Business energy bill help, what to do when the power bill's too much

If you’ve landed here because a power bill turned up that you can’t make sense of, or can’t comfortably pay, take a breath. This is fixable, and you’ve got more options than you think. I’m Joe, and helping Brisbane businesses get out from under bills like this is literally the job.

Let me give you the practical version: what to do right now, who to call, and how to make sure the next bill doesn’t do the same thing. No jargon, no sales pitch. And to be upfront before you read a word: we’re paid by the energy retailer when you switch, never by you. So me helping you here costs you nothing.

If you’re struggling to pay it right now

First things first, if the bill is due and the money’s tight, deal with the cash-flow before anything else:

• Ring your retailer’s accounts or credit team and ask for a payment plan or an extension. This is normal, they do it all day, and asking doesn’t put a mark against you. Many retailers will spread a bill over instalments, especially for smaller sites, if you call before the due date rather than after. A two-minute phone call buys you breathing room.
• Ask if you’re on their hardship or payment-difficulty support. Small-business customers have some protections under the national energy rules, and retailers have processes for customers having a tough month. You don’t get offered it, you have to ask.
• Don’t just not pay. Silence is the one move that makes it worse (late fees, disconnection warnings). A plan you’ve agreed beats a bill you’re ignoring, every time.

Getting an extension doesn’t fix why the bill was high, but it takes the pressure off so you can sort the real problem properly instead of in a panic.

Then: get the bill actually looked at, free

Once the immediate pressure’s off, the next step is understanding what you’re even paying for. Most business power bills are deliberately hard to read, and the bits that cost the most, demand charges, network charges, the tariff, are the bits nobody explains.

You’ve got two free ways to get clarity:

• Do it yourself. Our guide to reading a commercial electricity bill walks through every line, and why is my power bill so high covers the usual culprits. Twenty minutes and you’ll know more than most owners ever do.
• Send it to me. Upload your last bill and I’ll mark it up, for free, and tell you, in plain English, what each line is, whether it’s fair, and what it should look like. If it’s already a decent deal, I’ll tell you that too and leave you be. I’m not interested in switching people who don’t need it.

Either way, the goal is the same: turn a scary total into a list of specific, fixable lines.

What a broker actually does (and what we don’t)

People are rightly a bit wary of “free” help, so here’s the straight version of what I do:

• I take your bill and shop it across a panel of retailers, not just one, to find a sharper deal for your usage.
• I check the boring, expensive stuff: your tariff, your demand setup, whether you’ve rolled onto a default rate.
• If switching’s worth it, I handle the whole switch, paperwork, Letter of Authority, the lot. It doesn’t touch your meter, your wiring or your supply. Same Energex network, same poles. Just a better contract.
• I get paid a commission by the retailer you switch to, a standard part of the deal, the same whether you use a broker or not. You don’t pay me. That’s the model, and I’ll show you the maths if you want it.

What I don’t do: lock you into anything on the spot, charge you a fee, or push a switch that doesn’t save you money. If a broker won’t tell you their commission or rushes you to sign, that’s your cue to slow down. (More on exactly how brokers get paid.)

How to stop it happening again

Most “help, my bill’s huge” moments trace back to the same root: a contract that was signed once and never looked at again, quietly drifting above market while life got in the way. The fix is a simple habit:

1. Know your contract end date and set a reminder for 90 days before it.
2. Re-quote at every renewal, never just accept the retailer’s roll-over offer, which is almost always above market. (The 90-day checklist.)
3. Decide fixed or variable deliberately, based on your cash flow, not by default. (Fixed vs variable, explained.)

Do those three and the surprise bill basically stops being a thing. Or hand the whole lot to me and I’ll watch the calendar for you.

What to do this week

1. If it’s due and tight, ring your retailer today and ask for a payment plan or extension. Get the breathing room first.
2. Find your last full bill (the one with the line-item breakdown).
3. Send it over, upload it on this page, or email hello@smartaswitch.com.au. I’ll review it free and tell you, straight, what’s going on and whether I can do better. Usually back to you same day.
4. If you’d rather just talk it through, call me on 0435 642 592. I answer the phone myself. Tell me your business name and roughly what the bill was, and I’ll point you the right way, even if the right way isn’t switching.

A high or confusing business energy bill feels like a brick wall when it lands. It almost never is. There’s nearly always a payment option to take the heat off, a reason hiding in the line items, and a sharper deal waiting once you know where to look. That’s the whole job, and it costs you nothing to ask. We’re paid by the energy retailer when you switch, never by you.

Joe Lawrence, Co-founder, Smarta Switch Australia 0435 642 592 · joe@smartaswitch.com.au