Service station energy broker: 24/7 canopy, fridges and a shop bill nobody checks
A servo is a 24-hour site with canopy lighting, a wall of drink fridges, a coffee machine and often a car wash, frequently spread across more than one meter on a connection sized for a fuel-only forecourt. Independents in particular are still on whatever rate was signed when the site changed hands.
What a service station 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 service station, and the ones we check yours against first.
The tariff that usually wins: Time-of-use on a 24/7 site, so the overnight canopy and fridge load gets priced off-peak
Where the bill goes wrong for service stations and convenience sites.
canopy lighting and drink fridges running all night on a single flat rate
coffee, hot food and car wash loads added to a connection sized for fuel only
forecourt, shop and wash on separate meters that nobody has ever compared
one hot afternoon with the air conditioning and the wash running together setting the demand charge
What a switch looks like on a service station.
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 independent service station, ~200 MWh/yr, moved from a flat rate to time-of-use with the overnight load priced separately
What we look for in a retailer for service stations and convenience sites.
No retailer gets a default answer from us. On a service station 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 on a 24/7 site, so the overnight canopy and fridge load gets priced off-peak.
- Flexibility across the 90,000 kWh to 400,000 kWh a year range. Service stations and convenience sites 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 45–180 kVA the demand charge can move the annual bill more than the energy rate does.
- No gas to bundle on most of these sites, so the electricity rate and the demand charge have to win on their own merit.
- How their pricing copes with canopy lighting and drink fridges running all night on a single flat rate.
- How their pricing copes with coffee, hot food and car wash loads added to a connection sized for fuel only.
- How their pricing copes with forecourt, shop and wash on separate meters that nobody has ever compared.
- How their pricing copes with one hot afternoon with the air conditioning and the wash running together setting the demand charge.
- 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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Service station 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.
Should I be on time-of-use or flat-rate?
Depends on your usage pattern. Cafes open 6am–2pm usually win on flat-rate. Gyms with split 5–9am and 4–8pm windows usually win on TOU. We test both with your real meter data, not a generic assumption.
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.
Service station 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.