Energy broker for Brisbane cafes: built for hospitality margins
Cafes run on tight margins, long opening hours, and demand profiles that look weirdly different to a retailer's standard SME quote. We re-shape the contract until it fits.
What a cafe 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 cafe, and the ones we check yours against first.
The tariff that usually wins: Time-of-Use for split-trade cafes, flat rate for dawn-only
Gas, where the site has it: 20–80 GJ/yr for back-of-house cooking
Where the bill goes wrong for cafes.
air conditioning and display fridges running fourteen hours a day, from the 5am setup right through to close
two grinders and a three-group machine all firing at once in the morning rush, setting a demand peak you never see
a flat rate charging the same at 5am as it does at 2pm, when half your trade happens before the peak window opens
What a switch looks like on a cafe.
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: Inner-Brisbane cafe, ~52 MWh/yr, switched from incumbent retailer to SME panel offer
What we look for in a retailer for cafes.
No retailer gets a default answer from us. On a cafe 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: Time-of-Use for split-trade cafes, flat rate for dawn-only.
- A genuinely competitive small-business rate at 25,000 kWh to 90,000 kWh a year. At this size the offer comes off published commercial rates, so the sharpest rate card wins.
- A soft demand rate, not just a sharp c/kWh. At 10–35 kVA the demand charge can move the annual bill more than the energy rate does.
- Whether bundling gas (20–80 GJ/yr for back-of-house cooking) with the electricity actually beats splitting the two across separate retailers. We price it both ways before recommending either.
- How their pricing copes with air conditioning and display fridges running fourteen hours a day, from the 5am setup right through to close.
- How their pricing copes with two grinders and a three-group machine all firing at once in the morning rush, setting a demand peak you never see.
- How their pricing copes with a flat rate charging the same at 5am as it does at 2pm, when half your trade happens before the peak window opens.
- 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.
Looking for a cafe energy broker in your suburb?
Not your suburb? See all the SEQ locations we cover.
Cafe energy, common questions
How exactly are Smarta Switch paid?
When we move your account to a new retailer, that retailer pays us a commission, partly upfront, partly as a trail over the life of the contract. We don't charge you a fee, mark up your rate, or add anything to your invoice. Ask us the exact dollar amount on any specific deal, we'll tell you.
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.
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.
Cafe 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.