High priced business electric and gas expenses have lead to most companies cutting back on the amount of energy they are using, according to figures from British Gas parent company Centrica.

Gas usage by businesses fell by 15% and electricity use declined by 12% in the first ten months of 2011 compared to the same interval in 2010. Household clients are also cutting their energy use, with gas consumption in homes falling by 17% and electricity by 3%. Despite the fact that these results are just for British Gas customers, other energy suppliers are likely to have similar results.

As a result of people cutting back and the Indian summer at the end of October, Centrica have said that they’ll be expecting lower profit this year – however, they are still expecting to make £2.48billion in profit regardless of many domestic and business customers struggling with their bills.

With many companies finding that their present business electricity prices are just too substantial, swapping providers is advised to ensure that business owners are receiving the best possible price and not spending more than necessary on essential outgoings.

Along with using the services of the Big Six, there are a number of smaller business electricity suppliers that offer a number of different tariffs. Because of this, business decision makers should ensure that they are not just sticking with the basic tariff from their current energy supplier and rather dedicate a period of time to checking out other options.

Spending a little time looking around for another energy plan may help businesses decrease the cost that they are shelling out for their business gas and electricity, so it is undoubtedly a worthwhile use of your time regardless of how busy and frantic your timetable may be.