Co-founder
Joseff Lawrence
"If you can't get me on 0435 642 592, you've got the wrong broker. Try me."0435 642 592
Now serving cafes & SMEs across SEQ
Brisbane business energy experts that actually answer the phone.
We help cafes, restaurants and small businesses across South East Queensland stop overpaying for power and gas. Try the 30-second savings calculator — no bill upload needed.
No cost to you. We're paid by the retailer when you switch.
Savings calculator
How much could you save?
30 seconds. No bill upload needed.
$
Retailer panel we shop on your behalf
Origin Business AGL Business Momentum Energy EnergyAustralia Powershop Alinta Business Shell Energy SME SmartestEnergy Australia Shell Energy C&I AGL C&I Origin Enterprise
The honest bit
You're probably overpaying. Most Brisbane businesses are.
Energy retailers count on you doing nothing. Auto-renewals quietly stack hidden margin. Plans designed for last year's market are still running this year's bills. And nobody's calling you to say "hey, you could be on a better rate."
The average Brisbane cafe we audit is overpaying by $1,200 to $2,400 a year. Just from being on the wrong plan. Not because the retailer is dodgy — because no one has rebid the contract in eighteen months.
That's the gap we close. Two minutes of your time, eight retailers compared, one honest recommendation.
$1,200+
annual saving on the average single-site cafe
8+
retailers compared on every quote
<24h
bill upload to clear comparison
$0
what you pay us — retailer-funded
How it works
Three steps. About 15 minutes of your time.
- 01
Send the bill
Upload it here or email it through. One page of your last electricity or gas invoice tells us your usage profile, your current rate, and what's possible.
- 02
We shop the retailer panel
We compare offers from our SME panel — Origin, AGL, Momentum, EnergyAustralia, Powershop, Alinta, Shell. Larger sites go to SmartestEnergy and Shell C&I. You see every number that matters.
- 03
We do the switch — you don't move
If the deal works for you, we handle paperwork end-to-end. No supply interruption, no meter change, same wires, same poles. Your next bill just gets cheaper.
Step 1 of 1
Upload your bill — get a real number back
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.
We're paid by the energy retailer when you switch — never by you. No obligation, no fee, your details stay with Smarta Switch.
- Usually replied same day
- We handle the switch end-to-end
- No supply interruption
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.
Who we look after
Built for SEQ small businesses with real usage
We spearhead in hospitality but every industry below has its own quirks — demand profiles, tariff traps, and retailer fits. Pick yours.
☕
Cafe
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.
See cafe energy options🏋️
Gym or fitness studio
Gyms push AC, lights, and equipment during peak windows that don't match standard tariffs. We optimise the contract around your actual open-window — not a generic profile.
See gym or fitness studio energy options⚙️
Manufacturer
SEQ manufacturers running production lines, compressors, and ovens sit firmly in C&I territory. We tender to a tighter panel and get bid pricing.
See manufacturer energy options🔧
Mechanic or trade workshop
Compressors, hoists, welders — workshops have inrush demand that retailers either price punitively or fairly. We pick the fair one.
See mechanic or trade workshop energy options🩺
Medical or dental clinic
Clinics run predictable business-hours demand: imaging, sterilisation, AC. Predictable = leverage. We use it.
See medical or dental clinic energy options🍻
Pub or bar
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.
See pub or bar energy options🍽️
Restaurant
Restaurants live on the demand-charge tightrope: peak service windows, cooking gas, refrigeration around the clock. We price all three properly — together.
See restaurant energy options🛍️
Retail shop
Boutique retail, homewares, and lifestyle stores have clean daytime demand profiles. Retailers love quoting on those — we make them compete for it.
See retail shop energy options💇
Salon
Hair, beauty, and nail salons run a steady demand curve — hot tools, washbasins, lots of AC. Predictable curves are leverage we use to negotiate harder.
See salon energy options🏭
Warehouse
Warehouses sit on usage profiles that put them within reach of C&I rates not normally offered to SMEs. We push them up the panel where it pays.
See warehouse energy options
UK heritage · Plymouth since 2015
Backed by a decade of UK utility broking.
My dad Joedy has been running Smarta Switch out of Plymouth, Devon since 2015 — hundreds of UK pubs, cafes, and shops on his books. Chloe and I are bringing the same playbook to Brisbane: same brand, same standards, Australian feet on the ground.
Read our story£348k+
Saved for British businesses last year alone
The same model, scaled to a decade. SEQ is where we're scaling it next.
Meet the team
Built in Brisbane. Two founders on the end of the phone.
We're Joseff and Chloe. We started Smarta Switch Australia because Brisbane SMEs deserved the same energy brokerage Joseff's dad has been running in the UK for a decade — founder-led, transparent commission, no call centre.
Co-founder
Chloe Hartley
"Energy contracts shouldn't need a translator. We make it simple — and we stick around for the renewal."chloe@smartaswitch.com.au
FAQ
Frequently asked 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.
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.
When should I renew my contract?
60–90 days before your current term ends. Don't let it roll over to default rates — those are usually 15–30% higher than what's available on the market. Send us your bill 60 days out and we'll re-quote.
Ready to see what your panel can do?
Send us your bill — we'll come back with real numbers, not a sales call.