Aged care energy broker: a site that never switches off
Residential aged care runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year: clinical equipment, nurse call, lighting, a commercial kitchen and a laundry that barely stops. That flat round-the-clock load is the strongest thing you can put in front of a retailer, and most facilities have never actually tendered it.
What a aged care facility bill actually looks like.
Before anyone can tell you whether you are overpaying, they have to know how your site actually uses power. These are the numbers we start from on a aged care facility, and the ones we check yours against first.
The tariff that usually wins: Bid-tendered C&I contract with a capacity demand review, the flat load factor is what you sell
Gas, where the site has it: 800–3,000 GJ/yr for kitchen, laundry and hot water
Where the bill goes wrong for aged care and retirement facilities.
clinical equipment, lighting and nurse call that never drop to a real overnight baseline
commercial laundry and kitchen setting the monthly demand peak between them
capacity demand reserved at build for a wing that is used differently now
gas and electricity on separate contracts with separate expiry dates nobody tracks
What a switch looks like on a aged care facility.
An illustration, not a promise. Your number depends entirely on what you are paying now, which is the whole reason we read the bill first.
Assumptions: SEQ residential aged care facility, ~700 MWh/yr plus gas, moved from an incumbent renewal to a three-bid tender
What we look for in a retailer for aged care and retirement facilities.
No retailer gets a default answer from us. On a aged care facility site, these are the things that decide which one actually wins on your numbers.
- A retailer that will actually price the tariff these sites need: Bid-tendered C&I contract with a capacity demand review, the flat load factor is what you sell.
- Appetite for a 300,000 kWh to 1,500,000 kWh a year load. At this size retailers price on tender against your interval data, not off a rate card, so we want retailers who'll actually bid.
- A soft demand rate, not just a sharp c/kWh. At 120–500 kVA the demand charge can move the annual bill more than the energy rate does.
- Whether bundling gas (800–3,000 GJ/yr for kitchen, laundry and hot water) with the electricity actually beats splitting the two across separate retailers. We price it both ways before recommending either.
- How their pricing copes with clinical equipment, lighting and nurse call that never drop to a real overnight baseline.
- How their pricing copes with commercial laundry and kitchen setting the monthly demand peak between them.
- How their pricing copes with capacity demand reserved at build for a wing that is used differently now.
- How their pricing copes with gas and electricity on separate contracts with separate expiry dates nobody tracks.
- Contract length, and what happens at the end of it: the exit fee, the notice window and the evergreen rollover rate you land on if nobody moves.
- If you run more than one site, whether they'll price the whole portfolio or only want the big meters.
We're paid by the energy retailer when you switch, never by you, and the commission is printed in c/kWh next to every offer. How we choose a retailer.
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Aged care facility energy, common questions
Can I bundle gas and electricity on one bill?
Often, yes. Several retailers will price gas and electricity together on one account. Sometimes the bundled discount is real, sometimes splitting them across two retailers wins on price. We test both ways before recommending either.
What's a capacity demand reservation and is mine wrong?
Capacity demand is the maximum kVA your site can draw, set at fitout. Many sites have it set 50–100% higher than they actually use, which inflates every demand-charge invoice. We review and apply for a reduction where it pays.
Am I a C&I or SME customer?
Roughly: above 100 MWh/year electricity, you're commercial-and-industrial (C&I) and quotes come via tender from a different retailer panel. Below 100 MWh, you're SME and quoted off published rates. We figure out which side of the line you're on and quote to the right panel.
Will my power get cut off when I switch?
No. Switching retailers doesn't touch the wires or your meter. Same poles, same wires, same network operator (Energex for nearly all SEQ). You just get a different name on your invoice, and a better number.
How long does a switch take?
Typical SEQ small-business switch: 10–20 business days from signing the Letter of Authority. We send the LoA, you sign, we lodge with the new retailer, they handle the meter-data hand-off with the network. Your old contract ends, the new one starts.
What's a demand charge and why is mine so high?
Demand charges are the highest 15- or 30-minute usage peak in the month, multiplied by a $/kVA rate. If you've got AC cycling on at the same time as kitchen equipment, that peak compounds. The fix is usually a tariff that prices demand more fairly, or moving you off demand-tariffs altogether if your usage is too small to need them.
Am I on the right small-business tariff?
Probably not. Retailers don't migrate you automatically when better tariffs become available. We look at your usage profile, your peak demand, and your trading hours, then map you to the tariff your bill actually wants.
We're paid by the energy retailer when you switch, never by you.
When we move your account to a new retailer, that retailer pays us a commission, partly upfront, partly as a trail while you're with them. Your rate is your rate. There's no markup, no broker fee on your invoice, no monthly subscription.
We disclose the commission existence on every quote. If you want to know the exact dollar amount on a deal, ask. We'll tell you.
This is why we win on transparency: we'd rather show you the maths than dress up the savings.
Aged care facility owner? Send the bill, we'll quote it
Drop your most recent electricity or gas bill. I'll come back with what your retailer panel can do, in plain English, usually same day.
- Send us one recent bill, or let us get it from your retailer.
- Sign a one page authority so we can ask retailers for prices.
- See every offer that comes back, with our commission on each one.
Takes about ninety seconds. Haven't got the bill handy? We will get it from your current retailer for you.
Ready to see what your panel can do?
Send us your bill, we'll come back with real numbers, not a sales call.