SmartestEnergy vs TotalEnergies: Business Energy Comparison

This business energy comparison looks at tariffs, contract length, pricing structure, renewable credentials, customer service, smart tech and fees. We looked into both suppliers' published product pages, price lists, fuel mix disclosures and independent ratings so you don't have to.

SmartestEnergy vs TotalEnergies at a Glance

Which Supplier Offers Better Tariffs?

Neither SmartestEnergy nor TotalEnergies publishes a fixed rate card for new business contracts, because pricing depends on:

• Business location

• Annual consumption

• Industry type

• Meter type

• Contract length

• Credit profile

• Regional distribution charges

SmartestEnergy's product book is SME-shaped: fixed, renewable, zero standing charge, tracker, prepay, low-user and contract-free options, all for businesses under its size ceiling. TotalEnergies keeps its SME offer simpler, then adds a full suite of flexible procurement products for large energy users that SmartestEnergy Business doesn't offer at all.

Is SmartestEnergy the Greener Supplier?

SmartestEnergy's branding leans heavily on renewables, and its parent company is well known for buying power from independent renewable generators. Many business owners we speak to assume that makes it the green choice by default. We found the published numbers tell a more complicated story.

SmartestEnergy Business's own fuel mix disclosure for April 2024 to March 2025 shows its total supplied electricity was around 69% natural gas and 14% coal, with renewables making up only around 7.5%. Its renewable product mix for the same period was 50% wind and 50% biomass/thermal. TotalEnergies Gas & Power's disclosure for April 2025 to March 2026 shows 47% renewable supply, and its Pure Green product specifically excludes biomass.

Neither of these makes SmartestEnergy's renewable product misleading. SmartFix Renewable is backed by UK-recognised renewable certificates verified by The Carbon Trust, which lets you report zero Scope 2 emissions for purchased electricity under the market-based method. But if you're choosing SmartestEnergy because you believe the whole supplier runs on green power, that isn't what its disclosure shows. If biomass exclusion matters to your sustainability reporting, ask either supplier to confirm in writing which technologies back your specific contract.

SmartestEnergy Tariffs

SmartFix Standard

A fixed unit rate and standing charge for electricity and/or gas, available on 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5-year terms.

Best for:

• SMEs that want budget certainty for longer than the typical 1 to 3-year fix

• Businesses buying gas and electricity from one SME-focused supplier

SmartFix Renewable

The same fixed structure for electricity only, matched to UK renewable certificates verified by The Carbon Trust. SmartestEnergy says it funds tree planting through Ecologi for customers who switch to its renewable products.

Best for:

• Small businesses that need a verified renewable claim for Scope 2 reporting

SmartFix Zero

A fixed electricity tariff with no daily standing charge, available on 1 to 5-year terms, with a renewable option. SmartestEnergy says it's open to small businesses with an estimated annual consumption of up to 25,000 kWh.

Best for:

• Seasonal or part-time businesses such as holiday lets, outdoor venues or businesses with irregular hours

SmartTracker

A 3-year product for electricity and/or gas that tracks the wholesale market rather than locking in one price for the whole term.

Best for:

• SMEs comfortable with some price movement in exchange for following the market down as well as up

SmartPay

A pay-as-you-go service. You top up online, by phone or by Direct Debit, and can set SMS or email credit alerts on electricity.

Best for:

• Businesses with unpredictable cash flow that prefer to pay little and often

SmartFlex

A variable tariff with no contract, no notice period and no cancellation fees, as long as outstanding invoices are paid. It's also where you land if a SmartestEnergy fixed contract ends without a renewal.

Best for:

• Businesses between contracts, or waiting for the market to settle before fixing

Low User

A variable tariff for businesses using under around 5,000 kWh a year, which SmartestEnergy says is too low to qualify for its discounted contract rates.

Best for:

• Very small sites such as kiosks, storage units or lock-ups

TotalEnergies Tariffs

Fixed Price (SME)

A fixed unit rate for the length of the contract, which third-party guides report as 1 to 5 years for smaller businesses. TotalEnergies doesn't publish a fixed SME rate card, so terms are confirmed at quote stage.

Best for:

• SMEs that want a straightforward fixed deal from a large, long-established supplier

Zero Standing Charge

Launched for new and renewing customers from 3 February 2026, this product removes the daily standing charge on both gas and electricity. Electricity is limited to non-half-hourly meters, gas to sites using up to 500,000 kWh, and both have a maximum end date of 3 years.

Best for:

• Low-use, seasonal or intermittently occupied premises that use gas as well as electricity

Pure Green

100% renewable electricity matched to Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs) from solar, wind or hydro only, with no biomass. In August 2026, TotalEnergies signed a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to buy REGO-backed power from its partner's share of the Walney I and II offshore wind farms through to 2030.

Best for:

• Businesses with sustainability policies that exclude biomass, or that want a named offshore wind asset behind their supplier's portfolio

Standard Variable Tariff

A flexible tariff with 30 days' notice to leave. TotalEnergies gives 30 days' notice of any rate change and applies an uplift if you don't pay by Direct Debit. It publishes current rates online, which from 1 June 2026 were 38.27p per kWh for a single-rate non-half-hourly electricity meter and 9.59p per kWh for gas, plus standing charges (ex VAT).

Best for:

• Businesses that want to avoid a fixed term and can live with price changes

Large Business Products: Fixed Price, Non Commodity Group Charges, Fixed-Flexi, Baseload, Fully-Traded

For businesses using more than 10 GWh a year, roughly £1m of annual energy spend. These range from a fixed price of a few months to 5 years, through to fully traded contracts where you buy energy down to individual half-hourly periods via TotalEnergies' online platform.

Best for:

• Manufacturers and large multi-site organisations with an in-house or outsourced energy buyer

Tariff Comparison Table

Winner: SmartestEnergy for the depth of its SME product range, particularly if you're a small electricity user wanting prepay, a low-user tariff or a zero standing charge fix longer than 3 years. TotalEnergies wins if you use gas and want a zero standing charge, or if your business sits above SmartestEnergy Business's size ceiling.

How Do Contract Lengths Compare?

SmartestEnergy Contract Terms

TotalEnergies Contract Terms

Contract Length Scorecard

In practice, the end-of-contract position is where we find business owners lose the most money. Both suppliers move you onto variable pricing if you don't act, and neither variable rate is designed to be your best available price. When we speak to business owners who've drifted out of contract, the common thread is that they missed the renewal letter rather than chose to stay. Put your end date in the diary at least 90 days ahead, whichever supplier you pick.

SmartestEnergy vs TotalEnergies Pricing Structure

Business energy quotes typically include:

Unit Rate

The price charged for each kWh you use. SmartestEnergy offers an instant online quote through its SmartSwitch tool for smaller businesses. TotalEnergies takes quote requests online or by phone, and publishes its variable and deemed rates but not its fixed rates.

Standing Charge

The daily fee covering network connection and administration. Both suppliers now offer a way to remove it: SmartFix Zero for smaller electricity users at SmartestEnergy, and Zero Standing Charge for gas and non-half-hourly electricity at TotalEnergies. On TotalEnergies' variable and deemed electricity rates, the standing charge is set per meter rather than published as one figure.

It's worth noting that a zero standing charge tariff isn't automatically cheaper. The fixed cost moves into a higher unit rate, so a business that's open long hours and uses a lot of energy can end up paying more. Ask for both versions of the quote and compare them against your actual annual usage.

Pass-Through Charges

May include:

• Network costs, as explained in our guide to pass-through and fully fixed energy contracts

• Balancing charges

• Government levies

SmartestEnergy publishes customer guides on pass-through costs and capacity charges, and an explainer on the Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) charge increases from April 2026. TotalEnergies' Non Commodity Group Charges product lets large customers choose which non-energy charges reset each year. For an SME, the question to ask either supplier is simple: is my quoted price fully fixed, or can regulated charges still change during the contract?

Advance Payments and Credit Checks

Neither supplier publishes a standard deposit requirement. Both run credit checks. SmartestEnergy says switching can take around 5 working days, subject to approval and credit check, and it offers SmartPay as an alternative for businesses that prefer to pay in advance.

VAT

Both suppliers quote prices excluding VAT. Most businesses pay 20% VAT on energy, but those using under 33 kWh of electricity or 145 kWh of gas a day can qualify for the reduced 5% rate with a declaration. SmartestEnergy publishes a downloadable reduced VAT form.

Pricing Transparency Comparison

Winner: SmartestEnergy, narrowly, for its instant online quote tool. In our experience, though, the gap between two live quotes for the same site is usually bigger than the gap between any two supplier brands, which is why we'd always collect at least three before deciding.

Which Supplier Has Better Renewable Energy Credentials?

SmartestEnergy Sustainability Initiatives

Offers:

• SmartFix Renewable and a renewable version of SmartFix Zero, backed by certificates verified by The Carbon Trust

• Tree planting through Ecologi for customers switching to renewable products

• Free smart meters and half-hourly usage data through SmartWeb to help you find savings

Pros

• Independent Carbon Trust verification of its renewable product

• Zero standing charge and renewable supply can be combined on one tariff

• Clear guidance on reporting Scope 2 emissions

Cons

• Supplier-wide renewable share of only around 7.5% in April 2024 to March 2025, with 14% coal

• Its renewable product mix for the same period was half biomass/thermal

• Renewable supply is a product choice, not the default

TotalEnergies Sustainability Initiatives

Offers:

• Pure Green, REGO-backed and limited to solar, wind and hydro

• A new long-term PPA with Walney offshore wind farm, signed August 2026

• Corporate PPA services and routes for businesses that generate their own renewable power to sell it

Pros

• Supplier-wide renewable share of 47% for April 2025 to March 2026, broadly in line with the 48% UK average

• CO2 emissions of 237g/kWh across its supplied electricity, around half SmartestEnergy's published figure

• Biomass exclusion is written into the Pure Green product

Cons

• The wider TotalEnergies group remains a major oil and gas producer, which matters to some businesses' supplier policies

• Coal still made up 7% of its supplied electricity, above the 5% UK average

Sustainability Comparison

Winner: TotalEnergies, for its cleaner supplier-wide mix and a renewable product that excludes biomass. It's worth remembering that the two sets of figures cover different years, and SmartestEnergy says its 2025/26 data will be published in late 2026. Our renewable business energy guide covers the wider market in more detail.

Customer Service Comparison

Customer support can have a major impact on small businesses when problems arise. Neither supplier has domestic customers, so neither appears in Citizens Advice's household supplier ratings. Trustpilot is the main independent measure available, and both suppliers actively invite reviews and reply to them, so it's best read as one signal among several.

SmartestEnergy Business Support

Channels include:

• Customer services phone line, 8:30 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday

• A 24/7 freephone line and email address for meter readings

• Online enquiry form and the SmartWeb account portal

Strengths

• A Trustpilot rating of around 4.2 out of 5 from around 5,450 reviews, as of 2026

• Recent reviews regularly name individual advisers for quick, clear help with sign-up and account set-up

• A single team focused only on SMEs

Weaknesses

• Phone support is limited to weekday office hours

• Its Trustpilot score sits well below TotalEnergies'

• Some reviews describe estimated bills despite a smart meter, which SmartestEnergy's own FAQs attribute to poor signal or timing of reads

TotalEnergies Business Support

Channels include:

• Phone, live web chat and email

• Separate contact routes

• Online customer portal and a free meter read reminder service

Strengths

• A Trustpilot rating of around 4.8 out of 5, "Excellent," from around 8,700 reviews, as of 2026

• Many recent reviews praise web chat advisers for resolving billing and account queries on first contact

• Dedicated account management for larger and public sector customers

Weaknesses

• Two account platforms can make it harder to find the right contact details

• Older reviews describe long hold times and slow resolution of billing disputes

• The breadth of its customer base means SMEs sit alongside very large accounts

Customer Service Scorecard

In our experience, billing accuracy after a switch is the issue worth weighing most heavily. When we speak to business owners who've had a poor run with a supplier, disputed balances and slow meter fixes come up far more often than the headline unit rate. TotalEnergies' higher score and live chat give it the edge here, but check the most recent month of reviews for both before you sign.

How Do Smart Meters and Tech Compare?

SmartestEnergy Technology Solutions

• Free smart meter installation within eight weeks of switching electricity, with SmartestEnergy reporting that 80% of its customers have one

• SmartWeb portal for bills, readings and usage, with half-hourly interval data and daily, weekly or monthly reports across meters and sites

• SMS and email credit alerts on SmartPay electricity accounts

Ideal For

• Small businesses that want detailed usage data without paying for a separate monitoring tool

TotalEnergies Technology Solutions

• Smart and AMR meter upgrades for business sites

• Online customer portal, plus an energy management platform for large customers trading their own energy

• Triad alerts for large half-hourly users trying to cut peak transmission costs

Ideal For

• Larger or energy-intensive businesses that actively manage when and how they buy energy

Technology Comparison

Winner: SmartestEnergy for small businesses, thanks to free smart meters and detailed usage reporting as standard. TotalEnergies for large sites that need trading tools and peak-demand alerts.

Business Energy Charges

Additional fees can apply with both suppliers.

Common Charges

Key Consideration

Avoid rolling onto out-of-contract or deemed rates, whichever supplier you choose. It's worth noting that both suppliers let you leave their variable rates relatively easily, SmartestEnergy with no notice at all and TotalEnergies with 30 days' notice, so being out of contract is expensive but not a trap. The cost is in the weeks or months you stay there without realising.

Pros and Cons of SmartestEnergy

Advantages

Built Around SMEs
Its product range, from Low User to SmartPay, is designed for small businesses rather than adapted from a corporate offer.

Longest Zero Standing Charge Fix
SmartFix Zero runs for up to 5 years, against TotalEnergies' 3-year maximum.

Contract-Free Fallback With No Exit Fees
SmartFlex carries no notice period or cancellation fees if your bills are paid.

Free Smart Meters and Detailed Data
Half-hourly usage reporting in SmartWeb as standard.

Disadvantages

Low Supplier-Wide Renewable Share
Around 7.5% renewable in its last published fuel mix, despite its green branding.

Lower Trustpilot Score
Around 4.2 out of 5, against TotalEnergies' 4.8.

Size Ceiling
Larger users are passed to SmartestEnergy Limited, a separate company.

Zero Standing Charge Is Electricity Only
There's no equivalent for gas.

Pros and Cons of TotalEnergies

Advantages

Scales From SME to Industrial
From a simple fix for a shop to fully traded contracts for sites using more than 10 GWh.

Strongest Independent Rating of the Two
Around 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot from around 8,700 reviews.

Cleaner Supplier Mix
47% renewable and 237g/kWh CO2 in 2025/26, with a biomass-free Pure Green product.

Zero Standing Charge on Gas and Electricity
Useful for seasonal sites with gas heating or cooking.

Disadvantages

No Published SME Prepay Product
Businesses wanting pay-as-you-go will need to look elsewhere.

Zero Standing Charge Capped at 3 Years
Shorter than SmartestEnergy's equivalent.

Two Account Systems
Contact routes differ depending on your account number.

Parent Group's Oil and Gas Exposure
A deciding factor for some businesses with strict supplier policies.

Which Supplier is Better for Which Business Types?

SmartestEnergy vs TotalEnergies: Side-by-Side

Key Questions to Ask Before Deciding

Before signing a business energy contract, compare:

1. Does the supplier serve your business size?

2. Is the price fully fixed, or can charges like TNUoS change during the contract?

3. What is the standing charge, and how does a zero standing charge quote compare?

4. Is renewable electricity included, and which technologies back it?

5. What is the exit fee, and how is it calculated?

6. What happens at contract end, and what rate will you move onto?

7. How long will smart meter installation take, and is it free?

8. Can you pay by prepayment if cash flow is uneven?

9. Will your complaint go through the Energy Ombudsman?

10. What do the last 30 days of independent reviews say?

SmartestEnergy vs TotalEnergies FAQs

Is SmartestEnergy or TotalEnergies cheaper for business energy?

Neither is cheaper across the board. Both price each fixed contract by postcode, usage, meter type, contract length and credit profile, and neither publishes fixed SME rates. The only reliable comparison is live quotes for your own site from both suppliers and at least one other.

Is SmartestEnergy Business the same company as SmartestEnergy?

Not quite. SmartestEnergy Business Limited is the SME supplier, based in Worthing. SmartestEnergy Limited is its sister company for larger commercial and industrial customers and generators. Both are owned by Marubeni.

Does TotalEnergies supply small businesses?

Yes. TotalEnergies Gas & Power supplies over 200,000 sites, from small businesses to large industrial users and public sector organisations.

Does TotalEnergies or SmartestEnergy have a zero standing charge tariff?

Yes, both do. SmartestEnergy's SmartFix Zero covers electricity for businesses using up to 25,000 kWh a year, on 1 to 5-year terms. TotalEnergies' Zero Standing Charge covers gas and non-half-hourly electricity for up to 3 years.

Is SmartestEnergy's electricity 100% renewable?

Only on its renewable products. SmartFix Renewable is matched to Carbon Trust-verified renewable certificates, but SmartestEnergy Business's overall supplied electricity was only around 7.5% renewable in April 2024 to March 2025.

Does SmartestEnergy or TotalEnergies charge exit fees?

Neither publishes a fixed exit-fee formula for its fixed contracts. SmartestEnergy's SmartFlex variable tariff has no cancellation fees, and TotalEnergies' Standard Variable Tariff needs 30 days' notice. Ask for the exact early exit terms in writing before you sign.

Does TotalEnergies or SmartestEnergy have better customer service?

On Trustpilot, TotalEnergies scores higher, at around 4.8 out of 5 against SmartestEnergy's roughly 4.2, based on our checks in 2026. Neither is covered by Citizens Advice's household ratings.

Can big companies use SmartestEnergy Business?

No. Businesses using more than around 300,000 kWh or spending more than £50k a year are directed to SmartestEnergy Limited instead.

Alternatives to SmartestEnergy and TotalEnergies

• If you want a prepayment-led SME supplier, our Valda vs Yu comparison looks at two independents built around small businesses.

• If you're weighing a smaller supplier against a household name, our EDF vs Valda comparison covers that trade-off directly.

• If pay-as-you-go matters most, our Octopus vs Utilita comparison compares two very different prepay approaches.

• For the wider market, our top 10 business energy suppliers guide rounds up the main options by business size.

Verdict: SmartestEnergy or TotalEnergies?

Choose SmartestEnergy if you want:

• An SME-focused supplier with prepay, low-user and contract-free options

• A zero standing charge electricity fix for longer than 3 years

• Free smart meters and detailed half-hourly usage data

• A variable fallback you can leave at any time with no fees

Choose TotalEnergies if you want:

• The stronger independent service rating of the two

• A lower-carbon supplier mix and a biomass-free renewable product

• A zero standing charge that also covers gas

• A supplier that can grow with you from SME to large industrial user

For most businesses, TotalEnergies is the more rounded choice, particularly if you use gas, have more than one site or report on emissions. SmartestEnergy's case rests on its SME product depth: if you're a small electricity user who values flexibility, prepay or a long zero standing charge fix, it deserves a quote.

When we speak to business owners weighing these two up, the decision usually comes down to fuel type and size first, and green claims second. Our advice is to look past the branding on renewables and check the fuel mix disclosure itself, then get live quotes from both before you sign. Our business energy comparison tool can help you set either quote against the wider market.