Ben Brading 5 min read

Optimising multi-site business energy management

Managing energy across multiple business locations is no small task. With multiple supplier contracts, staggered renewal dates, inconsistent metering infrastructure, and increasing compliance demands, many organisations struggle to maintain visibility and control.

This guide explains best practices for managing multi-site energy procurement, metering, and compliance.

What is multi-site energy management?

Multi-site energy management is the coordinated procurement, monitoring, and optimisation of electricity and gas supplies used by organisations with a portfolio of properties.

Multi-site energy management involves the following activities, which we explain in this guide:

Multi-site business energy procurement – Managing energy tariffs across a range of commercial gas and business electricity connections.
Multi-site energy metering – Managing main and sub-metering hardware and consumption data across a portfolio of properties.
Multi-site energy compliance – Preparing data, calculations, and reporting required by organisations that consume large amounts of energy.

Challenges with multi-site energy management

Many large organisations operate a portfolio of properties supplied by various commercial electricity and business gas suppliers.

Each supplier provides an online portal for consumption data and billing, but procurement teams often do not have an organisation-wide view of these metrics, which leads to:

Time-consuming management of individual contract renewals.
Difficulties in pursuing a coherent organisation-wide business energy procurement strategy to manage price risk.
The need to piece together consumption data from various sources for compliance reporting.

Multi-site business energy procurement

Multi-site business energy procurement is a purchasing strategy in which multiple supply points and properties are consolidated under a single business energy contract.

A multi-site business energy procurement strategy aims to achieve:

Consolidated billing – Receiving a single monthly commercial electricity and business gas bill that incorporates all sites, reducing administrative work associated with bill validation.
Price risk management – Managing the energy consumption of the entire organisation within a single contract makes it easier to mitigate the risk of wholesale price increases.
Streamlined renewals – Having a single contract end date reduces the risk of contracts lapsing onto expensive out-of-contract rates.
Increased purchasing power – Leveraging bulk purchasing to secure more competitive rates.

💡Multi-site business energy contracts are typically arranged separately for gas and electricity supplies and it is common to have a separate supplier for each.

Types of multi-site business energy contracts

Here are the three most common types of contracts used for multi-site business energy procurement, including the types of organisation for which they are most suitable.

Fixed contract

A fixed multi-site business energy contract is most suitable for smaller or medium-sized portfolios. Each site in the portfolio is charged a:

And:

The fixed charges apply over a term of 1–5 years. The contract has a single end date encompassing multiple supply points.

Pass-through contract

A pass-through contract separates the wholesale and non-commodity elements of energy costs. This type of contract is suitable for larger property portfolios or those containing energy-intensive properties.

The wholesale energy cost is fixed for the entire portfolio, while the following non-commodity costs are passed through as incurred by the supplier:

TNUoS charges for using the high-voltage national grid
DUoS charges for using the local electricity network
BSUoS charges for balancing services provided by the grid operator NESO
Gas distribution charges for using the gas distribution networks
Environmental costs such as the Renewable Obligation and the Contracts for Difference levy
Meter Operator charges

Flexible energy contract

A flexible energy contract is suitable for multi-site organisations with annual energy expenditure of over £1 million, enabling them to pursue bespoke procurement strategies.

The business energy supplier provides access to the wholesale electricity market and wholesale gas market via a trading platform that allows forward purchasing of energy at market prices.

In a flexible energy contract, the non-commodity costs are charged in the same way as under a pass-through contract.

Implementing a multi-site business energy contract

This section summarises the three key steps involved in consolidating all supply points within a portfolio onto a single multi-site business energy contract.

1.Portfolio data collection and audit

The first step in setting up a multi-site business energy contract is to assess the status of all energy supply points within your property portfolio.

Energy supply points are individual connections to the local grid at specific properties, identified by an MPAN for electricity or an MPRN for gas.

We recommend collecting the following information for each supply point:

MPAN/MPRN unique identifier
Commercial property address
Type of meter (half-hourly or non-half-hourly)
Type of meter readings (automatic or manual)
Annual business energy consumption
Contract status (in-contract or out of contract)
Contract end date (where applicable)

2. Phased approach to contract alignment

A phased approach to contract alignment is typically required to avoid incurring expensive exit fees for in-contract supply points.

We recommend starting by agreeing on a multi-site business energy contract that consolidates all out-of-contract supply points.

Future supply points should then be synchronised with the end date of this initial contract by:

Phased onboarding – Agreeing to add these supply points to your multi-site contract as they reach their contract end date, if your supplier permits this.
Waiting for the multi-site renewal date – Allowing supply points to reach the end of their fixed contract and then including them in the multi-site contract at the next available renewal date.
Separate but synchronised fixed contracts – Entering short-term fixed contracts with an end date close to the multi-site renewal date, enabling consolidation at that point.

3. Multi-site energy comparison

To secure the most competitive prices, we recommend requesting multi-site energy quotations from several suppliers.

You will need to provide suppliers with the portfolio data outlined above and then request a quotation that encompasses all supply points.

Quotations can be obtained by contacting energy suppliers directly or by using a business energy broker.

Our business energy experts can manage the multi-site business energy comparison process on your behalf. Start today by using our business electricity comparison or business gas comparison services.

Quotations for multi-site business energy contracts typically take a few days to prepare. Once you have accepted a quotation, the process to switch business energy suppliers is the same as for single-site contracts.

Multi-site energy meters

A multi-site energy metering system connects and consolidates electricity and gas consumption data from a portfolio of locations onto a single, centralised platform.

Multi-site business energy monitoring software is provided by some of the best business energy suppliers, as well as by third-party monitoring specialists.

This section explains the hardware, communication, and software components of multi-site energy metering systems.

Metering hardware

A multi-site energy metering system relies on individual business electricity meters and commercial gas meters installed at each site within a property portfolio.

The system can collect data from the following types of meters, all of which automatically record and transmit meter reading data:

Smart meters – Typically installed at non-energy-intensive commercial properties.
Half-hourly meters – Installed at energy-intensive commercial properties.
Advanced meters – Automatic meter reading devices that can be retrofitted onto older meter types.
Sub-meters – Additional meters installed at complex sites to isolate specific circuits or equipment.

Data transmission

Each meter in the portfolio records energy consumption at regular intervals and transmits the data via mobile networks or local Wi-Fi connections.

These readings are aggregated into a central data repository, typically hosted on the servers of a cloud-based platform.

Centralised data analytics

Meter reading data for an entire portfolio is analysed by energy monitoring software to generate the following tools and data visualisations:

Dashboard visualisation – Real-time consumption and cost tracking across all sites.
Benchmarking tools – Comparison of site-by-site performance.
Alerts and notifications – Detection of unusual spikes or drops in usage.
Data export – Supporting calculations for ESOS, SECR, and carbon reporting.
Forecasting tools – Models that predict future consumption and costs.

Find out more about the features and options for energy data analytics software in our guide to business energy monitoring.

Implementing multi-site metering for your business

This section outlines the key steps involved in implementing third-party multi-site metering software.

Hardware analysis and meter upgrades

The first step is to review your property portfolio to ensure that the meters at each location can automatically transmit meter readings.

The easiest way to check this is by reviewing your commercial gas and business electricity bills to determine whether they are based on actual or estimated readings.

Properties without automatic meter reading capabilities can be upgraded by:

Requesting a free smart business energy meter upgrade
Fitting automatic meter readers to older devices
The energy consumption of specific equipment, functions, or areas within larger commercial properties can be measured separately by installing sub-meters. Find out more in our full guide to sub-metering for businesses.

Choose a multi-site energy monitoring platform

Several popular multi-site energy monitoring systems are available to British businesses, including SystemsLink, Oak Network, and Stark.

Each of these platforms offers a free demonstration of its software. When choosing a system for your business, we recommend:

Comparing pricing models
Ensuring integration with your Building Management System (BMS)
Confirming that the platform includes all necessary analytics features

System setup and onboarding

Most energy monitoring platforms include support for onboarding and setup services, which typically involve:

Portfolio onboarding – Uploading supply point details (MPANs, MPRNs, site names, and addresses).
Meter mapping – Linking each site’s meter data to the platform.
Data integration – Setting up automated data feeds (from suppliers, AMR providers, or meter readers).
Customisation – Tailoring dashboards, user access, and reporting views.

Key regulations and compliance for multi-site business energy

Several regulations apply to business energy for companies that manage a portfolio of properties.

This section summarises the key regulatory requirements, with links to our full guides for each.

Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme

Large British organisations are required to conduct a formal business energy audit every four years.

The audit must review at least 90% of total energy consumption in order to identify opportunities to improve business energy efficiency.

Using a multi-site energy monitoring system can significantly simplify the audit process, enabling your business to identify more easily which sites must be included in the review.

Find out more in our full guide to the Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme.

Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting

Large British organisations are required to report their energy usage and associated emissions in their annual reports.

Multi-site energy metering systems enable organisations to produce auditable calculations of these consumption figures.

Find out more in our full guide to Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting.

Mandatory Half-Hourly metering

Currently, any commercial property with a maximum demand exceeding 100 kVA must have a half-hourly business electricity meter.

The upcoming Market-Wide Half-Hourly Settlement Reform will require all commercial properties to have an electricity meter that automatically transmits readings every 30 minutes.

Businesses that have already implemented multi-site energy metering systems will be compliant with these regulations.

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