Better Connected

Better Connected UK business energy procurement, done differently. We audit bills, negotiate contracts, and manage multi-site portfolios for UK clients. We're small by design.

Energy consultancy, done differently. Better Connected exists because the energy consultancy market had a problem it wasn't willing to admit. Too many people calling themselves advisors were really just salespeople. The distinction matters — an advisor tells you what's best for you, including when that isn't what earns them the most. The business was built around a single operating principle: if w

e tell you the truth about what your bill contains, how we're paid, what's genuinely worth doing and what's industry theatre, you'll trust us with your next contract — and the one after that. Every client has a named consultant. That consultant reads your bill, takes your call, and is accountable for the outcome. What we believe about this industry
The energy market for businesses is structurally opaque. Suppliers have no commercial incentive to simplify bills or proactively flag when a customer is overpaying. We think the right response is to build a business explicitly on the client's side of that equation. The name
Better Connected means exactly what it says. Better connected to the market. Better connected to your data — your bills, your consumption, your contract terms. And better connected to you — not a portal, not a ticket system, a person who knows your account and answers the phone.

Energy prices fell sharply over the past day or two, and a lot of businesses will have seen the headlines and assumed th...
09/04/2026

Energy prices fell sharply over the past day or two, and a lot of businesses will have seen the headlines and assumed the market has turned a corner.
It hasn't, at least not yet.

The drop was driven by ceasefire optimism and a warm weather spell that softened demand. Both are temporary factors. Today the market is already firming back up, even though the UK gas system opened with more supply than needed; which is normally a condition that keeps prices soft.

The fact that prices are rising anyway tells you something important. The underlying supply risks haven't gone away. Norwegian gas flows have been cut by planned maintenance. Nuclear power plants remain offline. The weather forecast has shifted cooler again. Oil prices bounced back intraday when Middle East tensions resurfaced.

For businesses with energy contracts coming up for renewal, the question isn't whether prices fell. It's whether the reasons they rose in the first place have actually been resolved.

They haven't.

If your contract is renewing soon, now might still be a reasonable window to act. If your renewal is further away, treating today's prices as the new normal carries real risk.
Worth a conversation if you're not sure where you stand.

Energy prices have dropped sharply today following news that the US-Iran conflict may be nearing an end. If you are a bu...
01/04/2026

Energy prices have dropped sharply today following news that the US-Iran conflict may be nearing an end. If you are a business with energy contracts coming up for renewal, you might be wondering whether to act now or wait.

Here is the honest picture. The price drop is real, but the reasons behind the original price spike have not gone away. LNG supply into the UK has essentially stopped this morning. Storage going into spring is lower than last year. A major nuclear plant has started a 137-day outage today. Norwegian gas supplies face planned cuts through summer.

Markets have moved on the hope of a resolution, not the reality of one.

That means today's lower prices could be a genuine opportunity; or they could reverse quickly if the situation changes. For most businesses, the right question is not "will prices keep falling" but "can we afford to be wrong if they don't."

If your energy contract is coming up in the next year, it is worth a conversation about what today's move means for your position specifically.

“We’ll wait until spring, that’s when prices are usually better.”We still hear this a lot.The issue is, the market doesn...
23/03/2026

“We’ll wait until spring, that’s when prices are usually better.”

We still hear this a lot.

The issue is, the market doesn’t really work like that anymore.

Right now, prices aren’t being driven by seasons, they’re being driven by events. Gas storage, LNG flows, geopolitics and short-term system conditions are all moving the market day-to-day, so trying to “pick the right month” is becoming less reliable.

There’s also a bigger point most businesses miss. Wholesale energy is often only a fraction of the total cost, with the majority sitting in non-commodity charges; and those don’t suddenly drop because it’s spring.

What we’re seeing instead is a market that’s fragmenting. Suppliers are behaving very differently; some are pulling back risk while others are still chasing volume, and contract structures are diverging rather than standardising.

The result is that two businesses going to market at the same time can end up with completely different outcomes — not because of timing, but because of how the process is run.

The question is no longer:
“When is the cheapest month?”

It’s:
“How do we approach the market properly?”

That’s where the real value sits.

If your contract is up in the next 6–12 months and you’re thinking about when to go to market, it’s worth having that conversation early.

The energy market isn’t just rising; it’s changing shape.A lot of the commentary at the moment is focused on direction.G...
20/03/2026

The energy market isn’t just rising; it’s changing shape.

A lot of the commentary at the moment is focused on direction.
Gas up. Power up. Prices increasing.

That’s true, but it’s not the full picture.

What’s actually happening is a shift in how suppliers are behaving.

Some are pulling back and tightening their risk position. Others are still pricing to win business. The result is a market where two similar businesses can go out at the same time and receive completely different outcomes.

Not because the market has moved, but because supplier appetite has.

That’s where the risk is right now.

If you’re only looking at headline price, you’re missing how that price has been built, what the supplier is willing to stand behind, and whether the structure actually fits your business.

We’re advising clients to focus less on “where is the market today” and more on “who is prepared to take our risk, and under what terms”.

If your contract is coming up in the next 12 months, that distinction matters more than the absolute price.

The government has written to TPIs this week.Not quietly either, this is a clear signal.The focus is on volatility, risi...
19/03/2026

The government has written to TPIs this week.

Not quietly either, this is a clear signal.

The focus is on volatility, rising wholesale prices, and the role intermediaries play in supporting businesses through it. On the surface, that all makes sense. Markets are moving again, and customers need clarity.

But the subtext matters more than the headline. This isn’t really about volatility. It’s about trust.

The letter references the “mixed experiences” businesses had during the 2022 crisis; including pressure selling, poor transparency, and commission-driven outcomes. That’s not new. Those issues have existed in parts of the market for years.

What is new is the direction of travel. Regulation of TPIs is coming, and this is the first clear positioning of what “good” is expected to look like. Transparent pricing, a clear separation between fact and advice. No incentives that push clients toward higher-cost outcomes.

All entirely reasonable, and frankly, long overdue.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth… Focusing purely on broker behaviour doesn’t fix the underlying problem. Energy pricing today is shaped far more by supplier risk appetite, contract structure, and non-commodity costs than anything a TPI can influence. You can have a completely transparent process and still end up with a poor outcome if the advice behind it isn’t grounded in how the market actually works.

That’s the gap.

And it’s where the market is starting to divide.

• Between those who transact… and those who advise.
• Between those who sell contracts… and those who take responsibility for outcomes.

At Better Connected, we’ve always sat firmly on one side of that line. Not because regulation is coming, but because it was the only model that ever made sense for clients in the first place.

The next phase of this market won’t be driven by who can access prices. It will be defined by who can explain them, challenge them, and navigate them properly.

The letter is worth a read — it’s attached to this post.

But more importantly, it’s worth understanding what it really signals.

Be careful whose advice you buy… but be patient with those who supply it.
(Credit – Baz Luhrmann, 1999)

Energy Markets Update: Prices Stabilise After Initial Geopolitical ReactionEarlier this month, geopolitical tensions inv...
17/03/2026

Energy Markets Update: Prices Stabilise After Initial Geopolitical Reaction

Earlier this month, geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran triggered a rapid reaction across global energy markets.

Gas prices moved first, oil strengthened, and power markets followed as traders priced in the potential risk to global supply chains and energy infrastructure.

However, the past week has shown how quickly markets can rebalance.
Improving wind generation, steady LNG arrivals into Europe, and softer demand conditions have helped ease some of the initial pressure on UK gas and electricity pricing.

This is a useful reminder of how energy markets typically behave:
Headlines move prices quickly.
Fundamentals determine where they settle.

For businesses approaching contract renewal, the key point remains unchanged.
Energy procurement outcomes are rarely driven by a single market event. They are shaped by:
1. Timing of procurement activity
2. Contract duration and structure
3. Supplier hedge positions
4. Consumption profile and metering type
5. Market liquidity at the point of tender

Two organisations tendering on the same day can still receive very different outcomes. That is why market awareness matters; but structured interpretation matters more.

At Better Connected we monitor supplier pricing movements daily to help clients navigate volatility and secure competitive contract structures. If your organisation has energy contracts renewing within the next 12–24 months, now is a sensible time to review your position.

Get in touch if you would like a market benchmark or renewal strategy review.

Better Connected
Stopping time being wasted on energy problems that don’t need to exist.

Energy Markets Update: Early Pricing Impact Following Middle East TensionsOver the weekend beginning 28th February, geop...
10/03/2026

Energy Markets Update: Early Pricing Impact Following Middle East Tensions

Over the weekend beginning 28th February, geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran created renewed uncertainty across global energy markets.

Oil prices moved higher, gas markets reacted quickly, and wholesale power markets followed with more measured movements.
Rather than speculate, we looked at real tender data from UK business energy contracts priced before and after the weekend to understand what this actually means for organisations approaching renewal.

Two examples from recent tenders illustrate the early impact.

1) Commercial Gas Contract Example
A business gas supply tender priced on 24th February was re-run on 10th March after the market reacted to the geopolitical developments.
Across comparable contract terms the best available supplier offers moved between approximately 2% and 3.5% higher.
This reflects the typical behaviour of gas markets, which tend to respond rapidly to geopolitical risk and global supply uncertainty.

2) Commercial Electricity Contract Example
A separate electricity tender priced across the same time period showed much smaller movement overall, with leading supplier offers remaining broadly within around 1% of previous pricing levels.

This is also typical market behaviour.

Electricity prices are influenced heavily by gas generation costs, but power markets often respond with a delay compared to gas, particularly when suppliers are still working through existing hedge positions.

What This Means for Businesses - The key point is that while geopolitical developments can move wholesale markets quickly, the effect on commercial contract pricing is usually more gradual and nuanced than headlines suggest.

Supplier pricing depends on a range of factors including:
A. Contract duration
B. Annual consumption and load profile
C. Metering structure (HH / NHH)
D. Supplier hedging positions
E. Market liquidity at the time of pricing

Because of this, two businesses tendering on the same day can still receive very different pricing outcomes.

The Takeaway
Energy markets remain sensitive to geopolitical risk, and volatility can appear quickly.
However, early indications from supplier pricing suggest moderate upward pressure rather than a dramatic spike.

For businesses approaching contract renewal over the next 12–24 months, the most important factors remain:
* Market awareness
* Timing of procurement activity
* Access to multiple suppliers
* Clear evaluation of contract structures

At Better Connected, we monitor supplier pricing across the market daily to help clients navigate these movements and make informed procurement decisions.

⚡ Energy Markets Alert: Middle East Tensions Impact Global PricesRising conflict in the Middle East is putting global en...
04/03/2026

⚡ Energy Markets Alert: Middle East Tensions Impact Global Prices

Rising conflict in the Middle East is putting global energy markets under pressure.
Airstrikes involving the US, Israel, and Iran, attacks on oil facilities, and disruptions to the Strait of Hormuz are driving oil and gas prices higher.

UK gas and electricity prices have surged as suppliers adjust to the uncertainty.
Longer-term contracts are showing relative stability, while 12-month options are coming in at higher rates.

Stay informed with Better Connected to navigate market volatility and make energy decisions with confidence.

Most businesses are still trying to manage electricity costs the way they did in 2019.That no longer works.Wholesale pri...
27/02/2026

Most businesses are still trying to manage electricity costs the way they did in 2019.

That no longer works.

Wholesale prices still dominate headlines. But wholesale is no longer the dominant driver of delivered electricity cost.

* Network charges are rising.
* Balancing costs are structural.
* Residual charges are expanding.
* Capacity recovery is embedded.
* Carbon remains firm.

From April, fixed cost exposure increases again. And yet many organisations are still:

• Focusing purely on unit rates
• Ignoring contract structure
• Carrying unmanaged pass-through risk
• Treating network costs as background noise

That approach worked when wholesale was 70–80% of the stack.
It doesn’t work when fixed and structural charges are doing the heavy lifting.

The uncomfortable truth is this:

Electricity procurement is no longer a price exercise. It’s a cost architecture exercise.

If your contract structure hasn’t been reviewed against the 2026 charging environment, you’re not managing price.

You’re carrying exposure.

Clarity first.
Resolution follows.

Better Connected
Stopping time being wasted on energy problems that don’t need to exist.

Address

Barn 1, Somerford Business Court, Holmes Chapel Road, Somerford
Congleton
CW124SN

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5am
Tuesday 9am - 5am
Wednesday 9am - 5am
Thursday 9am - 5am
Friday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

+448452177525

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