Business energy and utilities for offices
Office bills are mostly heating, lighting and IT. The harder question is often who holds the contract: you, your landlord or a serviced office provider. We start there, then look at whatever contracts are yours to change.
- Who pays for what, checked against your lease first
- Electricity and gas quoted separately
How Helios helps offices.
Whether you lease, share or rent a serviced space, Helios works out which utilities are yours and keeps them on one list.
One contact for the office
Electricity, gas, water, waste, broadband and phones on one list, whoever in the team deals with the bills.
Clear on who pays for what
Leased, shared or serviced: we check which utilities are yours and which your landlord recharges before we quote.
Moving office without the gaps
We set up supplies from your move-in date, so you are not left on deemed rates while you settle in.
End dates tracked for you
Every contract’s end date and notice window on one list, with reminders before each one.
Leased, shared or serviced: who pays for which utilities
Ofgem advises businesses to check whether energy costs are included in the tenancy agreement. If you hold the contracts yourself, you can review them. If your landlord holds them, or utilities are included in your rent or serviced office fee, changes usually go through the landlord or provider, and your lease sets out how costs are recharged.
Ofwat’s draft guidance says that where several business premises share one supply point, they should be treated as a single premises for water. In a multi-let building, that usually means the switching decision sits with whoever holds the supply.
Sources: Ofgem, Ofwat (draft)
Moving into a new office
Ofgem says you are responsible for any energy you use before your new contract starts, and that without a contract your supplier could put you on a deemed rate, where the rates can go up and down. Most suppliers will not let you switch before the end of a contract, so it is worth knowing what the previous tenant left in place.
Take meter readings on the day you move in, tell the suppliers, and send us the details so we can quote before a deemed rate runs for months.
Source: Ofgem
Where office energy goes
The Carbon Trust’s office guide says heating accounts for 20–40% of energy costs in a typical office, that office equipment uses about 15% of total energy, and that typically two thirds of an office’s heat is lost through the building fabric. It also flags heating left on in empty buildings because timers are set wrong.
Source: Carbon Trust (2018)
What offices usually need from us
Rules that apply to offices
Recycling applies to offices too
Offices are covered by Simpler Recycling in England. Food waste must be collected even if you have no kitchen.
Source: GOV.UK
Shared buildings
The Environment Agency may send compliance notices to landlords or facilities companies that present waste for tenants.
Source: GOV.UK
Keeping contracts and documents in order
Before we quote, we note which contracts are yours and which sit with your landlord.
- Energy: supplier, meter numbers, end dates, notice windows
- Lease clauses on utilities and recharges
- Waste: who arranges collection
- Broadband and phone contracts and their end dates
What to send us
Send what you have and we will ask for anything else we need.
- Recent electricity and gas bills, if the contracts are yours
- The utilities section of your lease, if unsure
- Your broadband and phone bills
- Your waste invoice, if you arrange collection
How Helios looks after an office.
Here is how an office’s contracts look in the Helios portal: every service, every end date and every document in one place.
- One contact for every service and every site
- Every end date and notice window tracked, with reminders
- Rates exactly as printed: electricity and gas always quoted separately
- Contracts, documents and meter readings in your Helios portal
Office · Second floorIllustration only- ElectricityOffice floor31/07/2027Live
- GasHeating31/07/2027Live
- TelecomsBroadband and VoIP30/11/2027Live
- WasteRecycling and general28/02/2027Renewal due
- WaterRecharged by landlordLeaseLive
One office or several
A single office
We check what is yours to change, then compare it against your own usage.
Several offices
Each office has its own lease and meters. We keep them on one list. See multi-site groups.
What we may find
It depends on your bills and lease. These are the things we check.
- A deemed contract left from moving in
- Heating timers that do not match your hours
- Phone lines you pay for but no longer use
- Recycling that does not include food waste
Get a quote for your office
Tell us about your business and we’ll be in touch. We check your contract end dates and notice windows before we quote.
Prefer to talk? Call 020 4628 5727, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Frequently asked questions
Can I switch supplier if my landlord pays the bills?
Usually not directly. If energy is in your rent or service charge, changes go through the landlord. Check your lease for how utilities are recharged.
Does Simpler Recycling apply to offices?
Yes. Offices in England must separate dry recyclables, food waste and general waste. Businesses with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees have until 31 March 2027.
Do all offices pay the Climate Change Levy?
Business energy carries the levy, at £0.00801 per kWh from 1 April 2026. Very small de minimis supplies are excluded.
What is a deemed contract?
The contract you are on if you use energy without agreeing one, for example after moving in. Ofgem says deemed rates are usually higher than negotiated rates.
Bring your office into one place.
Send us a recent bill and we will start with your contract dates and prices. Add the rest of your services whenever you are ready.
