A business electricity comparison pays off if you have not looked at your contract in years. Unlike private customers, businesses often pay prices that were negotiated individually and drift away from the market over time. The base price alone is not what matters. What counts is the interplay of consumption profile, price model and contract term. This guide explains step by step what matters for business electricity, and it uses typical businesses from Moers, Duisburg and the Lower Rhine region to show you how to read an offer correctly.
The key points in brief
- Up to 100,000 kWh of annual consumption, your business is usually billed on a standard load profile (SLP). Above that, it is usually billed on registered power measurement (RLM).
- A business electricity tariff consists of a unit price, a base price and, with RLM, an additional demand charge. Always compare the total cost for your consumption, not a single price component.
- A fixed price gives you planning certainty. An exchange-linked price follows the wholesale market. Which model fits depends on how hard fluctuations would hit your calculations.
- Watch the contract term, the notice period and the automatic renewal. They decide when you are allowed to switch at all.
- The switch itself is simple for your business, and your power supply continues without interruption.
What is a business electricity comparison, and who should do one?
A business electricity comparison puts the offers of different suppliers side by side for your business. That way you find the tariff that fits your actual consumption. This applies to restaurants, takeaways and hotels as much as to saunas, gyms, tanning studios, furniture stores or property management companies.
Business customers are not household customers in legal terms. For this reason, many special rules that protect private customers do not apply, and contracts are more often designed individually. That is an opportunity and a risk at the same time. You can negotiate better terms, but you have to look more closely. A comparison makes particular sense if your contract expires soon. It also helps if your consumption has changed, for example after a new kitchen, a heat pump or a charging point for electric cars. And it helps if you have never actively switched and are stuck in basic supply (Grundversorgung) or an old tariff.
An honest expectation matters here. How much you can save depends on your contract, your location and the market environment. We do not promise a percentage. We calculate with your figures. Large comparison portals also often show only part of the market, and for higher consumption many offers are not available online at all. They are requested individually.
What is the difference between SLP and RLM?
SLP stands for standard load profile and applies to businesses up to 100,000 kWh of annual consumption. RLM stands for registered power measurement and is used for larger consumption. The Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) describes that grid operators apply standardised load profiles to end consumers up to 100,000 kWh per year (Bundesnetzagentur: supplier switching).
With SLP, your consumption is not measured every quarter of an hour. Instead, the grid operator assumes a typical consumption pattern for your customer group and bills your annual consumption on that basis. With RLM, a meter measures the power draw in quarter-hour intervals. You then pay not only for the kilowatt hours used, but also for the highest power drawn.
| Feature | Standard load profile (SLP) | Registered power measurement (RLM) |
|---|---|---|
| Typical annual consumption | up to 100,000 kWh | from 100,000 kWh |
| Measurement | Annual consumption, usually read once a year | Power in quarter-hour intervals |
| Price components | Unit price and base price | Unit price, base price and demand charge |
| Offers | often directly comparable | usually requested individually |
| Typical businesses | Takeaway, hairdresser, small office, tanning studio | Hotel, sauna, larger gym |
Here is an example. A pizzeria with two pizza ovens and a cooling system is usually well below the limit and is billed on a standard load profile. A hotel with a wellness area, on the other hand, can be above it. You find your annual consumption on your last annual bill. The meter type is shown on the meter or in your contract documents.
What price components make up a business electricity tariff?
A business electricity tariff consists of a unit price, a base price and, for RLM customers, an additional demand charge. On top come grid fees, taxes and levies. Depending on the contract, they are included in the price or shown separately. To compare offers properly, you should know every component.
- Unit price: The price per kilowatt hour used. With small consumption, it is the biggest lever.
- Base price: A fixed amount per month or year, regardless of consumption. With very low consumption, it weighs more heavily.
- Demand charge: Only for RLM. It depends on the highest power your business drew within the billing period. Load peaks can raise it, for example when all appliances start at the same time in the morning.
- Grid fees, taxes and levies: They are set by law or by region, regardless of the supplier. What matters is whether an offer already includes them.
A common mistake in comparisons: a low unit price looks cheap, but a high base price eats it up. So always project the figures onto your annual consumption. At 30,000 kWh per year, the total is the unit price times 30,000 kWh plus twelve monthly base prices. Only this amount is comparable. As a rule of thumb, the base price counts more with small consumption, and the unit price counts more with large consumption.
Fixed price or exchange-linked price: what suits your business?
A fixed price suits businesses that want to budget their costs firmly for the whole term. An exchange-linked price suits businesses that can withstand market swings or steer their consumption flexibly.
With a fixed price, you set the unit price for the entire contract term. You therefore know in advance what the electricity costs. That is an advantage for restaurants, takeaways or property managers who need fixed monthly costs.
With the exchange-linked model, the price follows the wholesale prices in whole or in part. If prices fall, your bill falls too. If they rise, it gets more expensive. This can be interesting for businesses with controllable consumption, such as saunas that can shift their heating times. For businesses with a tight margin, the risk is often too great.
Ask when and how the price may change. There is no blanket recommendation on which model is "the best". It depends on consumption, liquidity and appetite for risk.
What contract term and notice period are usual for businesses?
For businesses, the terms differ clearly from provider to provider, and there is no fixed standard term. What matters is what your contract says. That is exactly why it pays to read the small print.
Check these four points before you sign:
- Initial term: How long are you bound?
- Notice period: How many weeks or months before the end of the term must the notice be received?
- Renewal: Does the contract renew automatically, and for what period?
- Price adjustment clause: Under what circumstances may the supplier adjust the price, and may you then terminate?
Consumer advocates point out that price increases can occur despite an agreed price guarantee and that you should read clauses closely (Verbraucherzentrale: price increases despite guarantee and sudden cancellations). The consumer advice centres (Verbraucherzentrale) address these notes to consumers, but the way of thinking applies to businesses too. Do not rely on verbal promises. Rely on the contract text.
Enter the contract end and the notice period in your calendar. Anyone who misses the deadline often stays in the old tariff for another year. This is the most common reason why businesses overpay for too long.
What does a comparison look like for restaurants, hotels, saunas and gyms?
Every industry has its own consumption profile, and this profile decides which tariff suits you. The following examples show the typical levers.
Restaurants: Kitchen, cooling and ventilation often run at fixed times. Consumption is easy to plan, and a fixed price makes budgeting easier.
Hotels: Lighting, air conditioning, laundry and hot water cause high and fluctuating consumption. Here, annual consumption quickly reaches the RLM limit. Load peaks and the demand charge become important.
Saunas and wellness: Sauna heaters and circulation pumps draw a lot of power. If you stagger heating times, you lower load peaks. With RLM, a look at the demand charge is especially worthwhile.
Gyms: Ventilation, lighting and showers run during long opening hours, often in the morning and evening as well. An even profile speaks for a predictable tariff.
For business electricity, one rule always applies: a tariff that suits a hotel can be bad for a takeaway. So never let anyone sell you a "standard tariff for everyone".
For an overview of how we support business customers, see our page business electricity advice for your company.
How does switching suppliers work for a business?
The switch is simple for your business. The new supplier usually takes care of the cancellation with the old provider and the registration with the grid operator, and your electricity keeps flowing without interruption. The law provides that a supplier switch may take at most three weeks from receipt of the registration by the grid operator (§ 20a EnWG). According to the Bundesnetzagentur, the technical switching process has been possible within 24 hours on any working day since June 2025 (Bundesnetzagentur). When you may leave your current contract is still determined by its term and notice period.
- Gather documents: last annual bill, meter number, market location ID (Marktlokations-ID, MaLo-ID) and contract end.
- Check consumption: Is your business on SLP or RLM? Is the annual consumption still correct?
- Collect offers: Have fixed price and exchange-linked price calculated separately.
- Compare total costs: Lay unit price, base price, demand charge if applicable, term and notice period side by side.
- Sign the contract: The new supplier registers the switch and cancels the old contract for the right date.
- Note the meter reading: Record the meter reading at the start of delivery and check the final bill from the old provider.
One important note: do not cancel the old contract yourself before the new contract is confirmed. Otherwise a gap can arise in which you automatically fall into emergency supply (Ersatzversorgung), usually the most expensive option.
What should you pay particular attention to when comparing offers?
Pay particular attention to the total cost per year, to hidden conditions and to what happens after the first contract year. In everyday work, three pitfalls come up most often.
First: new-customer prices. Some offers are cheap only at first and rise afterwards. Second: missing components. An offer that does not include grid fees is not comparable with one that does. Third: bonus payments that are paid only under conditions. Check whether they apply to businesses at all and what happens if you cancel before the term ends.
On the question of green electricity: a pure green electricity tariff is available on the market for businesses, and some businesses choose it for image reasons. Check how the provider proves the origin, and do not rely on an advertising term alone.
Anyone who wants to keep an eye on their overall energy costs adds a consumption analysis to the electricity comparison. Where consumption arises without need, for example from appliances running at night or from badly staggered load peaks, every kilowatt hour saved cuts costs regardless of the tariff. You can read more in our article business gas comparison.
How can you cut electricity consumption in your business, regardless of the tariff?
The fastest way to cut costs is to avoid consumption that brings no benefit. The tariff only decides what each kilowatt hour costs. A short walk through the business is often enough to find the biggest items.
- Cooling and ventilation: Check seals, temperature settings and maintenance intervals. A badly set cooling unit runs constantly and wastes electricity.
- Lighting: Replacing old bulbs with LED saves electricity and also relieves the air conditioning, because less waste heat is produced.
- Standby and night operation: Coffee machines, displays, patio heaters or kitchen appliances often keep running after closing time.
- Smoothing load peaks: If ovens, dishwashers and water heaters do not start at the same time, the demand charge falls with RLM.
To do this, note the meter reading every morning and evening for one week. That shows you whether consumption outside opening hours is unusually high.
What questions do businesses ask most often?
When do I need an RLM meter?
As a rule, from an annual consumption of more than 100,000 kWh. Below that, your consumption is billed on a standard load profile. Whether the limit applies to your business, you can see on your annual bill and your meter.
Can a small business benefit from a comparison at all?
Yes, often even with small consumption, because many businesses stay in the same tariff or in basic supply for years. How big the difference is can only be said once your figures are available. We do not promise a percentage.
Will my power supply be interrupted during the switch?
No. The switch affects only the contract partner, not the line. The electricity keeps coming through the same grid, run by the same grid operator.
Which is better: fixed price or exchange-linked tariff?
That depends on your appetite for risk and your consumption. A fixed price offers predictability. An exchange-linked tariff follows the market and can be cheaper when prices fall and more expensive when they rise.
Do I have to cancel the old contract myself?
Usually the new supplier does that once you have placed the switching order. What matters is that the term and notice period of your old contract are observed. Otherwise the switch is delayed.
How does Connected Mobile support you with your business electricity comparison?
We compare the offers for you, explain the differences in plain terms and handle the formalities of the switch. Connected Mobile advises business customers from Moers, Duisburg and the Lower Rhine region in person, in German, Turkish, Kurdish or Arabic if needed. According to their own information, our colleagues bring more than 15 years of experience in the energy sector. What you can expect: a clear side-by-side of unit price, base price, term and notice period, without jargon and without sales pressure.
How much you save in the end depends on your contract and your consumption. We only know that once we know your figures. So the first step is this: bring your last annual bill with you or send it by WhatsApp, and we will work out whether a switch pays off. You find more about our service under advice for business customers. Send us your last annual bill, and we will check free of charge whether a switch pays off for your business.