Energy renewal data vs live leads: what should brokers buy?

Last updated: 2 November 2026

Renewal data is a list of businesses, often with an estimated contract end date, that you call cold. Live leads are businesses that have just asked to be contacted about their energy. Renewal data can tell you when to call; live leads tell you the business wants the call. Our live leads don't include a contract end date, so each has a different place in your pipeline.

What renewal data is

Renewal data is a list of businesses sold by a data provider, typically with company details, a phone number and sometimes an estimated contract end date.

The appeal is timing. If the date is accurate, you can call a business shortly before its renewal window, when it is most likely to review its energy. The drawback is that the business hasn't asked you to call, and the date may be estimated rather than confirmed.

Quality varies widely between providers. Ask how the contract dates were obtained, how often the data is refreshed, how many times the same list has been sold, and what happens if numbers are wrong.

What live leads are

A live lead is a business that has filled in a form asking for energy quotes and agreed to be contacted by a broker. It is sent to you within moments of the form being completed.

Our live leads include the business name, contact name, email, phone, postcode, current supplier, the utility and the monthly bill band. They don't include a contract end date, meter numbers or business type. Each paid lead goes to one client for 30 days.

A live lead tells you the business wants a conversation now. It doesn't tell you its contract is ready to switch. Some will be close to renewal, some will be mid-contract and some will be out of contract. Your first call finds out which.

Compliance differences

Live leads come with a consent record for the contact. Renewal data usually doesn't, so calls must be screened against the TPS and CTPS and objections honoured.

Under PECR, live marketing calls can't go to numbers registered on the TPS or CTPS unless the business has agreed to your calls, and you must stop calling anyone who objects. Ask your data provider for the source of each record and screen the list yourself before use.

With live leads, ask how consent was captured and keep the record. Our forms store the consent wording, its version, the time and the source page for each enquiry.

Contact quality and conversion

Live leads usually have higher contact rates because the business is expecting a call. Renewal data reaches businesses that aren't expecting you, so contact rates are lower and calls are colder.

With renewal data you often reach a receptionist or a gatekeeper first. With a live lead you are usually calling the person who filled in the form. That changes the tone of the first call: a reminder of their request, rather than an introduction from scratch.

Renewal data can work well for experienced outbound teams with good scripts and strict screening. Live leads suit teams that want warmer conversations and quick qualification.

Comparing cost

Compare the cost per signed contract for each source, including caller time, rather than the price per record or per lead.

Illustrative example: a list of 1,000 renewal records may cost less than 20 live leads, but it takes far more calls to reach and convert a business. Our live leads start at £40 per lead. Track records bought, contacts made, quotes sent and contracts signed for at least a month for each source, then divide total cost, including staff time, by contracts signed.

Questions to ask before you buy either

Ask any data or lead provider where the records come from, what each contact agreed to, how often the same record is sold, and what happens when details are wrong.

For renewal data, ask how contract end dates were obtained, whether they are confirmed or estimated, when the list was last refreshed, whether it has been screened against the TPS and CTPS, and how many other buyers have the same records.

For live leads, ask how the enquiry was generated, what the consent wording said, whether the lead is exclusive and for how long, which fields are included, and what is replaced. Our paid live leads go to one client for 30 days, and faulty leads reported within 48 hours are replaced.

Get the answers in writing. A provider that can't explain its source clearly is a risk to your compliance as well as your budget.

Where each fits in your pipeline

Use live leads for a steady flow of warm conversations and renewal data for planned outbound around renewal windows, if your team has the capacity to screen and call it properly.

Mid-contract live leads aren't wasted: ask for the contract end date on the first call and diary the follow-up. Over time that builds your own renewal list from businesses that have already spoken to you, which is better than any bought list.