can use your electricity bills to compare your own energy costs to the national averages above. It's helpful to look at both the consumption (kWh per year), as well as the annual cost (GBP value per year). This will help you identify whether you could be using too much or paying too much.
Once you have this knowledge... the next question is: How do you reduce your average business energy consumption and bills?
Business energy broker Smarter Business put together a helpful guide to help your business reduce energy consumption AND save on energy costs for businesses of any size. Click here to view or download this free 'how-to' manual. https://smarterbusiness.co.uk/your-business-energy-saving-guide/
