In a recent piece of frenzied hype, online energy specialist supplierswitch.com has stoked business fears with a prediction that the average rate of increase in energy prices for corporate users could be between 60% and 100% year-on-year.

Whilst this might be a little alarmist, there’s no denying the impact of energy price rises on even the largest operators, with Tesco recently revealing that the financial gains provided by its 8 year programme of green energy initiatives have been wiped out by soaring gas and electricity prices.

And considering that energy and telecommunications costs can make up as much as 25 percent of an organisation's overall operating budget, it’s well worth paying close attention to utility costs. The good news – a commodity in somewhat short supply these days – is that energy remains one of the most responsive spend categories to effective sourcing.