NEW software designed and built in the North East is to play a key role in helping UK businesses combat spiralling energy costs.
Switch Savvi by Procure Smart is a unique platform providing businesses with a ‘comparison-site solution’ for procuring business utilities such as gas and electricity.
Providing ‘quotes in seconds’, our tool was devised to make procuring utilities more transparent and help businesses streamline and improve the procurement process.
Last year, Ofgem and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) commissioned research to understand more about businesses’ experiences of the energy sector.
The ‘non-domestic 2023 research report’ found that 58% of firms were concerned about rising energy prices, with the most common concerns including billing and meters, and feeling they had been charged incorrectly or had received unexpected or hidden charges.
Craig Shields, our managing director, said: “Switch Savvi has been a labour of love for the best part of 18 months, so we are thrilled that the platform is now live.
“Traditionally, the process of procuring business energy has advanced slower than other forms of procurement, however Switch Savvi will finally bring the practice into the 21st century.
“In a similar way to price comparison sites, users can simply input their data into a safe and secure process and receive a comparison in seconds from multiple providers. Because you can already do this in the residential market, you’d imagine the offer already exists. But business energy is more complex, which is why the development of the tool has been so carefully completed. It could be a real game changer for the industry.”
We employ 40 people at our Sunderland HQ, and are one of the founding members of the Energy Consultants Association (ECA), an independent, not-for-profit, self-regulated trade body set up to represent and protect the best interests of energy consultants, intermediaries and their customers.
Driving the principles of the ECA forwards, combined with market research and customer feedback, helped us design and launch the platform.
Shields added: “We’ve worked quite closely with our customers and industry partners, tapping into insights from leading lights in the energy industry and those who are really committed to driving positive change. We’re delighted with the feedback we’ve received so far.
“Perhaps the feather in Switch Savvi’s cap is that it is 100% transparent and allows customers to transact right there and then, streamlining the entire process. For an industry which has had to deal with its fair share of setbacks in recent years, it could provide a real boost to the sector.”
SwitchSavvi provides quotes from some of the UK’s biggest suppliers, such as EDF and SSE, as well as challenger brands.
The platform was developed in partnership with Gateshead software developer Layers Studio and Mr Shields believes it could provide a critical lifeline to those UK businesses still grappling with rising energy costs.
He added: “With the rise in national insurance and business rates announced in the budget, we’re hoping this platform will help ease the blow somewhat for those businesses suffering from rising bills.
“Layers grasped the idea brilliantly and were essentially the enabler of our principles and ideas.
“The economic picture has improved over the past 12 months, however we are very much still in a cost of trading crisis, so our message for any business feeling the heat is to give the platform a try. It may not be the answer to all of your problems, but in just a few minutes it could help relieve some of the burden and there is a team waiting at the other end of the phone for anyone needing guidance to complete contract switches themselves.
“September 2024 saw a record number of contract switches in the UK energy market. We want to see businesses increasing their share of these switches and taking more control of their utilities costs.”
Take a read of more information on our Switch Savvi tool and more importantly, see if you could switch and save instantly!
