Issue #117 - It's Another Energy Issue 🔥
Energy changes you might need to know about 💡| How is energy bought and sold? 📈 | Energy-efficient light bulbs- choose your fighter 💡 | 5 businesses, 1 question 🤔 | Words | Tunes | More
GO 🦾
Energy changes you might need to know about 💡
Temperatures are dropping into single digits, and it’s dark by half seven - autumn is well and truly in full swing. But the weather isn’t the only thing that’s changing* - some changes to the energy market** are on the way over the next six months that could affect your business.
Here’s all you need to know…
📈 Price Cap Increase - From October 1, the energy price cap will rise by about 2%. Although the energy price cap only applies to domestic energy rates, an increase could indicate prices are on the up as winter approaches
🕧 Market-Wide Half-Hourly Settlement (MHHS) - Market-wide Half-Hourly Settlement (MHHS) is rolling out across the UK. By 2027, all home and business electricity usage will be tracked every 30 minutes. The main benefit of Market-wide Half-Hourly Settlement (MHHS) is that it enables more accurate and fair charging for energy use, supports smarter tariffs and innovation, and empowers businesses and consumers to save money by actively managing their consumption
📈 Increased Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) charges - TNUoS charges cover the cost of maintaining and operating the high-voltage electricity grid in Great Britain. From April 2026, those charges are expected to rise. This is mainly due to the UK’s electricity grid needing a major upgrade for net zero targets, and changes to charging band rules, which could increase fixed standing charges for many businesses.
⚛️ Nuclear Regulated Asset Base (RAB) Change Levy - From November 2025, the Nuclear Regulated Asset Base (RAB) Change Levy will be added to all UK electricity bills (business and domestic). This is a new non-commodity charge intended to fund the construction of new nuclear projects like Sizewell C. The initial levy is small, but it still means an extra cost for all consumers, although there are some exemptions for energy-intensive industries. The aim is to spread risk more fairly while supporting low-carbon power in the long term.
With that public service announcement out of the way, let’s kick off Issue #117 of The Backbone - the fortnightly newsletter from Bionic - with a word to impress everyone with your varied vocabulary…
*come on, you love reading those janky transitions as much as we love writing them
**especially when they’re about exciting energy legislation
🗞 READ
How is energy bought and sold, and how does this affect prices? 📈
As our intro focused on how some new energy legislation could affect your business, we thought now would be a good time to resurface this piece on how our energy prices are affected by the wider market. If you don’t already know, the bit on why renewable energy isn’t always cheaper is an eye-opener.
A guide to energy-efficient lighting: How it can save your business money 💡
Darker mornings and evenings mean we use more electricity to keep the lights on. Switching from standard light bulbs can help your business save energy and money - our guide explains which type is the right choice for your business.
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🗣 SHOUTOUT
#BionicBusinessStory - 5 businesses, 1 question 🤔
This year, the UK is forecast to have the highest inflation among the richest nations. This means the inevitable worry of pricing will rear its head (again) for many business owners - just how much of your soaring overheads can you pass onto customers? We took to Reddit again to see what UK business owners had to say…
Question: I’ve just started my own business, and I’m really struggling with how to price my service. Is it best to do hourly or a flat rate when you’re brand new?
✅ “As a minimum, work it backwards. Settle on your ideal - and by ideal, I don’t mean minimum! - annual salary after taxes. Then, how many hours a week/month do you want to work? And divide it out.”
✅ “I’m going through the same thing at the moment, but the best advice I’ve learnt is that it’s much easier to reduce your prices than it is to raise them - so don’t go in low early thinking you can make it up later - you’re setting people’s expectations on your value. As someone else has said, don’t undersell yourself!”
✅ “Define what you need to live, taxes, holiday, etc, then see where this sits. If you pick a number first, you can end up backing yourself into a corner. And it’s vastly better to start expensive, and then offer discounts (don’t reduce the price, offer a % reduction) than realise you’ve priced yourself too low and suddenly need to increase your rates, as people will resent paying more for the same service!”
✅ “So many new people who start an entrepreneurial adventure will undervalue themselves because they don’t want to seem pricy or afraid that people can’t afford them. Here is what I would do. ASK PEOPLE! What would you pay? What have you paid in the past? Find 2 or 3 honest people that you know will tell you the truth and see what they say. I bet you would be surprised.”
✅ “The general advice would be to analyse your existing competitors: how much they charge, whether they charge hourly or flat rate, or whether they may have both - a fixed rate for a basic service and an hourly rate for anything above that?”
For more tips on how to price your products or services, check out this Bionic guide - How to price your product: The ultimate guide to easy product pricing
📊 BUSINESS
Get your business costs sorted 💷
Bionic is the comparison site for your small business. We compare a range of business essentials to help you save time, money, and hassle.
Our tech-enabled team will answer all your questions in simple terms and help you find the best deal on business energy, insurance, phone, broadband, or finance. No jargon. No-fuss. #BeABionicBusiness 🦾
🎧 LISTEN
Playlist 🎶
A double header of playlist and podcast recommendations this week from Kelly, our Senior Marketing Manager. First up is Beast Mode Latin - Latin tunes to get your beast mode on! We’ve no idea either, but we had a listen and decided it’s great for both late nights with a bottle of wine and early mornings in the gym - a dangerous combo, which is where Kelly’s podcast recommendation might come in handy…
Podcast 🎙
Next up is The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka, in which the (slightly improbably-named) human biologist, biohacker, researcher, and anti-ageing and longevity expert chats with celebrities, athletes, entrepreneurs, and scientists to get the lowdown on their healthy lifestyle tips, tricks, and transformative insights.
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