Why Australian businesses are overpaying for energy — and what to do about it
Most small and medium businesses renew their energy contracts on autopilot. The old contract expires, the retailer sends a new one, and it gets signed without a second look. It’s understandable — energy procurement isn’t exactly front of mind when you’re running a business.
But it’s also expensive.
The problem with renewing on autopilot
When you renew directly with your current retailer, you’re negotiating from a position of one. The retailer knows you’re unlikely to switch — the hassle of comparing quotes, understanding tariff structures, and managing a transition is real. So they price accordingly.
The result: most businesses end up paying 10–25% more than they would if they went to market.
Why group buying works
When businesses pool their energy demand, the maths change. A retailer competing for a group of 50 businesses representing 5GWh of annual load will sharpen their pencil in a way they simply won’t for a single café on a 150MWh contract.
This is how large corporates and government bodies have bought energy for decades. Elecsi brings the same model to small and medium businesses — without requiring you to coordinate anything yourself.
What we actually do
- You upload your electricity bill. Our AI extracts your NMI, usage, and contract details in seconds — no manual data entry.
- We group you with similar businesses in your state and sector.
- We go to market on the group’s behalf and get competing offers from retailers.
- You review the offer and decide. No lock-in until you sign.
The bill itself is processed in memory and immediately discarded. We store only the extracted data points.
Is it right for your business?
Group buying works best for businesses spending more than $10,000 per year on electricity. If you’re not sure where you sit, upload your bill — the analysis is free and takes about 15 seconds.