Concern over energy bills is spreading across British business, with 72% of companies reporting some degree of anxiety about energy prices in late September, according to the latest Office for National Statistics survey.
The figure is the highest since the ONS introduced the question in March 2026. It rises to 91% among accommodation and food service businesses, where heating, cooking, refrigeration and other energy requirements create substantial operating costs that are difficult to eliminate without disrupting service.
Fuel prices are generating comparable concern. The Business Insights and Conditions Survey found that 73% of respondents were worried to some extent about increases in fuel prices, the highest proportion since that question was added in May. In transport and storage, 60% were very concerned, illustrating the greater exposure of companies whose activity depends directly on moving goods or people.
The bulletin was released on 8 October and reports responses collected between 21 September and 4 October. The ONS received 9,933 responses from a sample of 38,592 businesses. The survey is voluntary and its findings are published as official statistics in development, so the percentages should be interpreted as estimates of business sentiment rather than a census of every UK employer.
Concern about potential price movements is also distinct from an actual increase in a company’s expenditure. Energy contracts vary in duration and structure, and businesses may be protected temporarily by fixed rates or experience different changes according to consumption and supply arrangements. The survey does not establish that all respondents have received higher bills.
Nevertheless, the breadth of anxiety complicates commercial planning. A food producer deciding whether to accept a fixed-price supply contract must compare expected sales with electricity, packaging and transport expenditure. A restaurant considering longer opening hours faces a different calculation, balancing additional revenue against staffing and energy use.
Contracts with customers may provide limited scope to recover higher costs immediately. Companies that have agreed prices for several months can find margins compressed if suppliers raise charges in the meantime. Those able to increase selling prices still need to consider how customers will respond, particularly in competitive markets where demand is sensitive to household budgets.
The survey also identifies wider disruption risks. Among businesses employing at least ten people, 48% expressed concern about one or more factors affecting supply chains over the following 12 months. That was broadly unchanged from August but 17 percentage points above September 2025, indicating a marked deterioration in expectations over the year.
International conflict was cited by 32% of businesses and shipping disruption by 21%. These results describe anticipated risks rather than evidence that every respondent has experienced delayed deliveries. Even so, uncertainty about shipping and access to imported components can influence order quantities, inventory decisions and the timing of capital expenditure.
Energy, freight and procurement costs are closely connected. Higher fuel prices can influence haulage charges, while energy-intensive suppliers may seek to recover their own production expenses. Businesses with modest direct electricity use may therefore encounter cost pressure through purchases of materials, stock or contracted services.
One response is to improve operational efficiency, including equipment maintenance, building controls or better scheduling of energy-intensive tasks. Those measures may reduce exposure, but equipment upgrades also compete for capital with workforce needs, technology projects and ordinary working capital. A company facing uncertain demand cannot assume an efficiency investment will pay for itself within its preferred timetable.
Business size and sector also matter. Larger organisations may have dedicated procurement specialists or more capacity to manage energy contracts, while smaller companies can have less bargaining power and fewer resources to monitor consumption. The ONS figures should not, however, be used to imply a measured difference in bills between large and small employers without supporting data.
The findings give policymakers and lenders a current indication of the pressures influencing business expectations. For companies, they underline the importance of reviewing contract exposure, cash-flow assumptions and supply arrangements before making long-term spending commitments. The next survey will help establish whether concern is becoming more widespread or beginning to recede.
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