The Consumer Council

The Consumer Council NI provides a number of interactive tools on its website to inform and support small businesses on the energy market and we will be promoting these. Our Small Business Energy Price Comparison Tool enables Small Businesses to compare their own electricity and gas usage and unit price with other existing tariffs.

In addition to this, we have a number of free resources and practical advice and tools on our website to help small businesses during this cost of living crisis / cost of doing business emergency https://www.consumercouncil.org.uk/costofliving/business. If consumers wish to know more about energy issues for their business, they can download our ‘Switch On’ guide for small businesses. The guide covers bills and tariffs, contracts, energy efficiency, making a complaint and more. Download a copy by clicking here. This was produced in 2019 and we are currently working to update it over the coming weeks.

The Consumer Council also offer businesses a free Water Bill Health Check to provide them with a simple breakdown and explanation of their water bill. It will ensure that they are being billed correctly and will help identify opportunities for them to save money on their water bills. If appropriate for the business’s circumstance, the Consumer Council can also provide some water efficiency advice. For a free Water Bill Health Check please send an email request to contact@consumercouncil.org.uk

In this financial year, the Consumer Council have reached out to and assisted Hospitality Ulster members. In doing so, we ensure they are being billed correctly by NI Water, that they are availing of all relevant allowances. In the last 3 years we have helped NI businesses and organisations to save over £250k.

Whether you are considering switching supplier, looking for tips, tools and information on how to make your home more energy efficient or want to check how much your electrical appliances cost to use. Find out more on the Consumer Council website.

Energy | Consumer Council

Energy Bill Relief Scheme

This scheme will provide energy bill relief for non-domestic customers in Northern Ireland. Discounts will be applied to energy usage initially between 1 October 2022 and 31 March 2023.

Find out more https://www.gov.uk/guidance/energy-bill-relief-scheme-help-for-businesses-and-other-non-domestic-customers-northern-ireland