The Autumn Budget is coming — Get ahead of the uncertainty
The Autumn Budget is just around the corner, the government’s yearly update on taxes and spending, often reshaping what businesses pay for energy. And for most UK businesses, this means a time of financial uncertainty.
The Autumn Budget is just around the corner, the government’s yearly update on taxes and spending, which often reshapes what businesses pay for energy. For most UK businesses, this means a time of financial uncertainty.
While some large, energy-intensive firms continue to benefit from government exemptions, most SMEs are still left bracing for whatever comes next. From cafés and factories to schools and sports centres, the reality is the same: you can’t control energy taxes, but you do need to understand how they show up on your bill. Margins are tight, energy costs are volatile, and the rules keep changing without much forewarning.
The rational move? Don’t wait to see what the Chancellor says. Review your options now so changes do not catch you out later.
Key takeaways:
Policy changes flow directly into business bills, often without warning
Transparent contracts help reduce exposure to those surprises
Now is the right moment to review your options, so changes don’t catch you out
How policy changes flow into quotes and bills
The energy crisis didn’t end. It just changed shape. Business electricity prices are still around 75% higher than they were in early 2021. Many firms are still locked into fixed contracts signed during the crisis, meaning they’re paying outdated prices in real time.
But high costs are only half the story. What really makes energy unmanageable is the unpredictability. Prices go up. Charges change mid-contract. Policy decisions filter into bills with little warning. And most businesses have no clear way to track what they’re actually paying for or why it's changed.
New budget, familiar impact
The Autumn Budget often reshapes what businesses pay, not just through tax headlines, but through how system costs are recovered.
One example is the Nuclear RAB Levy. It’s a new charge on electricity bills to help fund Sizewell C, a nuclear power station being built on the Suffolk coast to support the UK’s long-term energy supply. The levy applies from November 2025 and is set at £3.494/MWh for the period 1–31 December, though this is subject to change by ±£0.05/MWh.
It’s not tied directly to this year’s Budget, but it’s a clear example of how new costs can be introduced, rebalanced, or redistributed as part of wider energy policy. And like many others, it filters into bills quietly, with little visibility for the businesses that end up paying it.
Why SMEs carry more of the burden
Smaller businesses don’t have energy teams, in-house analysts, or legal counsel reviewing every contract. They rely on suppliers and brokers to show them a fair deal, and to be transparent about what they’re paying for. But the system doesn’t make that easy.
Grid charges, levies, industrial exemption schemes, policy costs - these are real and growing, but most of them fall hardest on SMEs. If you’re not energy-intensive, you’re usually not protected. You can’t control these costs, but you can control whether you see them clearly or not.
And the data backs this up.
62% of UK companies say energy costs are affecting profitability
In manufacturing, over half of firms say high energy prices are still affecting operations
We want businesses to have the tools they need to plan, budget, and make decisions, not wait for the next Budget announcement to undermine those plans.
How policy filters into your bill
Here’s what typically happens behind the scenes:
When the government announces new charges or levies, most suppliers build those into future pricing. If they think a levy will rise, they’ll price it in now, just in case. And unless you have a transparent contract, you’ll never know whether that cost is based on reality or guesswork.
In traditional quotes, all of this gets bundled into a single p/kWh number. No line item for infrastructure. No breakdown of levies. Just a flat rate that hides the mechanics behind it.
At tem, we do things differently.
Our RED™ model delivers what businesses actually need:
Fewer mid-contract surprises
Paying closer to the true cost of energy
You can’t stop the Budget. But you can stop being blindsided by it.
What to do this week to prepare
By the time the Chancellor finishes her speech, most businesses will already be locked into contracts they can’t change, exposed to variable pricing with no plan in place.
This is the moment to act.
Now’s the time to review what you’re really paying for, so you can manage heading into winter. If you don’t know what’s in your quote, ask. If your supplier can’t show you, that’s a red flag.
Review your options now so changes do not catch you out. Protect yourself from the ripple effects that usually follow, like new levies, shifted costs, and last-minute surprises that hit your bottom line.
Clarity now beats surprises later
The Autumn Budget will bring more changes. But you don’t have to wait to take control. tem gives you visibility before decisions get buried in your bill. We show what others don’t, and help you act before it’s too late.
Get in touch now. Let’s build a contract that’s ready for whatever the Budget brings.
📩 hello@tem.energy