Yorkshire electricity is predicting that 86,800 businesses in the region - 62 per cent of the total - will log on to its recently launched Internet site at www.yeg.co.uk/business to access on-line business services.

The new site has been created for businesses across the country, following a threefold increase in the number of firms accessing on-line services in the past year. Recent research suggests that nearly two thirds of the UK's small to medium sized businesses (SMEs) have access to the Net and in the next five years this is expected to rise to 94 per cent.

This suggests that 66,000 SMEs in Yorkshire are now equipped to surf the Net.

Gail Smith, business communications manager at Yorkshire Electricity, said: "The new web site means that our business customers can do business with us on the Net 24-hours-a-day. They can request everything from a copy bill to a new connection, as well as notify us of a move to new premises or give us their meter reading.

"All our services are at the touch of a button. We expect a great take-up as our customers can interact with the services exactly how and when they wish."

The web site claims to offer the widest range of on-line energy services available to businesses.

They have been designed to be user-friendly with comprehensive help text to guide the user through the site.

The new Internet site also provides a range of 'virtual' services for domestic customers including meter reading, signing up for dual fuel and switching to green electricity.