Pub and bar energy broker: for the venues that run late
Pubs and bars push refrigeration, AC, and bistro kitchens long into the night. The right tariff turns that into your bill's friend, not enemy. We find it.
What a pub or bar 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 pub or bar, and the ones we check yours against first.
The tariff that usually wins: TOU with demand window optimisation
Gas, where the site has it: 100–400 GJ/yr for bistro kitchens
Where the bill goes wrong for pubs and bars.
trade that peaks at 9pm and keeps going, sitting square in the network peak window when every kilowatt costs the most
beer cool rooms and glycol lines holding temperature every hour of the year, including the mornings the doors stay shut
a bistro kitchen on a gas contract and the air conditioning on an electricity one, never quoted together, never renewed together
What a switch looks like on a pub or bar.
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 suburban pub, ~250 MWh/yr, switched from a rolled-over rate to a tendered panel offer
What we look for in a retailer for pubs and bars.
No retailer gets a default answer from us. On a pub or bar 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: TOU with demand window optimisation.
- Flexibility across the 80,000 kWh to 350,000 kWh a year range. Pubs and bars straddle the SME and C&I line, so we price it both ways and take whichever wins.
- A soft demand rate, not just a sharp c/kWh. At 40–150 kVA the demand charge can move the annual bill more than the energy rate does.
- Whether bundling gas (100–400 GJ/yr for bistro kitchens) with the electricity actually beats splitting the two across separate retailers. We price it both ways before recommending either.
- How their pricing copes with trade that peaks at 9pm and keeps going, sitting square in the network peak window when every kilowatt costs the most.
- How their pricing copes with beer cool rooms and glycol lines holding temperature every hour of the year, including the mornings the doors stay shut.
- How their pricing copes with a bistro kitchen on a gas contract and the air conditioning on an electricity one, never quoted together, never renewed together.
- 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 pub or bar energy broker in your suburb?
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Pub or bar energy, common questions
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.
I've got multiple meters / multiple sites, can you handle it?
Yes. We aggregate meter data across all your sites, then tender as a single block. That gets you a better rate than splitting them across multiple SME contracts.
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.
Pub or bar 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.