How do business energy brokers find new customers?
Updated 3 November 2026 · by Matt Vallis, Salenovo · counts from our own daily files, read from public registers
The firms that win most new commercial work reach a business at the moment it has to decide, before it has asked anyone for a quote. A business that moves into premises without arranging a contract is put on its supplier's deemed rates until it signs one. That's the moment to call.
Why timing matters for business energy brokers and consultants
Ofgem's advice to businesses says a business is put on a deemed contract automatically when it moves into new premises without arranging one, and that deemed rates are usually higher than negotiated contract rates (ofgem.gov.uk, checked 3 November 2026). So a new occupier has a reason to talk to you in its first weeks. A business that has changed hands is the same: the contract belonged to the last operator, and the new one needs a supply in its own name. Kitchens, workshops, care sites and factories use more power than most, and the file says which rows are those.
The usual ways to find new customers, and what each is good for
Referrals and repeat customers
The cheapest work there is, and the most likely to say yes. The catch is that you can't turn the volume up when you need more.
Your own website and Google Business Profile
These bring in businesses already searching for what you do. They're searching for your competitors too, so you're one quote of several.
Trade bodies and accreditation
Ofgem's advice to businesses tells them to ask a broker what it's paid and by whom before they sign, so a broker that says so up front is the one a careful buyer picks.
Quote websites
Sites such as Bark pass on requests from businesses ready to buy. You pay to respond, and other suppliers can answer the same request, so the work goes to whoever answers first or cheapest.
Public tenders
Contracts Finder and Find a Tender list public sector contracts and are free to search. The jobs are larger and the paperwork heavier, and the decision takes months.
Bought lists
A list broker sells names in bulk by trade and area. Plenty of names, but no reason to call any of them today, and they go out of date quickly.
The moment a business needs you
Food registers, licence applications, the care regulators, operator licences and the councils' rates lists show the week a business takes on premises, changes hands or is about to open, each dated, if someone reads them every day. That's what we send: a file each weekday of the businesses at that point in your region, graded for your trade. Call the ones graded highest first. Every row says what happened, when, and what kind of business it is, so the first line of the call writes itself.
What a business at the right moment looks like
The moments at a premises that matter to business energy brokers and consultants:
| Coming | A business is about to open: a licence applied for, a unit being fitted out, a new company set up to trade from the address. |
| Just moved in | A business has started at premises that had nobody in them: a new ratepayer, a new food business, a newly registered care home, nursery, surgery or garage. |
| Changed hands | A new operator at premises that were already trading: a pub, shop or care home under new ownership, often keeping the old name on the door. |
What we send
A file by 8am every weekday with the businesses in your region at one of those moments, graded so your team rings the best first, each row saying what happened, when, what kind of business it is and a way to reach it where one is public. £250 a month for a region, or £1,000 for Great Britain, monthly, and you can stop at any month's end. The first two weeks are free.
Questions people also ask
Do you tell us the meter numbers?
No. Meter point numbers, bills and the current supplier aren't public, and we don't guess them. We tell you the business, the premises and what's happened there; your team does the rest.
Is it legal to email a business we haven't dealt with?
A limited company or an LLP can be emailed without its prior consent under PECR, as long as you say who you are and give a way to opt out. Sole traders and partnerships are treated as individuals, so the rules are stricter. Screen phone numbers against the TPS and CTPS before you ring.
What does it cost?
£250 a month for a region, or £1,000 a month for the whole of Great Britain, monthly, and you can stop at any month's end. The first two weeks are free.