Businesses in Northern Ireland feel less pressure over energy bills — but one in five remain concerned, new survey finds

Businesses across Northern Ireland are reporting lower levels of concern about their energy bills and greater confidence in their suppliers, according to new research published by the Utility Regulator.

However, despite signs of improvement, around one in five businesses remain worried about the cost of energy, underlining the continued pressure facing many firms as prices remain significantly higher than they were before the pandemic.

The findings come from the Utility Regulator’s 2026 Non-domestic Consumer Insight Tracker Survey, which gathered responses from 500 business electricity and gas customers across Northern Ireland between November and December 2025.

The research provides a snapshot of how businesses view the energy market, measuring engagement, consumer experiences and attitudes while tracking changes since the baseline survey was first carried out in 2020.

Energy concerns ease but costs remain a challenge

The survey found that concern about energy bills among businesses has fallen notably over the past year.

In 2025, 30 per cent of respondents said they were concerned about their energy costs. That figure has now dropped to 22 per cent in 2026.

The research also found fewer businesses are struggling to pay their bills.

Among electricity customers, 90 per cent said they never struggle to pay their energy bills, while 96 per cent of gas consumers reported the same.

Despite this improvement, the Utility Regulator noted that energy costs remain considerably higher than pre-pandemic levels, which continues to drive anxiety for many businesses.

For local firms across towns and villages throughout Northern Ireland, energy remains a major operational cost affecting everything from staffing and investment decisions to pricing and long-term planning.

Businesses becoming more aware of their options

Awareness among businesses of the choices available within the energy market has continued to increase.

Four out of five respondents — 80 per cent — said they know they can choose between energy suppliers, up from 74 per cent in 2025.

Meanwhile, 79 per cent said they are aware they can choose between different tariff types, compared with 71 per cent a year earlier.

The findings suggest businesses are becoming increasingly engaged with the market, although this has not translated into large-scale switching between providers.

Satisfaction and trust in suppliers improve sharply

The survey recorded significant increases in customer satisfaction across both electricity and gas suppliers.

Satisfaction among electricity customers rose to 80 per cent, compared with 62 per cent in 2025.

Among gas customers, satisfaction increased from 65 per cent to 77 per cent.

Trust in suppliers also improved substantially.

The proportion of electricity customers who believe they receive clear information and a fair price increased from 47 per cent to 57 per cent, while trust among gas customers rose from 39 per cent to 59 per cent.

Businesses also became more likely to recommend their suppliers to others.

Recommendation levels increased to 57 per cent among electricity customers and 52 per cent among gas customers, compared with 44 per cent and 42 per cent respectively in 2025.

Most businesses are staying with existing suppliers

Despite greater awareness of supplier choice, relatively few businesses have switched provider in recent years.

Just 27 per cent of electricity customers reported changing supplier within the last five years, down slightly from 31 per cent in 2025.

For gas customers, 20 per cent said they had switched supplier at least once during the same period, an increase from 17 per cent last year.

The overwhelming reason for staying put was simple satisfaction with existing arrangements.

Among electricity customers who had not switched supplier, 90 per cent said they were happy with their current provider. For gas customers, the figure stood at 85 per cent.

Regulator warns energy market uncertainty remains

Commenting on the findings, Utility Regulator Non-domestic Consumer Protection Manager Colin Magee said the results showed encouraging progress but warned that challenges remain for many businesses.

“The findings of this year’s tracker survey are encouraging and suggest that many non-domestic consumers have experienced improved outcomes, expressing increased satisfaction and trust in their suppliers, and lower levels of concern about energy bills,” he said.

“At the same time, we recognise that around one in five businesses remain concerned about their energy costs.”

Mr Magee also highlighted that the research was carried out before the escalation of conflict in the Middle East earlier this year, which has contributed to renewed volatility in wholesale energy markets.

He said business experiences and concerns may therefore have changed since the survey was conducted in late 2025.

Further protections planned for businesses

The Utility Regulator has confirmed it will publish additional qualitative research later this summer examining the experiences of small businesses facing energy-related hardship.

The findings will help shape the regulator’s consumer protection work over the coming years.

This will include a consultation later in 2026 on a new Code of Practice aimed at introducing additional protections for non-domestic consumers.

The Utility Regulator is Northern Ireland’s economic regulator for electricity, gas and water and is the only multi-sector regulator of its kind in the United Kingdom covering both energy and water services.

Businesses wishing to view the full findings can access the 2026 Non-domestic Consumer Insight Tracker Survey via the Utility Regulator website at https://www.uregni.gov.uk.