Changing electricity or gas suppliers has never been so quick: with just a few clicks, you can cancel and take out an energy contract with total freedom. However, this apparent simplicity should not overshadow the complexity of energy purchases and the financial risks of an ill-prepared change.

Readjusting your electricity and gas contracts cannot be improvised.

The real challenge for your business? Identify the ideal moment to negotiate a tailor-made offer, perfectly adapted to your needs. The summer period, with its quieter pace and often favorable markets, offers an ideal window for rethinking your buying strategy. What if it was just the right time to renegotiate?

Why is summer a strategic time for energy purchases? What are the mistakes to avoid?

Sirenergies guides you step by step.

Business: why change energy supplier?

Moving, price increases, investments, energy transition...: each change can impact your electricity and/or gas contract.

It is also an opportunity to optimize your bill.
Or maybe change supplier, without affecting the quality and supply of your energy.

During a change of geographic location

Are you moving or relocating your business?

A change of location can make your energy contracts void.
Not all providers cover the entire national territory, especially in areas managed by Local distribution businesses (ELD), or for the supply of gas, often subject to infrastructure constraints.

💡Namely: The price per kWh of natural gas Depends on geographic location. Delivery costs vary according to the distance between the gas storage site and the site served. While the majority of suppliers align themselves with Engie's pricing zones, some apply their own price grid.

If your provider increases their rates

Does your energy supplier announce an increase in rates when you renew your contract? Or do you want to take advantage of low prices on the markets to dare to subscribe to offers indexed on the spot market?

The increase in prices is an opportunity to review your energy contracts. The more the prizes go up, the more you can hope to win renegotiation or a change of supplier.

If you spot attractive competing offers

Are you aware of an attractive energy offer?

Summer is an ideal season for Negotiate your electricity and gas contracts, even if the Heat waves can sometimes cause market prices to soar.

With the drop in summer activity, energy suppliers are often available, responsive and attentive to your needs. Some also offer promotional offers, with attractive rates or discounts on service and administrative fees.

During a fall in energy market prices

Electricity and gas prices are falling on the markets but your fixed-price contract does not allow you to take advantage of them?

If your business has a solid financial base, it may be a good time to incorporate some risk into your purchasing strategy by taking out a offer indexed to Spot price. Certainly, you lose visibility and budgetary security but you gain in flexibility and pricing agility: price drops are immediately reflected in your bill, resulting in significant savings.

When your energy consumption changes

Have you invested in energy renovation, an efficient heating system or new equipment? You have diversified your business or are considering a project ofself-consumption ?

These changes change your consumption profile — up or down — and require readjust your contracts to your new needs.

If your diversification includes a new location, the multi-site contract can be a great option. This type of contract makes it possible to negotiate a single rate for all your sites and to centralize the management of your consumption and billing.

In the event of a seasonal consumption peak

Does your energy consumption fluctuate according to the seasons?

Some price offers may prove to be unsuitable and expensive. To save money, you can negotiate options that allow you to benefit from lower rates in summer or at certain times: seasonal rates, off-peak hours/peak hours...

To engage in the energy transition

Is your company committed to a CSR approach or wants to reduce its carbon balance ?

Changing the energy supplier opens theaccess to greener offers, certified by guarantees of origin (GO). To reconcile budgetary efficiency and environmental performance, you can also choose a committed local supplier, a supplier producing renewable energies or even a supplier with citizen governance.

Did you know that?

Whatever the reason for your change of supplier, Sirenergies combines expertise with technique to:
— decipher your contracts of supplies,
— analyze your consumption and your bills,
— select for you the best offer and the best partner.

Contact us

Why is summer strategic for reviewing energy contracts?

Often perceived as an empty period, summer seems not conducive to change. However, this seasonal lull offers you an ideal break time to take a step back, analyze your contracts in a relaxed manner and optimize your purchasing cycle.

Summer: key assets for readjusting your energy contracts

Freed from the operational frenzy, your teams have more time summer to focus on analyses and negotiations. It is a period when suppliers are no longer available to discuss your needs and refine the offerings.

The summer period is also an opportunity to draw up a Mid-year review, by analysing the evolution of your electricity and gas consumption, by deciphering your bills and by anticipating future needs. During this period, you have a good visibility on the budget at the end of the year.

Another advantage of summer: the falling prices on the energy markets, due to lower demand. Even if heatwaves cause occasional increases, prices remain generally lower than in autumn and winter. It is an opportunity to negotiate before the Increase in demand at the end of the year.

Is reviewing your summer energy contracts an opportunity for all businesses?

For most businesses, summer is an ideal time to renegotiate energy contracts and change suppliers. However, This is not the case if your business is experiencing a seasonal consumption peak (tourism, catering, leisure, agriculture...). Focused on operations, your teams lack the availability to manage contracts. In addition, high consumption in summer reduces the advantage in negotiations to obtain more advantageous conditions.

It is the same If your company's consumption increases sharply in summer, if you have seasonal production or use air conditioning (shops, offices...). It is then more strategic to review your energy contracts in winter, when your consumption falls.

The date of renewal of the contract and its terms of termination can also be a barrier. Although it is possible to cancel at any time, high cancellation fees can transform a change of supplier in an expensive operation. It is then best to wait until the end of the contract. However, the summer period is a A good time to check deadlines, analyze consumption and anticipate future negotiations, in order to be At the right time.

What are the mistakes to avoid when changing an energy contract?

Change energy supplier cannot be improvised. Two reflexes will help you better negotiate your energy contracts: know and anticipate.

Do not anticipate

Not to anticipate is lose control of your negotiation Without a clear understanding of your real needs, you are putting yourself at a disadvantage compared to suppliers. You risk neglecting important clauses or subscribing to poorly adapted offers.

Energy purchases are a complex universe to be decoded beforehand to understand and compare. In fact, there are:

• One multitude of offers and pricing structures : offers indexed at spot, forward or mixed prices, seasonal contracts, Optional off-peak hours/peak hours, versions of use...
• One multitude of suppliers : historical, alternative, citizens, locals, producers of renewable energies...
• One multitude of contractual clauses : price indexation, cancellation, duration of commitment...

Focus only on the price per kWh

Changing energy suppliers requires vigilance. Everything can be negotiated, even the smallest lines. As attractive as they are, base rates should not be the only criterion for choosing.

To select the offer that is really right for your business, you need to analyze in detail all the financial and extra-financial elements of the contract :

• Prices, pricing options and indexing procedures, as well as the cost of the subscription and taxes.
• The duration of the commitment and the conditions for renewing and terminating the contract.
• Billing procedures.
• Additional services (consumption monitoring, customer area, support, etc.) but also hidden costs (management, early cancellation and application fees, financial penalties, etc.).
• The quality of customer service (availability, responsiveness...).

To objectively evaluate offers, you must compare them on a common base, taking into account your real consumption profile.

Do not analyze your consumption data

Negotiating without preparation exposes you to mistakes and bad choices. Before contacting suppliers, you should control your consumption profile and draw up a Precise state of affairs of your needs, goals and expectations. In concrete terms, this means:

• List your energy needs : volumes consumed, consumption profile (seasonality, full/off-peak hours), subscribed power, sites concerned, foreseeable evolution...
• Identify essential associated services : support, consumption alerts, management tools, multi-site billing, personalized follow-up...
• Target the essential clauses for your company: duration of commitment, cancellation terms, price flexibility, tacit renewal conditions...

Structured preparation is the key to drawing up clear specifications, comparing offers effectively and defending your interests by orienting the negotiations on priority elements.

Forget the due date or tacit renewal date

Forget the renewal date or termination may result in substantial costs, especially if the contract provides for automatic renewal or exit penalties.

Before changing providers, you should review the terms and conditions for cancelling : without this, the additional costs could cancel out all or part of the expected savings.

Changing suppliers without technical support

Faced with the complexity of offers and contractual subtleties, changing energy suppliers can quickly become a headache. Without expertise in purchasing energy, it is easy to miss an opportunity or get bogged down in an unfavorable contract.

On the lookout for market opportunities, uncompromising on pricing and contractual conditions and armed with triple technical, financial and legal expertise, an energy consulting firm guides you step by step in this complex universe. Its mission: identify the best offers, identify optimization levers and negotiate a tailor-made contract, perfectly adapted to your needs and goals.

Are you worried about losing your data by changing contracts or energy suppliers?

With the Pilott application, you keep a complete history of your consumption. Track your bills and analyze your consumption to assess the benefits of your new offer and stay on track with your goals.

Test Pilott

To conclude...

Summer is the ideal time to take a step back and negotiate your energy contracts — or even change suppliers — without pressure, and under advantageous pricing conditions, before the rise in prices in autumn and winter. However, adjusting your offers requires preparation, foresight, rigor and expertise to avoid pitfalls and make the right choices.

What if, this summer, you adopted a proactive strategy and got a head start? Sirenergies accompanies you every step of the way to decipher your contracts, identify the best offers and negotiate tailor-made conditions. Contact us today to calmly prepare for your energy return and reduce your electricity and gas bill!