Contract renewal strategies
How SME / MBU sites should handle electricity and gas renewals this winter — timing, product choice and what to send us
The short version. Start 90 days before the end date. Do not let a fixed term lapse onto deemed, out-of-contract or auto-renew rates. This winter a 12-month fix or a tracker is the usual choice; a two- or three-year lock at today’s winter-weighted curve is hard to unwind. Save ’N Go is a leading broker for renewals with all leading providers — if you need the contract handled, we will facilitate it.
| 90 days Start the renewal before the end date | On the bill Contract end date must appear on Irish bills | Do nothing Deemed, out-of-contract or auto-renew rates |
| 12 months Default term this winter unless cash needs a lock | ~30% Night share that usually makes Profile 6 win | 0 break Do not exit a fix that runs past March 2027 |
Drawn from the CRU supplier handbook and interim retail-market review (May 2026), supplier terms in common use for commercial premises, and the Save ’N Go electricity and gas outlooks dated 24 September 2026. Indicative planning material, not a live quote.
1. What happens if nobody acts
Irish commercial supply does not stay on the old unit rate when a fixed term ends. One of three things happens, and all three are usually worse than a negotiated renewal.
| If you do nothing | What it is | What to do |
| Out-of-contract / standard variable | The incumbent moves you onto its default variable book. Rates can change with little notice. | Switch or re-contract as soon as you notice. You can usually leave a variable book without an exit fee. |
| Deemed contract | Statutory fallback when there is no agreed contract — vacant site, change of occupier, or a lapsed account. | Treat as emergency. Deemed rates sit at the top of the market. Put a named contract on the MPRN / GPRN immediately. |
| Auto-renewal / rollover | Some commercial terms roll the site into a new 12-month commitment at a price the supplier sets. | Read the last renewal letter. A rollover can carry an exit fee. Still compare the market; breakage is sometimes cheaper than the rolled rate. |
Since June 2023 every Irish supplier must print the contract end date on the bill. If the date is missing, the site is already a renewal risk. Domestic-style 30-day expiry notices are not a reliable commercial control — some business terms only need 14 days’ written notice to terminate after the first end date, and some lock a further 12 months unless you write first.
2. The 90-day playbook
| When | Action |
| T−90 days | Pull the last three bills. Confirm end date, notice period, exit fee, DG5/DG6 or SBU/MBU, MIC / SPC, and 12-month kWh. Send the pack to Save ’N Go. |
| T−75 days | Decide the product: 12-month fix, tracker, or a split (see section 3). Do not start from the incumbent’s renewal letter. |
| T−60 days | Go to market. A matched tender on actual consumption beats a “from” rate card. Dual-fuel only if both meters truly end together. |
| T−30 days | Sign. Registration has to complete before the old term dies. A late signature is how sites fall onto deemed or variable books. |
| T−7 days | Closing meter read. Keep the paper trail. New rates apply from the registration date, not the day you first asked for a quote. |
| Already lapsed | Do not wait for the next anniversary. Variable and deemed books can be replaced as soon as a new contract registers. |
Incumbent letter is a starting price, not the market. The CRU’s 2026 interim review is plain: competition works for sites that retender. Business switching still lags the domestic market. A renewal letter is one bid. Treat it as that.
3. Which product to buy this winter
The electricity and gas outlooks dated 24 September 2026 have the same shape: a further lift into January, then an easing after March if fuel markets cool. That shape, not a slogan about “fixing forever”, should pick the product.
| Product | Use it when | Avoid it when |
| 12-month fix | The board wants a number for FY27. Cash is tight through winter. You do not want to watch TTF every week. | You are sure prices fall hard next summer and you can live with a January spike. |
| Tracker / pass-through | You can stand a 3–4 c electricity or 1 c gas winter lift in return for the summer ease. You will review again by March. | Payroll or a tender bid cannot absorb a January print in the high 20s energy-only (power) or low teens (gas). |
| Winter lock then review | You only need cover through March 2027. Useful if a site move, fit-out or sale sits in H1 2027. | The supplier’s winter-only price is just the expensive months with no summer to average them. |
| 50 / 50 or tranche | Larger MBU. Fix half the volume, track half. Or fix Q4–Q1 and leave summer open. | A small SBU. Two products on one café meter add admin without changing the bill. |
| 24- or 36-month fix | A multi-site group that values identical rates across FY27–FY29 more than the option value of 2027. | Today’s curve is winter-weighted. A three-year lock at 19–20 c energy (power) or 7.5–10 c (gas) is hard to unwind if the central case plays out. |
| Dual fuel as one deal | Electricity and gas end within four weeks of each other and one credit team wants one invoice. | One meter has 18 months left. Do not break the live one to “tidy” the paper. |
How that maps to this winter’s central case
| If the contract ends… | Electricity (P5 / P6 energy-only) | Gas (SBU / MBU commodity) |
| Oct 2026 – Jan 2027 | Budget 19–24 c tracker or lock ~19.6 / 20.4 / 16.4 c (P5 / P6 day / P6 night). Prefer 12 months. | Budget SBU 10–12 c, MBU 7.5–10.5 c. 12-month fix ~10.2 / 7.6 c. |
| Feb – Mar 2027 | Still winter-weighted. A short fix into next summer, or a tracker if cash can take the tail of the spike. | Same. Do not sign three years because you are tired of the process. |
| Apr – Sep 2027 | Central case has already eased. This is the better window for a 12- or 24-month fix if you want certainty. | Central case ~5–6 c wholesale. Better window to lock if the board wants a number. |
| Already fixed past Mar 2027 | Leave it. Breakage plus today’s curve rarely beats sitting tight. | Leave it. Check SPC while you wait; right-sizing is free optionality. |
4. Hygiene before the tender goes out
Half of a bad renewal is a bad brief. The market prices the meter it is shown, not the meter you meant.
- End date and notice, in writing. The bill date is the start. Confirm the notice clause — 14 days after the first end date is common, but some books roll 12 months unless you write first.
- Twelve months of kWh, not last month. A January-only pack overstates a Profile 5 site and understates a Profile 6 night load.
- Profile 5 vs 6, and actual % night. Profile 6 usually wins from about 30% night use. Below ~25% the higher day rate cancels it. Do not switch profile in the last fortnight of a contract unless the new meter will be live.
- DG5 vs DG6, and MIC. An oversized MIC is a standing tax on every DG6 bill. Right-size with the network before you retender if the site has shed load.
- SBU vs MBU, and SPC. An inflated Supply Point Capacity on gas is the quiet overpay. Capacity is reserved whether the kitchen uses it or not.
- Change of tenancy or new fit-out. A vacant or newly occupied site is already on deemed rates until a named account sits on the MPRN / GPRN.
- Credit and director details ready. Commercial registration fails more often on incomplete KYC than on price.
5. Multi-site and larger MBU tactics
A group with staggered end dates should not force every meter onto one anniversary if that means breaking good contracts. Align the next natural end dates instead. Larger volume can support a 50/50 or quarterly tranche: fix the winter half, leave summer on a tracker, review in March. A corporate PPA is a hedge sitting beside the retail contract, not a replacement for it — only worth the paperwork if annual volume and reporting need it.
Blend-and-extend (re-cut a live fix when the market drops, averaging old and new) is a tool for mid-contract, not a renewal strategy. Ask for it only if a site is stuck in a high fix with more than six months left and the incumbent will actually move. Most will not, this winter.
6. Practical order of work
- Send Save ’N Go the last three bills — electricity and gas.
- We confirm class, end date, notice and whether you are already on a deemed or variable book.
- We agree the product (12-month fix, tracker, or split) against the outlook, not against the incumbent letter.
- We tender across leading providers and handle registration.
- You keep the closing read. We diary the next T−90 date.
Contract support
Need this handled? Save ’N Go is a leading broker for contract renewals with all leading providers. If you have a query on the outlook figures, want a matched quote, or need support at renewal, contact us and we will facilitate it. info@savengo.ie · (01) 919 8840 · savengo.ie
Sources and disclaimer
CRU Electricity and Gas Suppliers’ Handbook; CRU Interim Review of the Electricity and Gas Retail Markets, May 2026 (CRU202667). Energy (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act deemed-contract provisions. Published commercial terms in common use (notice, auto-extension, variable fallback). Save ’N Go electricity and gas outlooks, 24 September 2026. No supplier is named in this briefing.
Save ’N Go · Nationwide service, Ireland & NI · info@savengo.ie · (01) 919 8840 · savengo.ie. Indicative market view as at 24 September 2026. Not a tender, a guarantee of future prices, or regulated financial advice. Commercial energy is individually quoted against MPRN / GPRN, MIC / SPC, profile and 12-month consumption.
