Stop overpaying the Climate Change Levy.
The Climate Change Levy adds a tax to every unit of energy your business uses - but many organisations pay the full rate when they do not have to. We check whether you qualify for an exemption or a reduced rate, and reclaim what you have overpaid.
A tax on business energy - hiding in plain sight on your bill.
The Climate Change Levy (CCL) is a UK government tax on the energy that businesses, the public sector, agriculture and charities use. It has applied since 2001, it is collected by your energy supplier as a separate line on the bill, and it is paid straight to HMRC. Look closely at a commercial electricity or gas bill and you will usually find it listed simply as "CCL".
From 1 April 2026 the main rate is 0.801p per kWh on both electricity and gas. On its own it looks small, but across a full year and multiple meters it quietly inflates the total - and a great many businesses pay it in full when they are entitled to a reduction, an exemption, or a refund.
The levy is separate from your unit rate and separate from VAT (in fact, VAT is charged on top of the CCL). That means switching supplier or negotiating a cheaper tariff does nothing to lower it. Reducing what you pay in CCL is a different exercise - and it is one where independent advice pays for itself.
Who pays the CCL?
- + Businesses in industry, commerce, agriculture and the public sector
- + Charged on electricity, gas, LPG and solid fuels
- − Domestic energy use is exempt
- − Charities' non-business activity is exempt
- − Very low users fall under the de minimis threshold
Three routes to a lower CCL bill.
Depending on what your organisation does and how it uses energy, one or more of these could apply. Working out which is exactly what we do.
Climate Change Agreement
Eligible businesses in energy-intensive sectors may be able to join a Climate Change Agreement (CCA) with the Environment Agency, committing to efficiency targets in return for a large discount - currently 92% off the levy on electricity and 89% on gas. For a high-usage site that runs to tens of thousands of pounds a year.
The scheme is accepting new entrants now - worth checking your eligibility before the current window closes.
Exemptions & reliefs
Certain supplies carry no CCL at all: fuel used in specific non-energy or mineralogical and metallurgical processes, good-quality combined heat and power, and supplies below the de minimis threshold. Many businesses simply do not realise these apply to them.
Backdated refunds
Where CCL has been charged incorrectly - a charity billed at the full rate, a mixed-use site where the domestic share was never deducted, or an exemption that was available but never claimed - HMRC allows refunds backdated up to four years. That is money already spent that can be recovered.
The CCA discount and the exemptions are worth real money, but CCL reliefs come with detailed certification, evidence and ongoing review requirements, and mistakes can result in the wrong relief being applied. Getting it right, and evidenced, is where a specialist saves you far more than the fee.
We find the relief, then make sure you keep it.
As an independent energy and utility consultancy, we have no supplier to sell you - our only job is to lower what you pay.
Check every bill and meter
We audit your energy bills across every site and meter to confirm the CCL you are being charged is correct - and flag where an exemption, reduced rate or refund has been missed.
Secure the right rate
Whether that is a Climate Change Agreement, an exemption certificate or a de minimis relief, we handle the assessment, the paperwork and the deadlines, so the correct rate is applied going forward.
Reclaim what you overpaid
Where you have been overcharged, we build the evidence and pursue the backdated refund from your supplier and HMRC - up to four years of recoverable cost.
Find out what you are overpaying.
Send us a recent energy bill and we will tell you whether your CCL is correct, what relief you may be entitled to, and what could be reclaimed - with no obligation.