Utility Helpline Fees & Payment

Utility Helpline Brokerage Services

FEES / REMUNERATION -September 2026
How Utility Helpline is paid
There is no cost or obligation for the Customer to obtain a price comparison or for Utility Helpline to tender for energy prices, unless otherwise agreed.

Where the Customer enters into an energy supply Contract arranged through Utility Helpline, Utility Helpline will normally receive a fee or Commission from the chosen Supplier for introducing the Customer, arranging the Contract and providing our ongoing services.

The most common method of remuneration is an uplift Commission, whereby an agreed amount is incorporated into the unit rate and/or standing charge offered to the Customer. The Customer pays the agreed Contract price to the Supplier and the Supplier subsequently pays the applicable Commission to Utility Helpline.

The amount of Commission is not the same for every Customer or Contract. It may vary depending upon factors including energy consumption, contract value, contract duration, credit risk, complexity, time involved and the level of ongoing services provided.

Individual Commission Disclosure
Utility Helpline operates an individual Commission disclosure process.

Before the Customer enters into a supply Contract, the Commission applicable to that Contract will be disclosed through the energy Contract documentation, Principal Terms and or a separate Commission disclosure provided to the Customer.

The disclosure will explain, where applicable:

the Commission rate or uplift being applied;
how the Commission is incorporated into the Customer's charges; and
the total or estimated total Commission Utility Helpline expects to receive over the Contract term.
Where the Commission calculation is based upon estimated annual consumption, the annual Commission disclosed will be an estimate. The amount ultimately received may be higher or lower if the Customer's actual consumption differs from the estimated consumption.

The Customer therefore has the opportunity to review the applicable Commission and remuneration arrangements before agreeing to the supply Contract.

What our Commission pays for
It may, in some circumstances, be possible for a Customer to obtain a different or cheaper tariff by approaching Suppliers directly, searching and comparing the business energy market independently, terminating existing agreements where required and managing the transfer or renewal process themselves.

Our Commission pays for Utility Helpline to provide the procurement service and the ongoing support included within our service offering.

Depending upon the services agreed with the Customer, these may include:

obtaining and comparing Supplier quotations;
negotiating and arranging supply Contracts;
managing the switching or renewal process;
dedicated account management;
ongoing customer support;
regular bill checking and validation, where applicable and where the necessary bills/data are available;
billing and Supplier query management;
dispute resolution support;
metering and account support;
regulatory and market information;
renewal management; and
other services included within Utility Helpline's Complete Care package.
The Commission received from Suppliers enables Utility Helpline to provide these services throughout the Customer relationship.

Example – Electricity Commission
By way of example, Utility Helpline may obtain an electricity price of 22.00p/kWh and apply a Commission uplift of 0.50p/kWh.

The price offered to the Customer would therefore be:

22.00p/kWh + 0.50p/kWh Commission = 22.50p/kWh

For a Customer consuming 10,000 kWh per year:

10,000 kWh × 22.50p/kWh = £2,250 annual energy cost

The Commission payable to Utility Helpline would be:

10,000 kWh × 0.50p/kWh ÷ 100 = £50 per year

For example, if this were a three-year Contract and consumption remained at 10,000 kWh per year, the estimated total Commission over the Contract term would be:

£50 × 3 years = £150

This Commission contributes towards the procurement, account management and ongoing services Utility Helpline provides to the Customer.

Example – Gas Commission
By way of example, Utility Helpline may obtain a gas price of 3.00p/kWh and apply a Commission uplift of 0.30p/kWh.

The price offered to the Customer would therefore be:

3.00p/kWh + 0.30p/kWh Commission = 3.30p/kWh

For a Customer consuming 100,000 kWh per year:

100,000 kWh × 3.30p/kWh = £3,300 annual energy cost

The Commission payable to Utility Helpline would be:

100,000 kWh × 0.30p/kWh ÷ 100 = £300 per year

For example, if this were a three-year Contract and consumption remained at 100,000 kWh per year, the estimated total Commission over the Contract term would be:

£300 × 3 years = £900

Again, this Commission contributes towards the procurement, account management and ongoing services Utility Helpline provides.

How Commission is calculated
Where Commission is applied as an uplift to the unit rate, the estimated Commission can be calculated as:

Commission uplift (p/kWh) × Estimated Annual Consumption (kWh) × Contract Length (years) ÷ 100 = Estimated Total Commission (£)

For example:

0.50p/kWh × 10,000 kWh × 3 years ÷ 100 = £150 estimated Commission

Commission may also be incorporated into the daily standing charge.

Where an amount is added to the standing charge, the Commission can be calculated by multiplying the Commission element of the daily standing charge by the number of chargeable days within the Contract.

Where a Contract contains both a unit-rate Commission and standing-charge Commission, both elements will be taken into account when calculating the estimated total Commission disclosed to the Customer.

How Suppliers pay Commission to Utility Helpline
Different Suppliers have different arrangements for paying broker Commission.

Depending upon the Supplier and Contract, Commission may be paid to Utility Helpline:

monthly or quarterly in arrears based upon actual consumption;
annually based upon estimated or actual consumption;
partly in advance and partly following reconciliation;
following commencement or renewal of the supply Contract; or
through another Supplier payment arrangement.
Some Suppliers may, for example, pay a proportion of the estimated Commission in advance, with the balance subsequently reconciled against actual consumption.

The method and timing by which a Supplier pays Utility Helpline does not change the price agreed by the Customer or the amount of Commission disclosed in relation to the Contract, subject to adjustments resulting from actual consumption where applicable.

Customer acknowledgement
By entering into a supply Contract arranged through Utility Helpline after receiving the applicable Commission disclosure, the Customer acknowledges that:

Utility Helpline is being remunerated for the services it provides;
some or all of that remuneration may be incorporated within the energy charges paid to the Supplier;
the applicable Commission or fee arrangement has been disclosed before acceptance; and
the Customer has had the opportunity to review and ask questions about the remuneration arrangement before entering into the Contract.
The Customer may request further information about the Commission payable to Utility Helpline at any time.

Our independence and Supplier panel
Utility Helpline is an independent energy and utilities intermediary. We are not an energy Supplier and do not represent that we provide a whole-of-market comparison.

We work with a panel of UK business energy Suppliers and seek to recommend options based upon factors including price, service, contract terms and suitability for the Customer's requirements.

The number and identity of Suppliers available to Utility Helpline may change over time.

We do not guarantee that the Contract arranged through Utility Helpline will be the cheapest available anywhere in the market. Customers may choose to approach Suppliers or other intermediaries independently before deciding whether to proceed with a Contract offered through Utility Helpline.

Complaints

At Utility Helpline, we believe in giving our customers a first class personal service. If however, there’s an issue you need to bring to our attention or you would like to make a complaint, please let us know by following the steps below.

Our Complaints Policy:

1. Complaints can be made over the phone or by email or letter. We’ll always do our best to sort your problem out straight away (within 24 hours).
2. If we need more time, we’ll give you a reference number and contact you as soon as we’ve sorted out your issue.
3. If we haven’t resolved your complaint within 5 working days, we’ll contact you to explain why and keep in touch until it’s resolved.
4. In the unlikely event you not happy with our final decision we can guide you to access any relevant ombudsmen services.

Who to contact about your complaint:

• Email us at rbonelle@utilityhelpline.co.uk
• Call us on 01432 378695
• Write to: Energy Manager, Richard Bonelle, 107 Burrows Business Centre, Hereford, HR1 2HE

Please include this information with your complaint:

• Name and address
• Contact number
• Details of the problem and any suggestion of how you would like us to put it right