Clear Business
Clear Business out-of-contract rates
When a fixed contract ends and nothing replaces it, your supply moves onto Clear Business's default rates. Here are the published figures, what they could cost your business a month, and how quickly you may be able to leave them.
Any Clear Business supply without a live fixed contract — whether you moved into a premises they already supplied (deemed) or a fixed contract ended without a new one being agreed (out of contract). The rates are the same either way; the notice they must give you before changing them is not.
What it's costing you a month
The published rates, plus the Climate Change Levy at 0.801p/kWh and VAT at whichever rate applies to a supply your size. Monthly, because that's how the bill lands.
Your annual usage is on your bill — shown as EAC for electricity, AQ for gas. A rough figure is fine.
Every rate on the plan
Taken from Clear Business's own document rather than averaged or estimated. All figures exclude VAT and CCL.
Electricity
Ex VAT & CCL| Applies to | Unit | Standing |
|---|---|---|
| Non half-hourly | 39.60p | 300.00p /day |
| Half-hourly | Priced per site | |
Gas
Ex VAT & CCL| Annual usage | Unit | Standing |
|---|---|---|
| 0 – 732,000 kWh | 11.40p | 425.00p /day |
| 732,001 kWh and above | 11.40p | 1000.00p /day |
Half-hourly electricity, by region
Published rates| Region | Standing charge (p/day) | Day rate (p/kWh) | Night rate (p/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| East England | 901 | 43.6 | 37.9 |
| East Midlands | 1071 | 42.7 | 37.7 |
| London | 671 | 44.4 | 37.9 |
| North Wales, Merseyside & Cheshire | 1421 | 44.6 | 38.1 |
| West Midlands | 1181 | 42.8 | 37.9 |
| North East England | 1241 | 42.6 | 37.6 |
| North West England | 911 | 43.4 | 37.7 |
| South England | 1231 | 43.2 | 37.8 |
| South East England | 1091 | 43.4 | 37.8 |
| South Wales | 1221 | 43.1 | 37.9 |
| South West England | 1311 | 42.8 | 37.7 |
| Yorkshire | 1191 | 42.9 | 37.9 |
| South & Central Scotland | 1371 | 43.1 | 37.7 |
| North Scotland | 1021 | 44 | 38.2 |
Source: Clear Business, published rate schedule, prices from 1 December 2025. Charges can be varied or withdrawn by the supplier on notice. If this page has fallen behind the published schedule, tell us and we'll correct it.
- Prices exclude VAT and CCL, charged at the rate applicable to your business.
- Deemed rates can be changed with 30 days’ notice. Out-of-contract rates can be changed with only 5 days’ notice.
- Half-hourly standing charges, and the gas standing charge above 732,000 kWh, are minimums — additional fixed costs are passed through.
- Clear Business also publishes separate electricity pass-through charges.
At 732,001 kWh the standing charge jumps
Clear Business splits published gas rates into consumption bands. Crossing the threshold lowers your unit rate — and raises your standing charge by far more than most people expect.
| Annual gas usage | Unit rate | Standing charge |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 732,000 kWh | 11.40p /kWh | £1,551 a year |
| 732,001 kWh and above | 11.40p /kWh | £3,650 a year |
On this schedule the lower unit rate more than covers the bigger standing charge, so a supply above 732,001 kWh works out cheaper overall than one just below it — by roughly £2,099 a year at the threshold itself. The jump is still worth knowing about, because it's the standing charge that makes a small gas supply expensive here.
You can't choose your band. Clear Business applies it according to the annual quantity held against the supply — which is an estimate, and estimates drift. If your usage sits anywhere near 732,001 kWh, it's worth checking the figure they're billing you on is the right one.
Check my gas chargesFaster than most people think
This is usually where people are working from out-of-date information. Switching isn't the multi-week process it once was. Typical timings, assuming nothing is holding the supply up:
Staying with Clear Business
Moving from the default rates onto one of their fixed prices can often be done the next day. No switch, no registration, no objection window.
Moving to a new supplier
Under Faster Switching, a change of supplier can usually complete within five working days once the new contract has been accepted and registered.
If your contract is still running
Agree the replacement about a week before it ends and you shouldn't need to touch the default rates at all. The new price takes over as the old one finishes.
The one thing that genuinely holds a switch up is an objection, and there are only two common causes: an outstanding balance with your current supplier, or a change of tenancy that was never registered, so the account is still in someone else's name. Both are fixable, and both are far easier to deal with before you're relying on a start date. It's the first thing we check.
Which means there's no useful reason to wait. Every week on default rates is charged at default rates, and the week you spend arranging the replacement is the only one you can't get back.
Already had an offer? Let us check it
Send us the renewal letter or the quote you've been given — a photo of it is fine. We'll put the unit rate, the standing charge, the term and the commission built into it against what else is available today, and tell you plainly whether it's a good deal.
Including if it already is. That happens, and we'd rather say so than waste your time and ours.
- No obligation
- We'll show the commission
Deemed and out-of-contract aren't quite the same
The terms get used interchangeably and suppliers rarely distinguish them, but it's worth knowing which applies. Deemed means you're taking supply without ever having agreed a contract with that supplier — nearly always because you moved into a premises where they were already the incumbent. Out-of-contract means you had a contract, it ended, and nothing replaced it.
Clear Business puts both onto the same default rates, so the figures above apply either way. The difference also matters for what happens next: a deemed supply usually needs the change of tenancy registering and an opening read submitted, and until that's done a switch can be objected to. If you've recently taken over a site, sort that first.
Common questions
How do I tell if I'm on these rates?
Look on your bill for a tariff described as deemed, variable or out-of-contract — or a contract end date that's blank or already passed. A unit rate near 39.60p/kWh is a strong hint. Send us the bill if the wording isn't clear.
Why is my gas standing charge so much higher than I expected?
Almost certainly the consumption band. Above 732,001 kWh a year the standing charge is 1000.00p a day rather than 425.00p — £3,650 a year against £1,551. The lower unit rate above the threshold more than covers it, so crossing 732,001 kWh works out cheaper overall — but the standing charge is what makes a small gas supply expensive on this schedule. The band follows the annual quantity held against your supply, so it's worth checking that figure is right.
Do these rates include VAT and the Climate Change Levy?
No — the published schedule excludes both. CCL is 0.801p/kWh on electricity and gas, equalised across the two fuels. VAT is 20% for most businesses.
Smaller supplies are treated differently: under 33 kWh a day of electricity or 145 kWh a day of gas, you pay 5% VAT and no CCL at all. The calculator applies whichever is right for the usage you enter.
Will I be charged for leaving, and how long does it take?
No charge. Default rates have no fixed term and no exit fee — the one advantage they have. You can leave as soon as a new contract is ready to take over.
On timing, most people are working from how switching used to be. Under Faster Switching — the industry rules that replaced the old multi-week process — a change of supplier can usually complete within five working days once the new contract has been accepted and registered. If you stay with Clear Business and simply move onto one of their fixed prices, there's no switch to process at all and it can often be done the next day.
The realistic delays aren't the switch itself: an outstanding balance or an unregistered change of tenancy can trigger an objection. Both are worth checking before you're relying on a start date.
What does Smart Energy charge?
Our commission is included in the price and disclosed before you sign anything. We apply the same agreed commission across every supplier we compare, so we have no incentive to recommend one over another.
Can you get me back onto a fixed price with Clear Business?
Yes. We're not trying to move you for the sake of it — if their fixed price is the best available for your supply, staying put is the fastest route anyway, because it can be done the next day rather than in five.
Let's see what you should be paying
A few questions, and only the ones that apply to you. No obligation, and we'll tell you if you're already on a good rate.
Rates shown are Clear Business's published charges effective 1 December 2025 and exclude VAT and CCL. The supplier can vary or withdraw them on notice. The calculator produces an estimate from the figures you enter — an actual bill depends on metered consumption, meter type and any charges billed outside the published schedule. It is not a quotation. We are not affiliated with Clear Business; their name and logo are used to identify the supplier this page is about.
