{"id":411029,"date":"2026-02-06T10:53:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T10:53:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/411029\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T10:53:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T10:53:08","slug":"i-can-now-put-more-into-my-pension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/411029\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I can now put more into my pension!’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) could reduce their energy bills by up to 40 per cent by switching to flexible pricing tariffs, according to industry data.<\/p>\n

Dynamic tariffs, including Octopus Energy\u2019s Shape Shifters and Agile products, are increasingly being used by smaller businesses seeking to lower operating costs amid sustained pressure from high energy prices.<\/p>\n

Energy providers claim firms can typically save around 25 per cent without significantly altering energy usage patterns. <\/p>\n

Businesses that are able to shift a larger proportion of consumption to cheaper off-peak periods could see savings of up to 40 per cent.<\/p>\n

Around half of SMEs are estimated to already have smart meters installed, meaning many businesses could be able to access flexible tariffs without further infrastructure upgrades.<\/p>\n

One business owner who has adopted the system is Lesley Adams, who runs independent Yorkshire florist Simply Flowers. <\/p>\n

She said the shop has reduced its energy bills by 22 per cent since switching to the Shape Shifters tariff, equating to approximately \u00a3400 in annual savings.<\/p>\n

Ms Adams said: \u201cAt the moment everything is usually going up, so it’s really nice to find something where we can actually save some money.<\/p>\n

\u201cWages are going up, the cost of products is going up, so it’s just nice to find somewhere we can manage to save a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Lesley<\/p>\n

Octopus energy tariff saves woman \u00a3400 on her bills<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

Octopus<\/p>\n

She said the business has shifted 98 per cent of its peak-time electricity consumption into off-peak hours, with savings becoming visible immediately after the change.<\/p>\n

Simply Flowers operates between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Saturday, meaning only the final hour of trading overlaps with peak pricing periods, typically between 4pm and 7pm.<\/p>\n

To reduce costs, Ms Adams adjusted the shop\u2019s infrared heating panels to switch off at 4pm, relying on residual heat to maintain temperatures until closing. <\/p>\n

She also changed electric vehicle charging schedules, moving charging to midnight rather than during higher-cost periods.<\/p>\n

Ms Adams said: \u201cIt’s not difficult at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

The business also uses solar panels and battery storage systems, allowing electricity to be stored ahead of peak pricing periods and used later in the day. <\/p>\n

Heating is now primarily run overnight, between midnight and 4am.<\/p>\n

\"Octopus<\/p>\n

The Shape Shifters tariff was designed to offer a simplified version of dynamic pricing<\/p>\n

| GETTY\/OCTOPUS<\/p>\n

Zoisa North-Bond, chief executive of Octopus Energy for Business, said the Shape Shifters tariff was designed to offer a simplified version of fully dynamic pricing.<\/p>\n

She said businesses receive three main price bands: a lower overnight rate from midnight to 7am, a daytime rate until around 4pm, and a peak tariff during evening demand periods, when prices can rise significantly depending on wholesale market conditions.<\/p>\n

Ms North-Bond said safeguards were built into the system to reduce exposure to extreme price spikes.<\/p>\n

Businesses can trial the tariff for one month and exit if it does not suit their usage patterns. <\/p>\n

The peak rate is also capped at around \u00a31 per unit, with the cap only being reached once in approximately 18 months.<\/p>\n

She said: \u201cThrough our tech, we look at consumption patterns and make sure products are fit for customers so we know they’re going to save money first and foremost.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Customer\"\/<\/p>\n

The reduced energy costs have allowed her to increase contributions to her pension<\/p>\n

| <\/p>\n

GETTY<\/p>\n

Manufacturing firms are expected to be among the businesses most able to benefit from flexible pricing.<\/p>\n

Companies that can run automated machinery overnight rather than during daytime hours may be able to significantly reduce energy costs without changing output levels.<\/p>\n

Industry figures suggest flexible tariffs could also help balance demand across the electricity grid by encouraging usage during periods of lower demand or higher renewable generation.<\/p>\n

Ms North-Bond said flexible pricing is likely to become increasingly important as the energy system transitions, noting that businesses typically have access to around 21 hours of off-peak pricing each day.<\/p>\n

For Ms Adams, the financial savings have provided additional financial stability. She said the reduced energy costs have allowed her to increase contributions to her pension.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) could reduce their energy bills by up to 40 per cent by switching…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":411030,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[84,1344,5363,4176,2222,50,4178,4174,4175,3668,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-411029","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-personal-finance","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-energy","10":"tag-energy-bills","11":"tag-finance","12":"tag-money","13":"tag-news","14":"tag-pensions","15":"tag-personal-finance","16":"tag-personalfinance","17":"tag-savings","18":"tag-uk","19":"tag-united-kingdom","20":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=411029"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/411029\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/411030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=411029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=411029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=411029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}