Business Electricity from Hudson Energy
American owned Hudson Energy supplies electricity to medium and large businesses, and is part of Just Energy Group.
Hudson entered the UK market in 2012 with a philosophy of making themselves easy to do business with and providing exceptional service.
The Hudson Energy Checklist
Security
- Are their prices fully fixed? No, all contracts allow pass through
- Do they include metering and transportation costs in the price? Yes
- Do they include FIT and RO and CFD in the price? Yes
- What is their back billing policy? Anything up to six years
- Do they require a letter of authority? Yes
- Does the contract lapse on change of tenancy? Yes
Transparency
- Is your contract end date on the invoice? No
- Is your termination date on the invoice? No
- When will your renewal letter arrive? 120 days in advance of contract end date
- When do you need to terminate? No termination required however will move onto out of contract rates if fail to leave or agree a new contract
- Do they require termination letter by recorded delivery? Yes
- Will they rollover your contract? No
- How high are the out of contract rates? 19.25p/kWh Electricity
Convenience
- Do they mandate Direct Debit payment terms? No
- What are their Direct Debit terms? Variable, Monthly
- Do they offer Cash / Cheque payment terms? Yes but a premium applies
- Do they support reduced rate VAT declaration? Yes
- Do they bill monthly or quarterly? Monthly
- Do they provide online billing? No
Services
- Do they install smart meters as part of the supply contract? No however will install on request
- Do they support existing smart meters with full functionality? Yes, in most cases
- Do they provide New Connection & Upgrade Services? No
- Do they support IGT meters? No
- Do they support all electricity profiles including half hourly? Yes
- Do they support related and aggregated meters? Support related but not aggregated
Environmental
- Do they offer green and renewable products? Yes
- What is their Fuel Mix? 31% Gas, 31% Nuclear, 22% Coal, 15% Renewable
Other things to know about Hudson Energy
The Milton Keynes based business:- Is the third biggest supplier in the US;
- Offers 1-3 year contracts;
- Has 97% of customers on their green product;
- Has no termination requirement;
- Allows customers to exit their contract early in return for a termination fee;
- Offers fully Fixed contracts with no pass through of third party charge changes as well as a pass through product;
- Offers a green energy product;
- Considers each potential customer individually and will always try to find a way to do business with their customers including those with low credit scores or with foreign registrations;
- Are unwilling to offer deals to pubs, clubs, restaurants and takeaways;
- Operates a non IVR policy, no frustrating queues for customers
Security
Click on the following link to access Hudson Energy’s latest contract terms for business energy customers: Hudson Electricity T&C’s Are Hudson Energy’s contracts fully fixed? No, all elements of the Hudson Energy’s price can be passed through. This means that when you agree a contract with Hudson Energy the price can change through the contract term to reflect additional costs. Under Hudson Energy’s standard terms:Commodity: Inclusive, Fixed Transportation: Inclusive, Variable Metering: Inclusive, Variable FIT: Inclusive, Variable RO: Inclusive, Variable CFD: Inclusive, Variable
Hudson Energy also reserves the right to amend the terms of the contract in exceptional circumstances. These include:- Where a change in law occurs affecting delivery of the contract.
- Where the customer fails to fulfil their obligations under the contract.
- Where gas customers fail to use the stated consumption under the terms of the contract.
Back billing and Hudson Energy
Hudson Energy is not currently signed up to the Energy UK Back Billing standards. This means that Hudson Energy are able, under the Limitations Act, to back bill their customers for anything up to 6 years. Many suppliers have voluntarily limited their back billing rights to two years and in some cases a single year. Hudson Energy are therefore one of the less amenable suppliers in this area making a smart meter a sensible choice with them. To find out more visit our Guide to Back billing.Hudson Energy and Letters of Authority
In order to act on your behalf in securing your business a great energy deal Hudson Energy require us to have a signed Letter of Authority from yourselves.Change of Tenancy and Hudson Energy
Moving into a premise is known as a Change of Tenancy in the business energy market. It has also been termed a Change of Occupier or is known by its acronyms CoT and COO. However it is referred to, the opportunities it opens up are the same. This is great news for deal seekers. Whilst the existing supplier is obliged to continue to provide energy to the new occupier, the occupier is not obliged to take out an extended contract with that supplier. Indeed a Change of Tenancy customer has total freedom of movement and is free to accept a contract with a supplier of their choice There are however of course a number of rules and requirements. Firstly, as the new occupier, if you use energy you will need to pay for it, regardless of your contractual status. Secondly, you will need to identify as quickly as possible the identity of the existing supplier Thirdly, you will need to field calls from sales organisations and the existing supplier themselves offering you contracts of varying lengths to continue or to begin to supply the premises. As a result as a new occupier you will need to agree a new contract either with the existing supplier or with a new supplier of your choice. Not only that but you will need to inform the existing supplier as quickly as possible that you are the new tenant to prevent you being held liable for charges incurred by the previous occupier should they not have ended their agreement satisfactory. It can prove a real headache knowing whom to trust – whether it’s the old tenant, the landlord the current supplier, the pushy salesman ringing, knocking and emailing, the prospective new suppliers. That’s where Business Juice comes in, by working on your behalf, identifying your existing supply arrangements, reporting your change of tenancy, ensuring you are not held liable for costs not incurred before your occupation and benchmarking contracts for your selection we can help you save time, money and a whole lot of stress. The fastest way to authorise us to work on your energy supply arrangements is to use our eSign service to agree our Evergreen Letter of Authority. We’ll take care of all correspondence, handle all the loose ends and enable you to focus on establishing your business in its new premise. And what’s more once your contract is in place we’ll manage your supplier relationship from beginning to end, all part of the Business Juice service.Business Juice Top Tip Always ensure that you take opening meter readings on the day, or as close as possible to the day, that you move into the premises to ensure that you only pay for the energy that you use.
Transparency
Where to find your contract end date on your Hudson Energy bill Hudson Energy do not currently print your contract end date on the bill. Neither do they detail the date any termination notice must be received by in order to switch contract or supplier. If in doubt feel free to fax us your bill on 0845 387 5701 or send it to hello@businessjuice.co.uk and we will help locate the information for you. When to expect your Hudson Energy renewal letter We are currently awaiting clarification of Hudson Energy’s policy on renewal notification. However Hudson Energy’s renewal notification will contain their proposal for your rates for the coming period. It may provide a variety of options or a single price. It will however not be the most competitive price available in the market as the renewal letter is designed for customers who don’t use an energy broker and as such are priced at a higher level than can be obtained in the market.Business Juice Top Tip Every Business Juice client receives a unique key facts statement detailing all there is to know about their energy contract including all the important dates relative to your deal. Sign up today and take control with Business Juice.
Terminating with Hudson Energy
There is no requirement to terminate your Hudson Energy contract in order to have freedom of movement at contract end. In addition if you are in a contract with and wish to leave before the end of your contract Hudson Energy operate a termination fee based policy. This will be the equivalent of the number of months remaining on your contract (rounded up to whole months) multiplied by 50% of your average monthly bill. Whilst this is a positive option not offered by all suppliers it requires careful consideration before committing to. If you are interested in taking this route then call Business Juice so we can ensure that terminating early is the right thing for your business.Business Juice Top Tip Terminating your contract is key to gaining freedom of movement and having access to the best deals for your next business energy contract. It pays to always be aware of your termination obligations so as to ensure that you act as soon as conditions allow in order to help you get the best out of the business energy market. Or better still sign up for our evergreen letter of authority and we will terminate on your behalf well ahead of time and provide you with a range of market leading options at the right time to suit your business.
Rollover contracts and Hudson Energy
Hudson Energy does not operate a policy of auto-rollover contracts. Now, when as a Hudson Energy customer, your contract comes to an end, even if you have not contacted Hudson Energy or have not accepted their renewal offers you will simply be placed on their ‘”Out of contract” rates. The “Out of contract” rates will be more expensive than a “Fixed Price Plan” but it will allow you to leave at any time. Of course it makes sense not to get to this point in the first place and so contracting well in advance is always recommended as even a short term stay on a “Out of contract” rates will be significantly more expensive than other options. At least however you can be safe in the knowledge that if you do make a mistake and fail to contract properly the cost of your error can be minimised. However by using Business Juice you can avoid the potentially costly mistake of being exposed to variable rates. To find out more about rollovers visit our Guide to Rollover Contracts.Terminating but remaining on supply with Hudson Energy
Whilst there is no need to terminate your Hudson Energy contract, if you fail to leave their supply without agreeing a new contract term Hudson Energy will charge you their out of contract rates. You will however be free to leave their supply at any time. Although you are not required to provide termination notice to Hudson Energy in order to express your intent for freedom of movement at contract end, if you fail to leave Hudson Energy’s supply you will be placed on Hudson Energy’s out of contract rates. Don’t be caught out! By using Business Juice to manage your energy contracts we will terminate and manage your new contract seamlessly to ensure you avoid penalty rates.Hudson Energy and Out of Contract Rates
Hudson Energy refer to their Out of Contract rates as ‘deemed’ rates. A Hudson Energy customer with a standard meter would be required to pay up to 19.25p/kWh for each unit of electricity used whilst out of contract and a standing charge of 45.00p/day. Even one week exposed to this level of charges mounts up, that’s why clients taking our contract life management service makes sense: removing your exposure risk and letting you focus on your business confident in the knowledge that your energy contracts are in safe hands. To find out more visit our Guide to Out of Contract RatesConvenience
Hudson Energy operate a Monthly, Variable Direct Debit meaning the amount you pay directly relates to the volume of energy you consume in the month. Hudson Energy also offers cash/cheque payment terms however a premium applies. To find out more visit our Guide to Supplier Payment Terms. To find out if your business is eligible for paying the reduced rate of VAT on your business energy bill visit our Guide to VAT Declaration. We are currently awaiting provision of Hudson Energy’s VAT declaration certificate. Hudson Energy operate a policy of billing their customers on a monthly basis. Hudson Energy do not currently offer their customers online billing. This means customers will continue to receive paper invoices.Services
Hudson Energy and Smart Meters
Hudson Energy do not currently install smart meters as part of the supply contract however this can be facilitated on request. Hudson Energy however will support existing smart meters with full functionality in most cases. To find out which suppliers meet your smart metering needs call us on 0800 051 5770. Go one step better and by appointing Business Juice to manage your energy contracts you can take advantage of our smart meter offers. For more information on Suppliers’ policies on smart metering visit our Guide to Suppliers & Smart Meters.Hudson Energy & New Connections and Upgrade services
Hudson Energy do not offer new connections and upgrade services to either existing or potential customers. To find out which suppliers meet your connections needs call us on 0800 051 5770. Go one step better and by appointing Business Juice to manage your energy contracts you can take advantage of our management fee free new connections and upgrades offer.Hudson Energy & IGT Meters
Hudson Energy does not currently support meters supplied via IGT networks (Independent Gas Transporter). If your gas supply is delivered via an IGT network then Hudson Energy cannot offer you a gas supply contract. To find out which suppliers meet your IGT needs call us on 0800 051 5770.Hudson Energy & Supporting Meter Types
Hudson Energy support all meter types including Half Hourly (HH), Maximum Demand (MD), Seasonal Time of Day (STOD) and standard profile electricity meters including ‘related’ meters.Environmental
Hudson Energy provide renewable and green energy products within their portfolio. For the reporting period 2013/14, Hudson Energy’s Fuel Mix has not been published. However for the same period the national average was:- Coal: 34.0%
- Gas: 25.6%
- Nuclear: 21.6%
- Renewable: 16.7%
- Other sources: 2.1%
Business Juice Top Tip By selecting a supplier with a fuel mix that suits your business’ environmental credentials you can gain access to a renewable solution without paying premium green prices. By using Business Juice we can match up your needs with appropriate the fuel mix and enable your business to take support renewable initiatives.To find out more visit our Guide to Fuel Mix.