British Business Parks, which helps to revitalise the fortunes of run-down industrial areas is recommending firms to shop around and look for the best deals possible on their utility packages.

Vanessa Emery, BBP’s Project Manager, said: “Thrifty homeowners are always looking to reduce the household budget by securing the best deal they can for their gas, water and electricity, and businesses should be no different.

“Unfortunately a lot are and for the sake of a few phone calls they could be missing out on some very special deals.”

BBP offers its clients a service called Energy Wise, which aims to give them the best deal possible on their utilities.

Working in conjunction with independent utility broker Utility Auditing Ltd, BBP scours the energy and communications markets for the most cost-effective deals available.

“With both gas and electricity BBP Energy Wise can look at and negotiate Supply Contracts on behalf of companies, creating substantial savings for businesses spending £2-4,000 per annum or more,” said Mrs Emery.

“They can also look at new supplies and upgrades to existing systems. This is particularly relevant to companies who have moved into new premises or into premises previously used by another company as very often the supply in this new building may not be right for them.

“For example, they could be paying a standing charge for a meter that may not be the correct size for them.

“BBP Energy Wise can project manage this whole negotiation with the supplier to ensure that firms only pay for what they need.”

The scheme also allows UAL to carry out a full audit on energy usage and recommend products for reducing consumption. The service can also review old utility bills and recover historical overcharges from up to six years ago.

With electricity, UAL will carry out an analysis of the tariffs and consumption from the bills to assess consumption patterns. The team of experts can then negotiate the time of day rates being charged to that company, as there are different rates for usage at different times of day, such as a day rate, night rate and weekend rate. If a company works shifts, or over the weekend, by renegotiating these rates, they can substantially reduce their costs.

“It is also often the case that the supply into the building is wrong and the company will be paying a standing charge for this even if it is not used. BBP Energy Wise can assist with downsizing the supply, hence reducing overheads,” said Mrs Emery.

The programme can also help to reduce other costs, such as those of communications.

“Communications is a huge service area where major savings can be made by BBP Energy Wise.

“For example, up to 70 per cent can be saved on call spends by mixing and matching different suppliers for different communication needs, then checking every three to four months to ensure the company is still getting the best deal,” said Mrs Emery.

“If the company is spending £500 per month or more, they can even get Broadband installed for free.

“Most companies are paying 15p per minute from a landline to a mobile and BBP Energy Wise has a flat rate of 10p per minute,” she added.

Savings can also be made on water. UAL can audit bills to check for overcharging, look at meter size reductions and installations, carry out leak detection and consumption audits plus analyse trade effluence.

Mrs Emery urged all businesses to seriously consider the benefits available because they offered complete peace of mind.

“Twenty per cent of all energy is wasted. BBP Energy Wise offers free energy audits which will result in nine out of 10 companies reducing their utility costs by a minimum of 20 per cent

“There is nothing to lose by contacting BBP Energy Wise, as there is a free audit with no obligation and the company does not have to pay for the services, as payment is made to UAL by the service provider in a form of an introducer’s fee,” she said.

A proportion of this will then be paid back to the appropriate Business Park in the form of commission. This money can then be used to fund ongoing improvements in their site.

For further details please contact Vanessa Emery on 01543 460050.