Business Energy for Restaurants
Restaurant energy bills are shaped by a commercial kitchen that runs hard for a few concentrated hours a day. We help UK restaurant operators review their electricity and gas contracts, understand their renewal position and compare the options available to them.
Business energy for restaurants
Few small businesses use as much energy per square metre as a restaurant. Cooking, chilling and ventilation all run at once during service, and refrigeration keeps drawing power long after the last cover has left. That combination of a high evening peak and a steady overnight base load is what makes a restaurant's usage profile distinctive — and it is why a contract that suits an office often suits a restaurant poorly.
Commercial kitchen line
Ranges, ovens, fryers, grills and salamanders are typically the largest single draw, concentrated into lunch and dinner service.
Refrigeration and freezers
Walk-in chillers, under-counter fridges and blast freezers run twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year, and set the overnight base load.
Extraction and ventilation
Canopy extraction and make-up air units run for the whole of service and often for a warm-up and purge period either side.
Warewashing
Pass-through dishwashers and glasswashers combine water heating with repeated short, heavy cycles.
Front of house
Lighting, heating or cooling in the dining room, tills, card terminals and background music run through opening hours.
Hot water and heating
Kitchen hot water demand is far higher than in most premises of a similar size, and dining rooms need to be comfortable from the moment doors open.
Electricity and gas requirements
How restaurants use electricity
- Refrigeration and freezer units, including the overnight base load
- Induction hobs, combi ovens, fryers and other electric cooking equipment
- Extraction fans, make-up air and air conditioning in the dining room
- Dishwashers, glasswashers and water heating
- Lighting across the kitchen, dining room, bar and outside areas
- EPOS terminals, card machines, Wi-Fi and back-office equipment
Where gas is typically used
- Gas ranges, ovens, chargrills and wok burners in the kitchen
- Space heating for the dining room and staff areas
- Hot water for warewashing and hand washing
Common energy challenges in this sector
A sharp evening peak
Most of the day's consumption lands inside a few hours. Where a supply is half-hourly metered, when you use energy matters as well as how much.
Refrigeration never stops
Even on a closed day the site keeps consuming, so a restaurant rarely has a genuinely low-usage period to offset a quiet trading month.
Renewal dates that arrive mid-service
Contract end dates are easy to miss when the operational day is full. A missed date can leave the supply on out-of-contract terms.
Seasonal and unpredictable covers
Trade can swing considerably between seasons, but the fixed kitchen and refrigeration load does not move with it.
Change of tenancy
Taking over an existing restaurant often means inheriting a deemed contract from the previous occupier until a new agreement is put in place.
How Switching Made Simple can help
We are an independent UK business energy broker. For a restaurant that means a straightforward review of where you are now and a clear picture of what is available when your contract comes up for renewal.
- Review your current energy arrangements, meters and contract end dates
- Explain your renewal options and the timescales involved
- Compare available business gas and electricity contracts across our supplier panel
- Present the options in writing so you can see the terms, not just a headline rate
- Handle the paperwork and manage the transfer once you decide how to proceed
Why review your business energy contract?
Restaurant contracts are frequently renewed under time pressure, sometimes over the phone during a busy week. Reviewing the market ahead of your end date gives you time to compare terms properly rather than accepting whatever renewal offer arrives first.
If a business energy contract is left to lapse, the supply usually moves on to out-of-contract or deemed rates, which are set by the supplier rather than negotiated. Reviewing before your end date keeps the decision with you — including the choice of term length and contract structure.
How it works
- 1
Tell us about your restaurant — your premises, meters and how you operate.
- 2
We review your current energy arrangements, including your contract end dates.
- 3
We compare suitable business gas and electricity options and set them out clearly.
- 4
You choose how you would like to proceed, and we handle the paperwork.
Not sure when your contract ends?
Send us a recent bill and we will confirm your end date, your current terms and what the market looks like for a restaurant like yours.
Restaurants energy questions
Related services
Read more about our business gas and electricity service, our step-by-step guide to switching business energy supplier, or explore renewable energy contracts. You can also browse every industry we work with on our business sectors page.
Ready to review your business energy?
Tell us about your restaurant and we will review your current arrangements and compare the options available — with no obligation to proceed.