npower Business Solutions (nBS) has released new findings from its Energy Cost Calculator, showing that businesses could be facing far sharper increases in non-commodity energy costs than many currently expect.
Since its launch in October 2025, almost 130 organisations have used the industry-first tool, providing early insights into the projected impact of rising non-commodity charges by 2030.
The initial data reveals:
· An average projected increase of 84.2% in non-commodity costs
· The highest forecast increase was 181.5%
· The lowest forecast increase was 55.8%
These early projections suggest that, although many businesses anticipated some rise in non-commodity costs, most may still be underestimating the scale of the increases ahead. nBS’s Business Energy Tracker 2025 found that 49% of organisations expected their non-commodity charges to rise by 25% or more.
However, the calculator’s early results suggest that the increases many businesses may face could be significantly higher, with all projections to date exceeding this level.
The calculator data comes at a time when energy is already the top business concern, as highlighted in the Business Energy Tracker 2025. More than half of organisations say energy costs are undermining their confidence, and 87% of senior leadership teams remain worried about energy risks, underlining the pressure facing businesses as they look ahead.
nBS notes that rising non-commodity charges, which include the policy, network and system costs that fund the UK’s electricity infrastructure, remain a key consideration for businesses as they look to plan and invest. Anthony Ainsworth, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at nBS, said: “Since launching our Energy Cost Calculator, the early data has confirmed the scale of the challenge facing businesses. While our Business Energy Tracker 2025 showed many expected a rise in non-commodity costs, the calculator is already revealing significantly higher projections.
“With energy remaining the biggest business risk for the fourth year running, this comes at a time when confidence is fragile. There is a real opportunity for the UK government to help ease pressure by considering measures including extending targeted relief schemes such as the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme, or adopting a fairer sliding-scale approach to levies, supporting competitiveness as the UK continues its clean power transition.
“The Energy Cost Calculator only takes 60 seconds to complete, so I would encourage all businesses to look at what their non-commodity costs could be over the next five years.”
The Energy Cost Calculator provides organisations with a personalised projection of how their non-commodity charges could change based on their sector and annual consumption. It uses modelling from the nBS Optimisation Desk, which forecasts that non-commodity costs will make up 75% of a customer’s electricity invoice by 2030.
The Energy Cost Calculator is available now at: https://npowerbusinesssolutions.com/businessconfidence/energycostcalculator
