What EDF’s new business energy research says
Almost three quarters of UK businesses say managing energy has become more complicated, according to new EDF business energy research. At the same time, most of them say they are confident about handling price swings.
Both things can be true. But if your business energy contract rolls over quietly every year, the Do-Nothing Default is probably doing more of the managing than you are. If you want the basics of how these agreements work first, start with our guide to business energy contracts for SMEs.
Key takeaways
- EDF says 74% of businesses surveyed find managing energy more complex than three years ago.
- 86% say they are confident they can manage energy price volatility.
- 57% want more flexible energy contracts, while EDF says fixed term deals still suit most firms today.
- EDF is itself an energy supplier, so treat the survey as a snapshot rather than a verdict.
What did the EDF business energy research find?
EDF published the research on 7 October 2026. It says 86% of businesses are confident they can manage energy price volatility, yet 74% say managing their energy supplies and costs has become more complex over the past three years.
The wider effects are the part worth reading. EDF reports that 48% say the complexity makes budgeting harder, 47% say it has reduced confidence in long term planning, and 43% say it is slowing investment decisions.
Wholesale price volatility was the biggest challenge, named by 49% of respondents. EDF adds that price is only part of the picture, because firms are also dealing with more complicated contracts, changing regulation, new technology and patchy energy data.
Those figures describe what businesses say, not what they pay. The release does not include price or bill data, so it cannot tell you whether your own rates are fair. Only a quote comparison can do that.
EDF calls the gap between confidence and experience a “confidence gap”. That is its wording, and it is a fair prompt to check how prepared your own business really is.
Do businesses really want flexible energy contracts?
According to EDF, 57% of respondents want more flexible energy contracts, 53% want more support managing energy risk, and 45% want help with decarbonisation.
The appetite varies by sector. EDF says three quarters of education respondents, 70% of those in architecture, engineering and building, and two thirds in retail, catering and leisure expect flexible contracts to become more important over the next two years.
EDF also says traditional fixed term arrangements continue to meet the current needs of most organisations. In other words, flexibility is growing in interest, but it has not replaced the fixed deal.
Another figure stands out: 48% already manage energy risk continuously, rather than mainly when a contract renews. For a small firm, that might simply mean knowing your contract end date, your usage and your current rates all year round.
How much weight should you give a supplier’s survey?
EDF says the research was carried out by Censuswide among 500 UK energy users, all senior managers or above with responsibility for energy use. Fieldwork took place between 9 and 16 June 2026.
That is a reasonable sample for a snapshot, but it is a survey run by a supplier that sells business energy, and it does not tell us how many small firms were included. We have reported EDF’s figures as EDF’s figures, and we have not verified them independently.
The useful takeaway is not any single percentage. It is that managing a business energy contract takes more attention than it used to, and that waiting for the renewal letter is a risky way to do it.
What should you check on your own contract?
You do not need a full energy strategy to get the basics right. A few checks, done once, can make a renewal far less stressful:
- Your end date. Find it in your contract or on your latest bill, and put it in the diary well ahead of time.
- Your notice period. Check how and when you need to tell your supplier if you want to leave or change terms.
- What happens at the end. Some suppliers move firms onto out of contract rates if they do nothing, and those rates can be higher, so check what applies to yours.
- Your usage. Know roughly how much you use and when, so any quote you compare is like for like.
If you have more than one site, or separate gas and electricity contracts, run the same checks on each one. They can end on different dates, and a single reminder in the diary per contract is usually enough to stop one slipping past. Our guide to multi-site energy contracts covers that side in more detail.
Our recent guide to business energy renewal checks goes through this step by step. If you are weighing up contract types, see flexible energy contracts versus fixed and our overview of business energy tariffs. For the full background on how these agreements work, read our business energy contracts guide.
You can read EDF’s own announcement on its website: EDF research reveals confidence gap as energy complexity grows for UK businesses. Comparing quotes from several suppliers takes a few minutes, and prices depend on your usage and location.
Frequently asked questions about EDF’s business energy research
- What did EDF’s business energy research find?
- EDF says 74% of businesses surveyed find managing energy more complex than three years ago, while 86% say they are confident they can manage price volatility.
- Are flexible energy contracts better than fixed ones?
- Not necessarily. EDF says fixed term deals still meet the needs of most organisations. The right choice depends on your usage, budget and appetite for price changes.
- How many businesses were surveyed?
- EDF says 500 UK energy users took part, all senior managers or above with energy responsibility. Fieldwork ran from 9 to 16 June 2026.
- When should I start looking at my renewal?
- Check your contract for the end date and notice period, and look well before it. The earlier you start, the more time you have to compare quotes.
- Does Switcheroo verify EDF’s figures?
- No. We report them as EDF’s own research, and we link to its announcement so you can read the original.
Sources
- EDF media centre: research reveals confidence gap as energy complexity grows for UK businesses, published 7 October 2026: every percentage in this article, including the 74% complexity figure, the 86% confidence figure, the 48%, 47% and 43% effects on budgeting, planning and investment, the 49% naming wholesale volatility, the 57%, 53% and 45% on flexibility, risk support and decarbonisation, the education, construction and retail sector splits, the 48% managing risk continuously, the “confidence gap” wording, and the line that traditional fixed term arrangements still meet most organisations’ current needs.
- Same release, methodology section: the research was carried out by Censuswide among 500 UK energy users at senior manager level or above, with fieldwork between 9 and 16 June 2026.
Checked 13 October 2026.
