{"id":12988,"date":"2022-09-22T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-22T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=12988"},"modified":"2026-07-09T15:31:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T14:31:42","slug":"cost-of-living-energy-bills-plan-support-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/cost-of-living-energy-bills-plan-support-business\/","title":{"rendered":"Cost of living energy bills plan: What support is available for businesses?"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/money-matters\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Money Matters<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tCost of living energy bills plan: What support is available for businesses?\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \">Published <time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2022-09-22T14:00:00+01:00\">22 September, 2022<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"Cost of living energy bills plan: What support is available for businesses?\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/cost-of-living-energy-bills-plan-support-business\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/keirthomasbryant\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/keir-short-hair-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/keir-short-hair-350x350.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2025\/06\/keir-short-hair.jpg 760w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 40px) 100vw, 40px\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Keir Thomas-Bryant<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Editor&#8217;s note: On 21 September 2022, the government announced the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which supersedes the Energy Price Guarantee. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>We cover the details in this article: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/energy-bill-relief-scheme-support-businesses\/\">Energy Bill Relief Scheme: Answers to questions on the support for businesses<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although much of the cost of living crisis focus has been on households, businesses face almost identical struggles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sky-rocketing energy bills in particular are presenting challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The government says energy costs have been rising by more than 500% for businesses, while research from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) published in August 2022 <a title=\"No time to lose: new government must act decisively to grip energy cost crisis\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbi.org.uk\/media-centre\/articles\/no-time-to-lose-new-government-must-act-decisively-to-grip-energy-cost-crisis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reports<\/a> nearly two-thirds of businesses (69%) expect energy costs to increase in the next three months. Almost a third of businesses anticipate rises of more than 30%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There was some good news on 8 September 2022, however, when the government announced what is effectively a new type of energy price cap to tackle the cost of living crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The measure also extends to business energy bills for a short period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Furthermore, the day before this was announced, new Prime Minister Liz Truss confirmed that the recently applied National Insurance increase would be halted and implied the forthcoming Corporation Tax increases would be abandoned, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s everything we know so far.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(It&#8217;s very likely there will be a mini-budget in the coming weeks, providing specific details, in which case we&#8217;ll update this blog accordingly.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s what we cover:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"#energy\">Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) for businesses<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#suspension\">Suspension of green levies<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#do\">Do businesses get a \u00a3400 energy bill reduction?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#are\">Are some tax increases to be reversed?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#tips\">5 tips for businesses worried about energy bills<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#final\">Final thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-e76a98af-89d9-4b18-aae0-ac49e01c2875\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-e76a98af-89d9-4b18-aae0-ac49e01c2875\"\n\t>Download your free copy of A guide to controlling costs in business<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"energy\">Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) for businesses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On 8 September 2022, the UK government announced the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG). This has been agreed with energy suppliers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The EPG is a form of energy cap that supersedes the existing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ofgem.gov.uk\/information-consumers\/energy-advice-households\/check-if-energy-price-cap-affects-you\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ofgem price cap<\/a>. It&#8217;s applied automatically to bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Crucially, the EPG applies also to businesses, whereas the Ofgem price cap has never done so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The EPG also applies to all non-domestic users, such as charities, schools and hospitals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As its name suggests, EPG is a guarantee on the maximum cost of a unit of gas or electricity. While this guarantee level hasn&#8217;t been revealed yet, the government says it will mean the average household pays no more than \u00a32,500 per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It hasn&#8217;t yet provided illustrative figures for businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On 14 September 2022, the government said the EPG <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/politics\/live\/2022\/sep\/14\/eu-uk-politics-latest-news-liz-truss-energy-updates\">will apply to business energy bills as of October 2022<\/a>. If the EPG scheme is not up and running at that point, businesses will be able to backdate claims under the EPG. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s not yet clear how this will work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are some crucial differences compared with how the EPG is applied to businesses, when compared to households:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>While the EPG applies to households for the next two years, it only applies to businesses for six months (from October 2022 to March 2023). This is to help businesses get across the 2022 winter months.<\/li><li>What the government calls &#8220;vulnerable sectors&#8221; will get more help after the six months have ended (in February\/March 2023). While making the announcement, the Prime Minister mentioned that hospitality is one such vulnerable sector, singling out pubs as an example. She also said more details of which kinds of businesses are considered vulnerable and will therefore get further EPG support will be available within three months, following consultation.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"suspension\">Suspension of green levies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The EPG involves a temporary suspension of green levies, which comprise a typically unnoticed component of energy bills. The government will pay these levies in lieu of households.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are several similar environmental taxes, reliefs and schemes applied businesses, such as the Climate Change Levy (CCL).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, it appears the green levy suspension only applies to households bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"do\">Do businesses get a \u00a3400 energy bill reduction?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All households across the UK will get a \u00a3400 total reduction in their energy bills at the end of 2022 and into 2023. This is known as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/guidance\/getting-the-energy-bills-support-scheme-discount\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Energy Bills Support Scheme<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Payments are spread over six months, beginning in October 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Energy Bills Support Scheme doesn&#8217;t apply to business energy use, so businesses don&#8217;t receive this help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Note that if you work from home in any capacity, there&#8217;s no need to use a business energy supplier and you can use your domestic energy supplier. This effectively means the Energy Bills Support Scheme applies partly to home working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"are\">Are some tax increases to be reversed?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In her first Prime Minister&#8217;s Questions on 7 September 2022, the Prime Minister seemingly confirmed the reversal of two tax rises, saying: &#8220;&#8230;we will reverse the National Insurance increase, and that is why we will keep corporation tax low&#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These had been promised during her leadership campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It implies the following, pending official confirmation from HMRC or the government:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>The National Insurance rate increases introduced earlier in 2022 will be reversed.<\/li><li>The planned corporation tax increase in April 2023 will no longer go ahead.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The National Insurance increase has applied from April 2022. It saw National Insurance contributions (NICs) for both employer and employee increase by 1.25%, making for a 1.5% total increase in wage bills for employers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The intention is this is followed by a new <a title=\"What the new health and social care levy means for employers\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/health-and-social-care-levy-employers\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Health and Social Care Levy<\/a> from April 2023 onwards, with the same deductions although with slightly different criteria compared to NICs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s unclear if the HSC Levy will still go ahead for either employers and employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Corporation tax had been set to <a title=\"Corporation tax\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/new-tax-year\/#corporation\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">increase to up to 25%<\/a>, depending on new profits thresholds, with a tapered rate for smaller businesses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Again, it seems this will now be cancelled, but we await confirmation of what will take its place, or if the existing rates will remain in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<a\n\t\tclass=\"button button--primary gate-e76a98af-89d9-4b18-aae0-ac49e01c2875\"\n\t\trole=\"button\"\n\t\tdata-button-location=\"content_area\"\n\t\thref=\"#gate-e76a98af-89d9-4b18-aae0-ac49e01c2875\"\n\t>Download your free copy of A guide to controlling costs in business<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tips\">5 tips for businesses worried about energy bills<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Businesses concerned about energy bills have a number of options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before you start, work out your current usage. Grab some old bills and work out how many kilowatt hours (kWh) of gas and electricity your business uses across a year. This is important because it can affect the outcome of the following suggestions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Prepare your business cash flow for the end of any fixed deal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fixed rates are rarer in the business world compared to domestic settings. But if you&#8217;re on a fixed deal that ends soon, prepare your cash flow well ahead of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;ve been on the fixed contract for more 12 months or more, it&#8217;s very unlikely you&#8217;ll find a deal that&#8217;s anywhere near as inexpensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use your usage calculations to project your monthly bills following the end of your fixed deal and ensure you have the cash ready to pay those bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Find a good fixed deal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As with fixed deals for domestic customers, you&#8217;re unlikely to find any deal right now that&#8217;s much better than staying on a supplier&#8217;s variable rate and riding out the rises in prices (or potential falls).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Energy comparison sites often include sections for business users, so head over to the same sites you may already use to find the best deals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Are you running a microbusiness?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When it comes to energy use, there&#8217;s a special category of business identified by Ofgem, known as a microbusiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Special billing rules apply that can be advantageous if used cleverly. Energy contracts can&#8217;t last more than 12 months, for example, and the maximum notice period to end a microbusiness contract is 30 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Energy suppliers have a duty to identify if yours is a microbusiness but the criteria are that it employs fewer than 10 people, or only uses up to 100,000kWh of electricity, or only uses or up to 293,000 kWh of gas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Implement energy saving measures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can apply the same energy-saving measures to your business as you apply to a household\u2014everything from cavity wall insulation, to energy-saving lightbulbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You might wish to look at how employees use energy, too, outside of necessary work activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, providing a fridge in a break room may consume significant energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You may need to think creatively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Filter coffee makers consume energy over the space of several hours, for example, in order to keep the coffee warm. Providing a jar of instant coffee means a kettle need only be boiled for a minute or two. As the former Prime Minister suggested, you may wish to invest in a more energy-efficient kettle, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lights might be turned on unnecessarily during the daytime, or accidentally left on overnight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rather than impose such policies on employees, empower them by putting the question of energy saving to the workforce and seeking suggestions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You might turn this into a reward scheme, with gifts presented for the best ideas. Employees are more likely to follow such schemes if the ideas originated between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Find energy schemes, grants or even loans for business<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The government is keen to encourage sustainable energy use within businesses and has a number of schemes, grants and loans for this purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To find them, you can search the government&#8217;s dedicated <a title=\"Finance and support for your business\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/business-finance-support?keywords=energy&amp;types_of_support%5B%5D=grant&amp;types_of_support%5B%5D=loan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">business support search service<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Examples include support for low-carbon workplaces, although you may find your location is a determining factor, with regional bodies administering some of the schemes. You can also contact your council to see if any local schemes are available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"final\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The EPG measures along with tax reductions are sure to be greeted warmly (pun intended&#8230;) by businesses concerned about energy bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, keeping bills low is going to require a proactive mindset as the coming months and even years roll by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A smart business is one that&#8217;s always looking at energy usage and expenditure, and is making efforts to reduce bills\u2014regardless of how much each kWh costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Editor&#8217;s note: This article was first published on 8 September 2022 and has been updated for relevance.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n \n<div class=\"single-cta gated-content\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">A free guide to controlling your business costs<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Our guide includes expert tips and advice to help beat the rising costs of being in business. It also shows you how insights about your spending can help the long-term health of your business.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-e76a98af-89d9-4b18-aae0-ac49e01c2875\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Get your free guide<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1214156032-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1214156032-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner on-scroll-highlight__target\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/business-finances\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBusiness finances\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/business-support\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBusiness support\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/tag\/government-funding\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGovernment funding\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--featured h1\">Explore more wisdom<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-0 post-10168 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-bookkeeping tag-business-finances tag-business-support business_type-small-business card-post--is-clickable\"\n>\n\t<div class=\"card-post__media-wrapper\">\n\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1215\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/11\/200122_Sage_BridgeHousing3578-1215x810.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/11\/200122_Sage_BridgeHousing3578-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/11\/200122_Sage_BridgeHousing3578-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/11\/200122_Sage_BridgeHousing3578-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"card-post__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__label\">Recommended<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-08-07T15:59:41+01:00\">7 August, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">10 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/accounting-for-startups-entrepreneurs\/\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tStartup accounting: A practical guide for entrepreneurs\u00a0\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"card-post__description\">\n\t\t\t\tBuilding a startup comes with enough challenges. Learning the financial essentials can help you stay compliant, understand your numbers, and create a stronger foundation for long-term success. \t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row related-posts__non-featured\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading related-posts__heading--more h4\">More on this Topic<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-1 post-9464 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-business-finances tag-business-support tag-start-business business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/get-funding-start-business\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/04\/DSC0267_All-Uses-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/04\/DSC0267_All-Uses-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/04\/DSC0267_All-Uses-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/04\/DSC0267_All-Uses.jpg 999w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-08-05T16:28:12+01:00\">5 August, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">11 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tHow to get funding to start a business\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-20184 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-business-costs tag-business-finances tag-business-support business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/business-line-of-credit\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1146164056-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"Woman applying for business credit line\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1146164056-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1146164056-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1146164056-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-08-05T15:28:03+01:00\">5 August, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tWhat is a business line of credit and how do you apply for one?\u00a0\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-10305 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters tag-business-finances business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/business-bank-account-small-business\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/08\/Bright-Path-Consulting_FY20_SBC-Accounting-Payroll_78-1-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/08\/Bright-Path-Consulting_FY20_SBC-Accounting-Payroll_78-1-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/08\/Bright-Path-Consulting_FY20_SBC-Accounting-Payroll_78-1-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2021\/08\/Bright-Path-Consulting_FY20_SBC-Accounting-Payroll_78-1-1214x810.jpg 1214w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-08-05T12:10:03+01:00\">5 August, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tWhat is a business bank account? A guide for UK businesses\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-1544 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-growth-customers category-money-matters tag-alternative-finance tag-business-continuity tag-finance tag-government-funding tag-grow-business business_type-small-business\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/government-grants-for-small-businesses\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/07\/Thinscale_28825-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/07\/Thinscale_28825-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/07\/Thinscale_28825-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/07\/Thinscale_28825-1215x810.jpg 1215w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-08-04T16:32:50+01:00\">4 August, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">24 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tGovernment grants for small businesses\u00a0to help your UK venture\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover how the Energy Price Guarantee from the UK government applies to businesses, and see what can be done about soaring energy bills.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":280,"featured_media":11622,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_page_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_schema_article_type":"","_sage_video":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"6","post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"_pwl_sage_podcast_buzzsprout_src":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[135,124,17],"business_type":[4,3,115],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[67,71,73,74,75],"imagine_tag":[220,96,109],"coauthors":[369],"class_list":["post-12988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-money-matters","tag-business-finances","tag-business-support","tag-government-funding","business_type-small-business","business_type-medium-sized-business","business_type-accountants"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Keir Thomas-Bryant","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1133429401.jpg","imagine_tags":{"220":"Accountant accounting","96":"Medium businesses","109":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/280"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12988"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12988\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31099,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12988\/revisions\/31099"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/11622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12988"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=12988"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=12988"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=12988"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=12988"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=12988"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=12988"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=12988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}