Reduce your utility bills

A checklist for utility savings.

At Connected Accounting we can provide businesses in the St Albans area with help and advice on finance and on a wide range of business issues. Here is a checklist for reducing your utility bills…

Almost every business pays more than it needs to in utility bills. Conducting a utility audit might seem like a time consuming distraction but you could be pleasantly surprised by how much it adds to your bottom line.

Use the checklist below to identify potential savings for your business:

	Tick
Have a member of staff responsible for checking all utility bills – Make sure they know how the bills are calculated, what tariffs are available, etc.
Carry out your own readings of all energy and water meters each month – Use the information to plot patterns of use
Check that all utility bills are accurate and that any estimates are reasonable – Even the largest utility companies make mistakes
Annually review the tariffs you use – Not only do your usage patterns change, your suppliers also change the deals they offer
Monitor overnight energy usage – Check if it is being used by essential equipment and if so that you have the best overnight tariff
Make the best use of cheap rate electricity – If you can arrange usage by water heaters etc so that 15% of total electricity usage occurs during off–peak hours, you might benefit from switching to a day/night tariff
If you are on a Maximum Demand tariff, review your supply capacity – If your declared supply capacity is more than 15% higher than your highest Maximum Demand, contact your supplier to have it lowered
Find ways to reduce usage during peak hours – Try rescheduling non–essential loads
If you are on a monthly tariff, check your power factor – Check that you are not being penalised for a poor power factor
Shop around for a cheaper electricity and/or gas supplier
If your site has more than one gas meter, make sure they are aggregated for billing purposes – This can reduce both standing and unit charges and could lead to a better rate
Make sure your water meter is the right size – Standing charges are calculated according to meter size – don't pay for an unnecessarily large one

If you are in the St Albans area and are looking for professional advice from an experienced team of accountants, contact Connected Accounting.

Latest News Keep up with the latest business news stories

17 Nov 2025

Outdated rules could dim UK's creative spirit, warns FSB

Small firms in the creative industries are ready to drive growth ? but need a system that reflects the realities of modern work, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has warned.

14 Nov 2025

Chancellor rules out cutting tax-free pension lump sum limit in Budget

The Treasury has confirmed that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will not cut the tax-free pension lump sum limit in the Autumn Budget on 26 November.

13 Nov 2025

Budget 'make or break' after sluggish growth figures, says BCC

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is facing a 'make or break' Budget after sluggish growth figures were published for the third quarter of the year, says the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).

12 Nov 2025

UK jobs market weakens as unemployment rises

Data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed that the unemployment rate rose to 5% in the three months to September.

11 Nov 2025

Employers expect AI to shrink workforce over coming year

Research carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has suggested that one in six employers anticipate that artificial intelligence (AI) will shrink their workforce over the next year.

10 Nov 2025

Think tank urges Chancellor to prioritise prices in Autumn Budget

Think tank the Resolution Foundation has called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to use the Autumn Budget on 26 November to put the public finances in order and reduce prices and poverty.

07 Nov 2025