SME Energy Monitor 2026: 69 percent of energy-intensive companies want flexibility in electricity procurement

Berlin, June 16, 2026 – The energy utility company trawa has conducted the Energy Monitor SME for the first time for the year 2026. For the study, the market research institute INNOFACT AG surveyed 304 decision-makers from energy-intensive German small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on behalf of trawa. The result: energy costs have become the greatest entrepreneurial challenge. But instead of resigning, SMEs are carrying out a silent energy transition on their own behalf and intend to procure electricity dynamically in the future rather than at a rigid fixed price.

For energy-intensive German SMEs, energy costs are the most pressing concern: more than half of the companies rank them as their number one or two greatest entrepreneurial challenges, ahead of skilled labor shortages, rising wage costs, bureaucracy, and weak economic activity. The pressure is intensified by the fear of a repeat of the 2022 crisis year: two-thirds of those surveyed worry about another energy crisis in Germany. How justified this concern is, and how quickly the situation on the energy markets can escalate, is once again demonstrated by the war in Iran.

Existential concern turns into entrepreneurial initiative

Respondents are not reacting to the pressure by waiting, but rather with their own initiative. Here, trawa sees the core message of the study: SMEs want to actively shape their energy supply and regain a slice of control over their energy costs.  

“The real finding of this study is a change in attitude: SMEs are no longer waiting for government relief, but are taking their energy costs into their own hands. That is the correct response to a market that will remain permanently volatile – and this is precisely where competitiveness will be decided in the future,” says David Budde, founder and managing director of trawa.

Companies want to exploit market fluctuations

SMEs are drawing their conclusions: 69 percent of companies want to procure their electricity dynamically or semi-dynamically in the future, thus breaking away from the purely fixed price. 

Today, three-quarters of companies obtain their electricity exclusively at a fixed price. In doing so, they pay a firmly fixed commodity price per kilowatt hour over the entire contract term, thereby hedging against price fluctuations. In contrast, under dynamic and semi-dynamic contracts, the price follows the trend on the electricity exchange. Since volatility has increased there, the exchange price is falling into negative territory more and more often when there is high wind and solar supply. This creates potential savings that can be exploited with flexible energy procurement.

Lack of dynamic tariffs among energy suppliers

It is revealing why many companies nevertheless remain with the fixed price. Those who do not plan to switch justify this primarily with excessively high risks and a lack of predictability (78 percent), the perceived complexity of dynamic models (56 percent), and a lack of personnel (52 percent). 

However, a different figure provides what is perhaps the most important finding: 52 percent of these companies state that they have not been consciously advised by their energy supplier about a dynamic or semi-dynamic alternative. Sticking to the fixed price is therefore less of a conscious decision and more a consequence of a lack of impulse. 

Battery storage and software: SMEs are gearing up technically

This pioneering spirit is also evident when it comes to battery storage: 70 percent of companies are already using them or are planning or discussing their use. This is because battery storage systems allow for self-consumption optimization, peak load management, and electricity market trading. For companies that are still hesitant, this is due to high acquisition costs, which 71 percent cite as the main deterrent. In parallel, awareness of the necessary tools is growing: among companies with dynamic procurement, 95 percent consider energy management software necessary to control procurement and consumption intelligently.

Industrial electricity price: promised relief barely reaches SMEs

At the same time, the hope for state aid is deceptive. Although the surveyed companies all belong to energy-intensive sectors, less than half are eligible for the industrial electricity price promised by politicians. 48 percent fall through the cracks, while another 11 percent do not know if they could benefit. The politically promised EUR 3.8 billion in relief therefore scarcely reaches SMEs – all the more reason to actively shape one's own energy procurement.

Conclusion: SMEs want to actively utilize the leeway instead of waiting for subsidies

trawa conducted the Energy Monitor SME 2026 to understand how energy-intensive SMEs cope with volatile energy markets. The results show that the majority want to actively control their energy costs, but encounter complexity, a lack of advice, and government relief that barely reaches them. Above all, however, the study makes one thing clear: the potential is recognized, but implementation still often fails due to a lack of information and advice.

About the study

With the Energy Monitor SME 2026, trawa examines how the energy-intensive German SME sector handles the challenges of volatile energy markets, and aims to use the results to provide an impulse for modernizing the electricity market. For the study, the market research institute INNOFACT on behalf of trawa surveyed a total of 304 decision-makers who are responsible for or involved in energy issues in their companies from February 23 to 26, 2026. Only mid-sized companies with 50 to 1,000 employees from particularly energy-intensive sectors were surveyed – including manufacturing, logistics, wholesale and retail, construction, real estate, and hotel industries. The data collection took place prior to the recent geopolitical escalation in Iran; its possible consequences for the energy markets are therefore not reflected in the results.

The complete Energy Monitor SME 2026 is available for download here.

About trawa

trawa helps companies reduce their electricity costs by up to 30% annually by making the proven methods of large energy-intensive corporations more easily accessible. In doing so, trawa takes care of all relevant services: energy supply, energy management software, and even the flexible control of energy assets. The company is already working successfully with over 250 enterprises in Germany and Austria and is one of Europe's fastest-growing energy companies. Its clients already include renowned large customers such as Flixtrain, Maritim Hotels, Conrad Elektronik, and many more.

Press contact:

Zoe Schirren
Senior Marketing Manager
+49 152 253 90 902, pr@trawa.de