How Black Country businesses can use quieter summer weeks to review energy costs
03 Aug 2026
Published in: Member News
August is a useful time for Black Country businesses to review energy contracts, meters and usage before autumn gets busy. Checking every site, supplier and renewal date early can uncover missed supplies, improve budgeting and give businesses more time to make informed decisions.
For many Black Country businesses, August brings a change of pace.
Employees take annual leave, customers go away and some workplaces operate reduced hours. Manufacturers and workshops may adjust production schedules, while hospitality, leisure and retail businesses may become busier.
Whatever the pattern, summer can provide a useful opportunity to look at energy costs before the autumn rush begins.
Energy contracts are often left until a renewal letter arrives or a deadline is already approaching.
By then, the business may be trying to understand several bills, meters and contract dates while also managing its normal day-to-day pressures.
Using quieter summer weeks to get organised can make those decisions much easier.
Start with what the business actually has
One of the biggest difficulties businesses face is not always the price of energy itself.
It is the paperwork surrounding it.
A business may have several electricity or gas meters, different suppliers, several sites or contracts that end at different times.
People can inherit responsibility for energy without receiving a clear record of what is in place. Meters may have been added when a building was extended, divided or refurbished.
I recently supported a care home with a three-year renewal.
We still managed to save the client money, but during the review I also identified another meter on the site that had gone out of contract.
That additional supply could easily have continued being overlooked. T
he example is a reminder that reviewing energy is not only about finding a new price. It is also about checking that every meter and contract has been included.
Compare summer use with how the business normally operates
August consumption may not represent a typical month. A Black Country manufacturer may run fewer shifts because employees are away. A workshop may close for the bank holiday. An office may have fewer people working on site.
At the same time, a hotel, restaurant, visitor attraction or retailer may use more energy because it is serving more customers or operating for longer.
A change in consumption is not necessarily a concern.
It becomes more useful when the business can explain what caused it.
Keeping a note of temporary changes to opening hours, staffing and production will make future bills easier to understand. It can also prevent an unusual summer period from being treated as though it reflects normal annual demand.
Do not wait for the final few weeks of a contract
A common misconception is that businesses have to wait until their energy contract is about to end before reviewing it.
Depending on the supplier, usage and agreement, it may be possible to start looking at the options much earlier. In some cases, I can begin the process up to two years before the contract ends.
Starting early does not mean committing immediately.
It gives the business time to check its usage, organise every meter and site, understand the market and make a considered decision.
That can be especially valuable in a changing market, where the best approach may not be obvious from one headline or recent price movement.
Multiple sites do not have to mean multiple headaches
Businesses operating across several locations often have a mixture of suppliers, meter types and renewal dates.
That can make budgeting difficult and increase the risk of one contract being missed.
A full portfolio review can bring all the information into one place.
Where possible, contracts may also be brought onto a shared renewal date over time.
This can make future energy planning far easier and reduce the number of separate deadlines the business needs to manage. The same review can include gas, electricity and business water rather than considering each utility entirely separately.
A practical August task
Before September becomes busy, locate your latest bills and make a basic list of:
- Each site
- Every meter
- The current supplier
- The contract end date
- Any changes to normal summer trading
Do not worry when some of the information is missing.
Discovering and organising it is part of the review process. F
or Black Country businesses, the quieter summer weeks are not only a chance to reduce unnecessary energy use.
They are an opportunity to enter autumn with clearer information, fewer surprises and more time to make the right decisions.
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