Energy Cost Control

You run a mosque, a community centre, or a charity. Your energy bills are a recurring drain, especially around Ramadan and community events. This page gives you the clear way to cut costs now, stop surprise charges, and put you back in control.

Who this guide is for

This is written for Imams, trustees, facility managers and business owners who: need to protect a community budget; face high seasonal use; or want to stop paying extra for avoidable errors.

Three immediate levers that lower costs fast

Focus on the three control levers you can change today that actually move the numbers: accurate billing, demand management, and contract clarity. Change these and you shrink costs without cutting services.

1. Accurate billing – the low-effort, high-return win

Most organisations overpay because bills are accepted without question. Read meter readings, check VAT and CCL entries, and compare the bill to last year’s equivalent month. A simple 10-minute audit of one bill will reveal common errors. If you want a checklist, read our subguide: Bill Audit Basics – How to Spot Overcharges in Minutes.

2. Demand management – plan for peaks

Ramadan nights, Eid gatherings, and community events create predictable spikes. You can reduce peak charges by shifting non-essential loads, using timers for heating & lighting, and agreeing supplier meter profiles that reflect community patterns. For practical steps, see: Managing Ramadan Energy Peaks – Smart Planning for High-Demand Months.

3. Contract clarity – the savings you keep

A cheap headline tariff can hide exit fees, meter charges, and billing formats that cost you later. When you renegotiate, insist on a written fee schedule, clear meter handling terms, and an exit clause suited to you. Our renewal guide helps: Creating a Renewal Calendar.

Operational checklist – what to do this week

• Upload one recent electricity or gas bill for a quick-scan.
• Record actual meter reads for the last two months and log them in a spreadsheet.
• Set timers and thermostats for non-prayer hours; stagger heating where possible.
• Confirm your current contract end date and any auto-roll clauses.
• Agree on a named manager who receives renewal alerts and acts on them.

Do these five items and you stop losing money to simple administration failures. If you prefer, we do the quick-scan for you – bring one bill and we’ll show the likely savings.

Benchmarking: where you stand compared to similar places

Knowing whether you are is paying too much requires context. Benchmarking compares your kWh/occupant or kWh/hour-of-use against similar institutions. We benchmark hundreds of community sites and use that data to prioritise interventions that return the biggest savings.

Want the template you can use? Download our benchmarking template and populate it with two months of reads: How to Cut Costs Without Disruption.