How we choose · No default answer

How we pick the right energy retailer for your site.

We are tied to no retailer. Here is exactly what decides the answer, and how you can check we are not just picking a mate.

No cost to you. We're paid by the retailer when you switch.

In short: there's no single best energy retailer for a Brisbane business. It depends on your usage shape, your demand charges, the contract length, whether gas should be bundled, the exit fees and whether you run one site or twenty. We read your bill and interval data first, price it, then show you every offer we get back with our commission printed on it in c/kWh. We're paid by the energy retailer when you switch, never by you.

The honest bit

No retailer gets a default answer from us.

Plenty of brokers have a house retailer. It is the one that pays best, and it quietly wins most of the placements. That is the thing you should be checking for, in us and in anyone else you talk to.

Here is how you check us. Ask for every offer we received, not just the recommended one. Ask what the commission is on each, in cents per kWh. Ask why the one we recommended beat the others on your numbers specifically. We answer all three in writing, every time, because the comparison sheet is built that way.

We work with select, trusted retailers who believe in fair pricing and honest account management. That is a panel, not the whole market, and we will always say so plainly rather than pretend otherwise.

What decides it

Seven things that pick the retailer, before the price does.

The headline rate is the last thing we look at, not the first. These are what actually move the annual number on a commercial bill.

Your usage shape Factor 1 of 7
A bakery burning power from 4am and a warehouse that only lifts at midday want completely different tariffs. We read the interval data first, then decide whether flat rate, time-of-use or a demand tariff wins.
Demand charges Factor 2 of 7
On a demand tariff, one 15-minute spike sets your charge for the whole month. Retailers price demand very differently to energy, so the cheapest c/kWh regularly loses to a retailer with a softer demand rate.
Contract length Factor 3 of 7
12, 24 or 36 months is a genuine call, not a formality. Longer terms usually price sharper, but they lock you through a market you might want to re-enter. We show you both and say which way I'd lean and why.
Gas bundled, or split Factor 4 of 7
Sometimes bundling electricity and gas with one retailer is a real discount. Sometimes splitting them across two beats the bundle outright. We price it both ways before recommending either.
Exit fees and rollover terms Factor 5 of 7
The expensive fine print is what happens at the end. We check the exit fee, the evergreen rollover rate and the notice window, because a sharp headline rate with a nasty rollover is not a saving.
Green and renewable options Factor 6 of 7
GreenPower, carbon-neutral products and large-scale certificates all cost differently and are worth different amounts to different businesses. If it matters to you, it goes in the brief. If it does not, we will not sell it to you.
Multi-site portfolios Factor 7 of 7
A portfolio mixing small meters and large ones is a different job to a single shop. Some retailers price the whole book, some only want the big meters. That alone rules retailers in or out.
How the price is got

Two ways we price a site.

1

Under ~100 MWh a year

Retailers quote off published commercial SME rates. We put your bill to the retailers on our panel who can price your load, and line the offers up on a single sheet in the same format.

2

Over ~100 MWh a year

This goes to tender. We pull 12 months of interval meter data, package it as a request for bid, and the retailers bid against each other on your actual load shape rather than a rate card.

3

Every offer, not just one

You see all of them, including the ones that lost. Rate, demand charge, term, exit fee, and our commission in c/kWh next to each. Then I'll tell you which one I'd sign and why.

4

We keep the date

Your renewal date goes on the clock and we come back to you 90 days out to re-test the market, rather than letting the contract roll onto an evergreen rate.

Named partners

Who we'll name today.

We name a retailer here only once the agreement is actually signed. That is why this list is short, and it is deliberately short rather than impressively long.

Shell Energy
Flow Power

More agreements are in progress. Those retailers get named here the day the paperwork is signed, and not a day before. If you want to know whether a specific retailer can price your site right now, ring me and I'll tell you straight.

Straight talk on how we get paid

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.

Send your bill, we'll price it properly.

One bill upload, one comparison sheet, every offer shown with the commission on it.

Take the Smarta Switch Talk to an expert
Take the Smarta Switch Talk to an expert