In short
Dual fuel for business means getting gas and electricity from the same supplier. You still have two supply points, an MPAN for electricity and an MPRN for gas, and often two contracts with their own terms and end dates. It can simplify accounts and renewals, but it is not automatically better than buying each fuel separately.
Ask about business dual fuel
Tell us your premises, meters and renewal date and we will reply by email with options.
What dual fuel means for a business
At home, dual fuel usually means one supplier and one tariff for both fuels. In the business market the idea is the same, but the mechanics are different:
- One supplier supplies both your gas and your electricity at a site.
- Two supply points remain: the electricity supply has an MPAN and the gas supply has an MPRN. Each is metered and settled separately.
- Often two contracts. Many business suppliers issue a separate contract for each fuel, each with its own unit rate, standing charge, term and end date. Some offer a combined account or a single bill.
- Separate taxes per fuel. Climate Change Levy and VAT are worked out on each fuel's use, even on a combined bill.
So when you see a dual fuel offer, check whether you are getting one contract or two, and whether the end dates match.
Pros and cons of dual fuel, stated plainly
Whether dual fuel suits you depends on your sites and how you like to manage them. Neither approach is better in every case.
| Consideration | Dual fuel (one supplier) | Separate suppliers |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts and contacts | One supplier relationship for both fuels | Two suppliers to deal with |
| Bills | Possibly one combined bill, depending on the supplier | Two bills |
| Renewal dates | Easier to align so both fuels renew together | Dates can drift apart unless you manage them |
| Choice of offer | Limited to suppliers that offer both fuels for your site | You can take the most suitable offer for each fuel |
| Tariff fit | Both fuels on the same supplier's product range | Each fuel on the tariff type that suits it, such as flexible electricity with fixed gas |
| Problems | One supplier to complain to about both | A problem with one supplier does not affect the other fuel |
We make no claim that dual fuel costs less. Sometimes the same supplier's offer for both fuels is the most suitable; sometimes one fuel is better placed elsewhere. Fidelity Energy can get quotes both ways so you can see the difference for your own sites.
Not sure which option suits you? Ask us
Tell us about your premises and usage and we will explain the options that fit.
Not every business supplier offers dual fuel
Gas supply and electricity supply are licensed separately in Great Britain, and a supplier's business range does not always cover both fuels or every type of site. Ofgem also notes that a supplier does not have to supply every business: it can decide based on factors such as the size of the supply or your credit rating, and suppliers may not offer every contract type. That means the set of suppliers able to quote dual fuel for your site can be smaller than the set quoting each fuel on its own, so it is worth asking for both fuels and for each fuel on its own.
Aligning contract end dates
The most practical benefit of dual fuel is often timing. If your gas and electricity contracts end months apart, you face two renewal windows a year, two sets of notice terms and two chances to slip onto rollover or out-of-contract rates. Aligning them helps you review both fuels together.
- Find both end dates from your bills or contract documents, and the notice period for each.
- Check the switching window for each fixed-rate contract. Ofgem says this window opens a few months before the end date.
- Choose a common end date. Often the new contract for the fuel that ends first is set to run to a date that lines up with the second fuel's next renewal.
- Confirm both contracts in writing, including terms, end dates and how commission is shown in the principal terms.
- Diary the next window so both fuels are reviewed together before they end.
This matters even more for multi-site businesses and landlords; see business energy for landlords.
Want this looked at for your premises?
Tell us your sites, meters and renewal dates and we will reply by email with options.
When separate contracts can make more sense
- Very different usage profiles, such as a half-hourly electricity site on a pass-through contract alongside a small gas supply.
- Different risk appetites per fuel, for example flexible energy contracts for electricity and a fixed price for gas.
- Contracts already running that would cost an exit fee to bring together early.
- A green requirement for one fuel only, such as green electricity for business with standard gas.
None of these rules dual fuel out. They are reasons to price both options before you decide.
What a dual fuel bill shows
Whether your supplier sends one combined bill or two, each fuel is still calculated on its own. On a dual fuel bill you should be able to find, for each fuel:
| Item | Electricity | Gas |
|---|---|---|
| Supply number | MPAN | MPRN |
| Readings | kWh from the meter, per rate band if multi-rate | Volume from the meter, converted to kWh |
| Unit rate | Per kWh, possibly day and night rates | Per kWh |
| Standing charge | Daily fixed charge | Daily fixed charge |
| Climate Change Levy | Per kWh on business use | Per kWh on business use |
| VAT | Standard rate unless qualifying use | Standard rate unless qualifying use |
| Contract end date | Shown per contract | Shown per contract |
If a combined bill only shows one total, ask the supplier for the breakdown. Checking each fuel separately is the only way to spot an estimated reading, a wrong rate or a contract that has rolled over. Our business energy bills explained guide walks through each line, and business energy standing charges explains the daily charge.
Dual fuel for multi-site businesses
For a business with several premises, 'dual fuel' can mean different things: both fuels from one supplier at each site, or one supplier across the whole estate. The second is sometimes called a group or portfolio contract, and not every supplier offers it. Before choosing, it helps to list every site with:
- Its MPANs and MPRNs, and the meter type at each
- Which sites take gas, electricity or both
- The current supplier and contract end date for each supply
- Annual consumption per supply, so offers can be priced accurately
With that list, quotes can be requested site by site or, where a supplier offers it, for the whole portfolio, and you can see which supplies are worth bringing together and which are better left as they are. Sites with half-hourly electricity often sit better on their own terms; see half-hourly meters explained.
What to have ready
For a dual fuel quote, gather a recent business electricity bill and a recent business gas bill for each site, the MPAN and MPRN, annual consumption for each fuel, and both contract end dates. Then contact us. We help you put the details together and introduce you to Fidelity Energy, which gets quotes for both fuels from the suppliers it works with and handles the contract or contracts you choose. If you want to put several suppliers' offers side by side, our sister site covers business energy comparison.
How Forever Communications helps with business gas and electricity
Forever Communications is part of Forever Group, which looks after phone systems, business mobiles and connectivity for UK organisations. For business electricity and gas, we work as an agent of Fidelity Energy, an independent business energy broker that prices your requirements with the suppliers on its panel. We are not an energy supplier, and neither is Fidelity Energy.
- Make sense of your bills: we can help you read unit rates, standing charges, meter details and the other costs on your invoices
- Like-for-like quotes: we help you gather your meter numbers, consumption and contract end dates so suppliers quote on the same basis
- The right tariff type: we can talk you through fixed, flexible and pass-through contracts, green electricity and green gas options before you decide
- Better timing: we help you plan a renewal ahead of your contract end date, or move off deemed and out-of-contract rates when you move premises
- Your choice: you decide which quote, if any, to accept; prices and terms are set by the suppliers and confirmed at quote, including the broker commission
We work with offices, shops, hospitality, landlords, manufacturers and multi-site organisations. Send us a recent bill and we can take it from there.
Frequently asked questions
What is dual fuel?
Dual fuel means buying gas and electricity from the same supplier. For a business it usually still means two supply points (an MPAN and an MPRN) and often two contracts, one per fuel.
Is dual fuel cheaper for business?
Not necessarily. Sometimes one supplier's offer for both fuels is the most suitable, and sometimes one fuel is better placed with another supplier. The only way to know for your sites is to price both ways.
Can I have gas and electricity on one business contract?
Some suppliers offer a combined account or bill, but many issue a separate contract for each fuel with its own terms and end date. Check what an offer actually includes before you agree.
Do all business energy suppliers offer dual fuel?
No. Gas and electricity supply are licensed separately, a supplier's business range does not always cover both fuels, and Ofgem says suppliers can decide which businesses to supply, so fewer may be able to quote dual fuel for your site.
Can I align my gas and electricity contract end dates?
Usually, yes, when you renew. The new contract for the fuel that ends first can often be set to end at the same time as the other fuel's next contract, so both renew together.
Still have a question about business dual fuel?
Ask us and a member of our team will reply by email.