Small businesses are being urged by the energy watchdog to fight for better deals and make their views heard.
Energywatch has said that it is important for smaller firms to ask for safeguards as Ofgem is currently consulting on standards for businesses.
Speaking at the Major Energy Users' Council Conference in London, energywatch chief executive Allan Asher commented: "Although they are the lifeblood of the UK economy, as energy consumers small businesses have no formal protections.
"Identifying which businesses are covered by the Ofgem scheme is critical. Unless Ofgem get this right, there is the potential for hundreds of thousands of small businesses to be excluded from necessary protections."
He added that all small organisations "regardless of how much energy they consume" should be included in protections against "lousy service or sharp practice" by suppliers.
In August, energywatch's Small Business Electricity Consumers Satisfaction Survey Report found that there was not enough understanding among these firms about the risks and benefits of their energy usage and activities.
