Is your site connection structure costing you more than it should?

Is your site connection structure costing you more than it should?

Why reviewing your connection structure matters now more than ever

With significant investment in the UK’s electricity network to support growing electrification, network charges are increasing. As a result, many businesses, particularly large energy users, are seeing a material rise in energy costs.

In April 2026, Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) charges increased by 64%, and NESO projects a further 23% rise in 2027, with charges expected to increase by up to 167% by 2031.

In our previous blog, we explored how Ofgem sets pricing controls, what’s driving network charge increases, and how those costs are calculated. In this blog, we focus on one of the most important considerations businesses must face; how your site is connected within the network.

A quick recap: what actually drives your network costs

Network charges are primarily made up of Transmission Network Use of System (TNUoS) and Distribution Use of System (DUoS). These charges are typically recovered as fixed annual standing charges and are heavily influenced by your maximum import capacity (MIC) and connection voltage.

This is calculated on a £/Site/Day methodology with sites allocated into a band. Each band carries a fixed daily cost, meaning you are paying for the capacity made available to your site, rather than your actual consumption.

For high-voltage connected sites in particular, the difference in bands becomes increasingly significant as network charges continue to rise.

Why your site connection matters

Understanding your capacity and banding is important, but it’s only part of the picture. How your site is connected within the network plays a critical role in your overall costs.

For high-voltage sites, the impact is amplified. Larger contracted capacities and higher bandings mean that even small differences between what your site needs and how it is set up can translate into significantly higher costs.

For many sites, a high-voltage connection is essential. However, where a site has a high-voltage connection that no longer reflects its actual demand or operational requirements, your connection structure may continue to carry unnecessary risk.

The operational impact

For high-voltage sites, this misalignment is not only a question of cost, but also of responsibility.

Operating a high-voltage connection typically involves more complex infrastructure and maintenance, as well as stricter compliance obligations. Specialist expertise is often required to safely manage and maintain these assets, which can introduce ongoing cost, internal resource demands, and additional operational complexity.

In many cases, these responsibilities are accepted as part of running a site. However, as operational requirements evolve, it is not always revisited whether that level of infrastructure is still aligned to current demand.

You may want to explore this further if:

If you have a legacy high-voltage connection, speak to our experts to understand the options available for your sites.

What if your connection no longer reflects your needs?

If your site has a high-voltage connection that no longer reflects your actual requirements and operational needs, it might be time to review your options.

While it is possible to change how your site is connected to the network, doing so can require significant capital investment. For many businesses, this can make changes difficult to justify, even where there is a clear potential for savings.

However, there are alternative approaches available that can bring immediate value to your business, reduce exposure to network charges and better align the connection structure with how the site actually operates, without the need for significant disruption or upfront cost.

Summary

For many businesses, particularly those operating high-voltage sites, costs are influenced not just by how much energy is used, but by how the site is configured within the network.

Where contracted capacity and connection setup no longer reflect actual demand, there may be an opportunity to reduce unnecessary cost and operational burden.

The first step is understanding your position and whether your current setup reflects your site requirements.

If you have a legacy high-voltage connection and would like to assess your options, our team are happy to help.