The first thing you’ll notice about Top Comparison Sites for your utilities, whether for your business or your home, is that they may look are very similar. They have navigation bars in the same place. All of them show you comparisons between plans side by side – some even give you online tools to help you build a long-term plan based on price alone (without worrying about any additional perks).
Today, our most well-known price comparison sites sit with Octopus Energy, USwitch, and the likes of GoCompare. The major difference is that by using the likes of EnergyBrokers, you have the potential to be offered exclusive, fixed rates while everyone else uses variable plans. In the past few years, many electric companies began offering variable rate plans; This allows independent power producers to sell their excess electricity into the market at whatever price it’s currently trading at. Prices can vary greatly depending on how much electricity is being sold into the grid and what your specific needs are.
But Top Comparison Sites do have very different approaches to saving you money on your energy plan. Some Top Comparison Sites are more goal-oriented, pointing out the Top Deals from electricity providers that key in with an objective, such as a better discount for larger amounts of energy use or more green-friendly options. Others Top Comparison Sites focus on customer and business reviews to help you find great deals – giving Top Ratings to suppliers with high approval ratings (new customers happy about their savings) and Top Awards winners based on overall customer satisfaction levels. Many Top Comparison Sites also compare plans side by side using specific criteria, such as comparing only fixed rates or taking into account any activation fees.
Top Comparison Sites bring together all of your utilities options with the goal of making it easier to compare the cheapest deals based on your usage, location and purpose – whether Top Ratings are the most important factor for you or if it Top Awards for service that matter. Some Top Comparison Sites also let you drill down into Top Rating options in more detail, letting you find providers by how much they charge per month and/or kilowatt hour; what discounts they offer; how reliable or green their energy sources are; and their terms of service.
Many people are just unaware that fixed rate electricity exists. They assume they’re stuck with the whatever price their local utility company has set, but in reality there are quite a few options out there for electricians and homeowners alike.
Opening a second location
As a business owner, if you feel that your venture has been successful up until this point, there may come a time soon when you would considering opening a second location for your business; This is when it suddenly becomes very important to study growth within a small business and how you would open a second location without too much risk, as are all essential steps to take in the right direction towards expanding your brand.
Growth is an important part of any company’s strategy. Small businesses can be difficult with the necessary resources needed to expand or even maintain themselves at times. Growing is such an integral part of keeping any business in good standing and profitable.
So, what do we suggest? First and foremost, it is always wise to have things lined up before deciding on whether or not you will commit in full. This means outlining goals of expansion before opening this site; plan where your first location will be located as well as having things lined up financially so that you don overspend or forget a crucial detail, such as high gas prices due to negotiating your contract late in winter, rather than when prices fall in spring.
By working with EnergyBrokers, you could avoid these difficult discussions with an industry professional assigned directly to finding you the package that you need for your success; This means taking the hard work of scrolling through multiple comparison sites and speaking with multiple companies personally- We liaise with businesses directly to save you time and money in the long term.
With over 20 years of experience in working with businesses, we were cited by OfGem, Oxford University and more in our trusted solutions to your energy needs.
Alongside your utilities, it is always wise to decide whether or not you will need help from an outside source. If opening your second location does mean hiring more employees (or a partner) then it would be smart to have your work lined up ahead of time so that this new person will be able to get started right away for maximum efficiency and effectiveness in the operation itself.
As stated above, having a plan set out before hand with goals outlined for both locations as well as financials may ensure that all bases are covered and that there will be no room for error during expansion. In addition to detailing these things, you may also want to consider how your business has grown over the years in which you have been open for business. Has there been a steady climb in revenue year by year? If so, you may want to consider expanding one of your locations or adding an additional location altogether. Being aware of the growth that has already taken place and anticipating future growth is important when opening a second location as well as keeping all transactions and operations up to par with existing locations.
Overall, it is important for you to be knowledgeable about what is expected from a second location in order for it to be successful. This includes being familiar with financials (income and expenditures), planning goals, and added personnel such as partners, managers/assistant managers, etc… A second location will also require more resources which may include: funding/capital. You can read more about this in an upcoming article by us.
What do Import/Export Companies actually do?
An import and export business matches domestic and foreign buyers with sellers for products. This is important because it ensures all local regulatory requirements are abided by, ensuring that goods make their way around the world to countries in need of a particular product’s supply. By goods, we also refer to gas and water transportation.
Businesses that specialize in import and export often make use of a global supply chain to find buyers for products with the lowest cost, or for products where demand is highest but there are few sellers. They also maintain inventory levels by matching up goods with importers that require supply at any given time. Besides finding markets for their product, some companies even create new goods by combining two different things like technology, or materials from completely different industries.
It is important to note however, that not all businesses focus on exporting and importing. If they do decide to be involved in both these areas, it is likely they will have partnerships with other businesses. For example; certain oil companies may partner up with an agricultural company which then allows them to provide this product in bulk to the likes of sellers; NPower or EON. The EU needs energy to power its various countries. In 2019, the main imported product was petroleum products (including crude oil) which accounted for over two thirds of imports into the Union. The remainder of the imports included some 27% gas and 6% fossil fuels.
These networks exist because the EU’s energy supply is threatened if most of our imports come from only a few external partners, leaving us open to loss at any time. In 2019, almost two thirds of the extra-EU crude oil came from Russia (27%), Iraq (9%), Nigeria and Saudi Arabia (both 8%) and Kazakhstan and Norway coming in at 7%. Similarly, over three quarters of the EU’s natural gas comes mainly from Russia with 41%, while 16% comes to us via Norwegian sources as well as Algeria who makes up for only 8% total. Qatar also contributes 5% to this issue by being an outside country that we depend upon heavily when it comes down to natural gas needs.
Energy imports into the EU are largely made up of petroleum products, gas and solid fuels. Of these three types, coal is most prevalent in Russia with 47% followed by Australia at 14%.
In fact, Russia is the most prominent country in terms of providing solid fuel to Eastern Europe. They provide 47% of imports across countries such as Poland and Slovakia. Across all regions that have been studied for energy resources, it’s important to note where these resources are coming from because they may not be sustainable over time if we’re reliant on one or two suppliers like Russian coal exports which make up about half our electricity production here at home.