The business
Whole Hearted is a wholefood shop and café on Stonehouse High Street in Gloucestershire, specialising in takeaways, cakes, lunches and drinks. Owner Ruth Nares founded the business over 21 years ago and has traded from the same high street ever since.
All the food is prepared on the premises, with the emphasis on wholesome. That principle turns out to matter for the energy story as much as the food one.
The problem
The pandemic sharpened a set of pressures that were already there for small independents. Cutting costs, holding on to cash and keeping trade moving through successive lockdowns put sustained strain on a business the size of Whole Hearted, and energy bills were rising throughout.
What Ruth wanted was not simply a lower price. She wanted her business in safe hands: a supplier that would not overcharge her, and a service she could reasonably call ethical. For an independent that has built its reputation on how it sources and prepares food, buying energy from whoever happened to be cheapest that week was never going to sit comfortably.
There is also a quieter problem underneath this one. Energy contracts do not simply end. If nobody acts before the renewal window, most contracts roll over automatically onto rates the customer never negotiated. It happens by default, to businesses that are busy rather than careless, and a café that opens early and closes late is exactly the sort of business it happens to.
The solution
Ruth found her way to the partner network the way most independents do. A friend who already used them passed on the recommendation.
Her contact, Rakesh, took the whole job off her hands. He found her the best deal he could. He also started the renewal talks early enough that her contract never rolled over on its own. Ruth has saved money on her energy bills, and she has not had to keep track of dates or work out what a tariff sheet means.
The part she mentions most is the explaining. Rakesh tells her what she needs to know without burying it in jargon.
"The support to my business in helping me save money on my energy bills has been invaluable. My contact Rakesh has always gone above and beyond in finding me the very best deal and in taking over the negotiations in good time to ensure that I didn't auto renew and end up paying more than I should be. Not only is he exceptionally nice to deal with, but he's incredibly patient, explaining to me the important information that I need to know without confusing me with jargon." — Ruth Nares, owner, Whole Hearted
What this means for your business
Auto renewal is the cost you never agreed to. If nobody steps in before it ends, most energy contracts roll over automatically, usually onto a higher price. That is not a punishment for doing something wrong. It is just what happens when you are busy running a business and the renewal date is buried in paperwork from two years ago. Knowing when your window opens is most of the job.
The cheapest supplier is not always the right one. Ruth chose on trust and on how she was treated, and she still saved money. If you run a restaurant, café or takeaway, you already think this way about your food suppliers and your staff. Energy tends to be the one thing people buy on price alone, mostly because nobody has explained the options in plain English.
Send us your latest bill. Within 24 to 48 hours, you will know your unit rate, your standing charge, and when your renewal window opens.