Business energy and utilities for pubs
Cellar cooling, bar chillers, kitchens and heating make a pub’s energy use unlike any other business on the street. We look after electricity, gas, water, glass and food waste, card payments and alarm lines for wet-led and food-led pubs.
- Cellar and kitchen loads considered when we compare contracts
- Electricity and gas quoted separately, with notice windows checked first
- Glass and food waste set up for the rules where you trade
How Helios helps pubs.
Cellars, kitchens, glass and card terminals all sit on different contracts. Helios brings them together with one contact.
One contact for the whole pub
Electricity, gas, water, glass and food waste, card terminals and insurance renewals on one list.
Cellar cooling around the clock
Cellar cooling and bar chillers run day and night, so night rates and standing charges matter. We compare them as printed.
Glass and food waste collections
Glass, food waste and recycling collected on the days your pub needs, under the rules where you trade.
Free house, tenancy or group
Whether you choose your own suppliers or your agreement sets some of them, we check what you can change and when.
Where a pub’s energy goes
Keeping drinks cold
The Carbon Trust says cooling drinks in a typical pub is more than 10% of the total energy cost, and about half of that is cellar cooling.
Source: Carbon Trust (2018)
A cellar set too cold
The Carbon Trust says overcooling a cellar by 1°C can add up to 10% to cellar energy costs. Brewer guidance usually recommends 11–13°C.
Sources: Carbon Trust (2018), Everards
Heating a large building
The Carbon Trust says heating can account for more than 40% of energy use in non-domestic buildings.
Source: Carbon Trust (2018)
When your pub’s energy contract ends
In May 2026 UKHospitality warned that fixed-term contracts “will fall away for many in the coming months”. When a fixed contract ends without a new one, Ofgem says you can be moved onto out-of-contract or deemed rates, which are usually higher than negotiated rates, and some contracts renew automatically at the end of the term, usually for 12 months.
That is why we start with your end date and notice window, not with a price. Then we quote electricity and gas separately against your own usage.
Sources: UKHospitality, Ofgem
Glass, food waste and recycling rules for pubs
In England, glass is a dry recyclable that must be kept apart from food waste and general waste under Simpler Recycling, and paper and card must be collected separately from glass, metal and plastic unless your collector has a written assessment. Small pubs with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees have until 31 March 2027.
In Wales, pubs are named in the workplace recycling guidance and glass is presented as its own stream. In Scotland, glass is on the list of materials businesses must present for recycling.
Sources: GOV.UK, Welsh Government, NetRegs
What pubs usually need from us
Free house, tenancy or group
A single pub
Check your tenancy or lease first: some include energy or waste arrangements. Then we look at whatever contracts are yours to change.
Several pubs
Every pub has its own meters, cellar and end dates. We check each against its own usage, not a group average. See multi-site groups.
Keeping contracts and documents in order
A typical pub runs separate contracts for power, gas, water, glass and general waste, card payments, phones and alarms.
- End date and notice window for each energy contract
- Which contracts sit with you and which with your landlord or pub company
- Glass and general waste collection days
- How your alarm and card machine connect
What to send us
Send what you have and we will ask for anything else we need.
- Recent electricity and gas bills
- Your water bill
- Your waste and glass collection invoices
- Your last one to three card machine statements
- Your phone or broadband bill
How Helios looks after a pub.
Here is how a pub’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
Pub · Church LaneIllustration only- ElectricityCellar and bar31/10/2027Live
- GasKitchen and heating31/10/2027Live
- WasteGlass, food and general31/03/2027Renewal due
- Card machinesBar and tables30/06/2027Live
- InsurancePartner broker01/02/2027Renewal due
What we may find
It depends on your bills. These are the things we check.
- Gas or electricity running on out-of-contract rates
- Glass collections that do not match your volumes
- Card machine fees that have changed since you signed
Get a quote for your pub
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
What temperature should a pub cellar be?
Brewer guidance, such as Everards’ energy advice, usually recommends 11–13°C. The Carbon Trust says overcooling by 1°C can add up to 10% to cellar energy costs.
Do pubs have to recycle glass separately?
In England glass must be kept apart from food and general waste, and in Wales it is presented as its own stream. Scotland also requires glass to be presented for recycling.
Can I switch my pub’s water supplier?
In England most businesses can choose their water retailer. In Wales only customers using more than 50 million litres a year can switch, and in Scotland businesses choose a licensed provider.
Can my pub company stop me switching?
It depends on your tenancy or lease. Check the agreement first; we will work with whatever contracts are yours to change.
Bring your pub 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.
