Are commercial energy bills to confusing? According to a recent survey from Utilitywise, one of the leading energy and water consultancies in the UK, one out of three business people in the UK admit that they do not understand their energy bills. In fact, over half indicated they did not know what simple terms on the bill meant, and this number was similar whether dealing with small businesses or larger companies. This lack of understanding can have expensive consequences.

Lack of Understanding May Be Fault of the Company, Not the Utility Provider

So is the energy provider the one at fault for making confusing bills, or does the fault lie elsewhere? Interestingly, the study also found that 2.19 million businesses rarely checked their energy bills. Yet, over 85 percent of those in manufacturing indicated they believed their utilities were too high.

This could be true, since over half of the bills are based on estimated amounts instead of accurate amounts. Those estimates can be too high, or they can be too low, leading to a large bill when the meter is read. To avoid these surprises, manufacturers need to take the time to learn how to read their energy bills.

Manufactures Need to Step up To Avoid Struggle

In order to avoid this problem, manufacturers are encouraged to take the time to understand their utility bills, and to even go as far as to check meter readings with the bills to ensure accuracy. Paying and understanding energy bills should not be a struggle, and manufacturers need to understand what they are paying.