A survey was conducted by Censuswide, among a sample of 1,500 energy decision makers within industrial, healthcare, retail and hospitality across the Netherlands, France, and the UK. The data was collected in October 2025 and published on 9 December. It revealed:
- Industrial companies prioritise reliability (64 per cent) over price (49 per cent) when comparing energy contracts, underlining the importance of a secure supply to sectors such as steel, construction, manufacturing and chemicals.
- While reliability is the top cited consideration for all UK businesses surveyed (60 per cent), it is the biggest priority for industrial companies (64 per cent), over other sectors.
As the winter months increase demand for energy usage and bring with them the risk of energy supply disruptions, new data from SEFE Energy reveals reliability tops price as the key consideration for industrial businesses when selecting a new energy contract.
In the survey of 500 UK energy decision-makers in healthcare, retail and industrial sectors, 64 per cent of industrial companies polled cited reliability as a key consideration when selecting an energy contract, topping price at 49 per cent. The same trend is seen across all respondents – with 60 per cent citing reliability as a key consideration, followed by price at 58 per cent – but it’s the biggest priority for industrial companies.
Industrial companies aim to decarbonise, but more training is needed
- When asked about their energy goals for this year, reducing emissions is a key objective for 42 per cent of industrial companies surveyed – higher than healthcare (38 per cent) and retail (29 per cent) respondents.
- While 87 per cent of industrial businesses surveyed have a sustainability plan, only 43 per cent feel they have all the knowledge they need to make decisions about the decarbonisation of their business’ energy.
External advice on energy efficiency in high demand
Almost three-quarters (74 per cent) of industrial companies surveyed feel they would benefit from more external advice on how to improve energy efficiency.
Industrial companies set their sights on AI-powered energy solutions
44 per cent of industrial companies surveyed say they want to improve their understanding of energy consumption through data analytics, while almost three-quarters (71 per cent) say they want to adopt AI-powered energy solutions this year.
We are seeing a rise in demand for digitisation and real-time market data, as customers look to make smarter energy decisions and ultimately, reduce operational costs. AI holds a lot of promise in this regard, and we expect to see it become more embedded in data analytics and provide lots of utility in areas like usage predictions and load balancing.
At SEFE Energy, we act as a strategic partner to our industrial customers, with each customer assigned a dedicated account manager who knows their sector, its energy challenges and will help them to navigate the complexities of today’s energy market.
As suppliers, we have a responsibility to ensure we deliver a secure and reliable supply to customers, and in doing so, prevent any disruption to their operations. SEFE Energy supplies gas, electricity and low-carbon energy products to nearly 30,000 UK organisations.