Frequently asked questions

We are Future Energy Associates, a team of data scientists and engineers with extensive experience in the energy sector, having released products such as Aurai (for wind farm optimisation) as well as Tariffscanner (a data analytics platform that tracks energy tariffs). We are passionate about putting consumers at the heart of tackling climate change and making sure that sector is fair and transparent. Tariff Tribe is our new product, initial development of the project's prototype tool was funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero through the Non-Domestic Smarter Tariff Comparisons Innovation Programme. This programme is part of the UK Government's Net Zero Innovation Portfolio.

Once a SME has requested Tariff Tribe to find them a new tariff, we will group SMEs together. This means combining their energy consumption and risk together and create bargaining power. Energy suppliers will compete through a Dutch auction process to win the bundle. Once the auction is over, Tariff Tribe will transfer the SME details to the winning energy supplier. The energy supplier will confirm details and handle the switch.

Energy Brokers are defined as a Third Party that works with selected suppliers to find and arrange energy deals. They act as the middleman between the customer and the supplier to find better rates, organise renewals and provide advice to customers.

If you have an in home display that generally indicates that you have a smart meter. You can also check the serial number on your electricity meter. If the serial number begins with '19P,' then it indicates a first-generation, also known as SMETS1, smart meter. Conversely, if the serial number starts with '19M,' it signifies a second-generation, or SMETS2, smart meter. This distinction in serial numbers allows for easy identification of the type of smart meter installed in your property.

We are not an energy tariff comparison website. We create unique tariffs based on an auction process where energy suppliers will bid on the bundle an SME is part of. You will only be able to see the price and rate we offer you when the auction is done. To ensure that we are offering you the best deals we compare our tariff deals with the tariffs available on the market.

There is no need to contact your current energy supplier. Once the Tariff Tribe process is over and we have found your business a successful rate, your new supplier will handle the switch and contact you when they need further information.

Our bundling process uses the detail of your electricity demand to group you with other small businesses in a way that is more attractive to suppliers when offering you an energy tariff. We are working on ways to bundle you without the detailed data, but right now we can’t.

The savings are calculated by taking the average fixed market price for the specific tariff type. Currently, this includes market data from seven energy suppliers, ensuring a fair representation of the available options. As Tariffscanner expands its market coverage, the scope of these calculations will grow to include data from even more suppliers, enhancing accuracy and reliability.
‍Learn more about Tariffscanner here.

It is free! We make our money through being paid a fee by suppliers for each unit of energy you consume. Our fees are as follows:
- For each kWh of electricity, our commission is £0.008 (0.8 p/kWh)
- For each kWh of gas, our commission is £0.003 (0.3 p/kWh)
Under the latest Ofgem regulation, energy suppliers should include this information on your bill.

Tariff Tribe is available in all regions in England, Wales and Scotland. Due to the energy regulations working differently in Northern Ireland, we are not able to offer Tariff Tribe there at the moment.

We are not an energy supplier. We provide SMEs a brand new way to get better energy tariffs for their business. Your new energy supplier will be the supplier that has won the auction for the bundle the SME was a part of.

By definition, we are an energy broker, however we are on a mission to revolutionise the market and give consumers better transparency and control over their energy. To do this we use data science to get you the best deal and get suppliers to compete to obtain you as a customer.

Energy suppliers offer a variety of energy tariffs for SMEs that can be interesting for them. Nevertheless, it can often be a time consuming task for a business to compare energy deals across many different energy suppliers. Tariff Tribe aims to alleviate that by having energy suppliers compete against each other to win your business. This means more competitive rates for SMEs.

We are working hard on getting as many energy suppliers on board. If you are an energy supplier and we have not been in contact with you yet and are interested in Tariff Tribe, please reach out to us using the contact form.

Under no circumstances will Tariff Tribe automatically accept the offer on your behalf. As a small business, you must manually accept the offer once it is presented to you if you wish to switch using Tariff Tribe. If you decide that you do not want the tariff offered, you are free to decline it.

You will be able to log into the platform to check the tariff you have been offered. Tariff Tribe will present the winning supplier, unit rate, standing charge, and all other important information related to the tariff.