Business gas averaged 4.79p/kWh in early 2026, roughly a fifth of the per-unit price of business electricity, but that is no reason to leave it unchecked: gas-heavy premises burn a great many units, so the rate still moves the bill. Like all business energy it has no Ofgem price cap, is quoted per meter rather than off a public tariff, and is bought on fixed-term contracts. The gas-specific catch is the estimated annual quantity your supplier assumes, which swings with the seasons and quietly sets the rate you are offered. Here is how to buy it well, without an invented rate table.
Three ways to buy business gas · checked 4 July 2026
Route
Cost to you
Best for
The catch
Comparison broker
Free
Getting the whole market quoted at once
Commission is baked into your rate
Direct from a supplier
Free to quote
Gas-heavy sites checking a specialist
You see only that supplier's price
Doing nothing
Highest
Nobody
Deemed and rollover rates are the dearest
Compare the market in one go: the brokers
Bionic
Free to use
Human account managers who handle the switch, across every business utility in one place
Covers electricity, gas, broadband, mobile, insurance. Paid a commission by the supplier when a contract completes, included in the unit rate you pay. Bionic tells you the commission band before you sign and the exact figure on request.
The commission is inside your rate, so a quick sense-check against a direct supplier quote is still worth it.
A large panel of business suppliers compared in one quote, commission disclosed on request
Covers business electricity and gas. You pay nothing directly; commission is a small uplift within the quoted unit rate, typically around 3% of the contract value, with a breakdown available on request.
As with any broker, the cheapest headline is not always the cheapest all-in once commission is counted.
A broker quotes the market for you, but if gas is a major bill, a kitchen, a bakery, a manufacturing unit, it is worth a direct quote from a gas specialist too, because a keen gas rate can beat the convenience of one dual-fuel supplier. The main business gas suppliers are British Gas Business, Corona Energy, Crown Gas & Power, SEFE Energy, TotalEnergies, EDF Business. Corona Energy, Crown Gas and Power and SEFE Energy are the gas-focused specialists; British Gas Business, TotalEnergies and EDF offer gas alongside electricity. Get one specialist quote to sense-check whatever a broker returns.
The gas-specific trap: your estimated annual quantity
Every business gas quote rests on an estimated annual quantity, the AQ, which is the supplier's assumption about how much gas your meter will use in a year. Because gas is heating-led, business use swings hard between summer and winter, so a single bad month or an out-of-date estimate can push the AQ off and skew the unit rate you are offered. Before you compare, dig out your actual annual usage from a recent bill or meter reading and quote against that, not a guess. And remember that not every premises even has a gas connection, so a unit that runs on electricity only has nothing to switch here.
The traps shared with all business energy
Automatic rollover. Let a fixed contract lapse and you are rolled onto new terms automatically. Micro-businesses, under 293,000 kWh of gas a year, cannot be rolled for more than 12 months, but the rolled rate is rarely competitive.
Deemed rates on day one. Use gas at a new premises before agreeing a contract and you are on deemed rates, among the most expensive a supplier charges. Sort a contract as you move in.
No cooling-off period. There is no cooling-off once you agree a business gas contract, even over the phone, so negotiate before you say yes, not after.
Broker commission in the rate. A broker's fee sits inside your unit rate. Since October 2024 suppliers must disclose it in the contract's main terms, so read that line before signing.
Questions people actually ask
How much is business gas per kWh in the UK?
The average non-domestic gas price was 4.79p/kWh in the first quarter of 2026, or 5.17p/kWh including the Climate Change Levy, according to government DESNZ figures. Smaller businesses pay more, toward about 7p/kWh. Your own rate is quoted per meter, so there is no single published price.
Why is business gas so much cheaper per kWh than electricity?
Gas is roughly a fifth of the per-kWh price of business electricity, about 4.79p against 23.8p on the government averages, because it is a less processed form of energy. That does not make the bill small: gas-heavy premises such as kitchens, manufacturing and anywhere with heating burn far more units, so the rate still repays shopping around.
Is there a price cap on business gas?
No. The Ofgem energy price cap covers households only; business gas has no cap and is sold on fixed-term contracts of up to five years at bespoke rates. Gas and electricity are also quoted and contracted separately, so there is no domestic-style dual-fuel discount to reach for.
What is an estimated annual quantity and why does it matter for gas?
The estimated annual quantity, or AQ, is how much gas the supplier expects your meter to use in a year, and it drives the rate you are quoted. Because business gas use swings hard with the seasons and the weather, an AQ that is set too low or too high skews the offer, so it is worth getting your real usage right before comparing.
Am I a micro-business for gas?
You are a micro-business if you use 293,000 kWh a year of gas a year or less, or meet either of the other Ofgem tests: fewer than 10 employees with turnover under £2 million, or under 100,000 kWh of electricity. A business can qualify on one fuel but not the other. Micro-businesses get extra protections, including a 12-month cap on automatic rollover.
Figures checked 4 July 2026; confirm details with the provider before applying. We may earn a commission through links on this page.