Brokerage
Energy broker: what it does for a business, and what it does not
An energy broker collects a company’s consumption data, consults several suppliers and presents the offers received objectively. It does not produce energy, it does not sell any, and it signs nothing on your behalf: the contract binds you directly to the supplier you select.
That is the short definition. It leaves out what a finance director actually wants to know before handing a renewal to someone: what that broker adds beyond a comparison table, and where its role stops.
What does an energy broker actually do?
The work starts with your consumption data and continues after signature. At Flexy it breaks down into five stages.
- Scoping. Understanding the business (sector, activity, constraints) before talking about meters.
- Data collection. Readings, consumption profile, delivery points. The company receives a written note describing its situation.
- Consulting the suppliers. Based on that profile, the suppliers active on the market are consulted and the relevant offers gathered.
- Objective presentation. The offers received, set side by side on the criteria that matter to the company, with no recommendation.
- Support. After signature, a dedicated contact for administrative questions, through to the next renewal.
The stage that separates a broker from a comparison site is the second one. Two companies consuming the same annual volume will not receive the same offers if one runs at night and the other at peak hours. A supplier prices a profile, not a raw volume. Describing that profile correctly is half the work.
Broker, comparison site, supplier direct: who does what?
These three counterparts do not answer the same question.
| Online comparison site | Supplier direct | B2B broker | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Target | Households, small volumes | Its own offers | Businesses |
| Basis for the price | Estimated annual consumption | Commercial rate card | Real consumption profile |
| Offers covered | Those listed on the platform | One only | Those of the suppliers consulted |
| After signature | Nothing | Customer service | Administrative support and renewal |
A comparison site gives an indicative price. A broker starts from the company’s real profile, consults the suppliers and presents the offers received objectively. For a business whose energy bill weighs on its margin, the quality of the data sent to the market counts as much as the headline price.
What an energy broker does not do
This list is as useful as the previous one, and far harder to find written down anywhere.
- It does not negotiate and does not sign on your behalf. A broker consults the suppliers and presents the offers received. The contract binds you directly to the supplier you select.
- It recommends no offer. A broker presents the offers and their implications without singling one out. The decision belongs to the company.
- It does not guarantee a stated saving in advance. Any promise of a precise percentage before the profile has been analysed is a promise about a market nobody controls.
- It does not replace your supplier. Supply, invoicing and customer service stay with the supplier you sign with.
- It does not work on the network. Connection, metering and outages fall to your distribution network operator (Fluvius, ORES, Sibelga, RESA depending on your municipality), not to the broker or the supplier.
Within its brokerage activity, Flexy is remunerated by the supplier the client selects. The broker does not negotiate, does not choose and does not sign in the company’s place.
When does a business benefit from using a broker?
The need appears as soon as a renewal takes more than a headline price. Several situations make one useful:
- several sites or several meters to bring into line;
- a pronounced consumption profile (night production, seasonality, peaks);
- a single delivery point, but a substantial consumption that has to be documented precisely;
- a contract end date to prepare without rushing;
- a need to document the decision before a board, a committee or a general meeting.
On that last point, co-ownerships and property managers are a typical case: the decision has to be defensible before third parties, which makes traceability as important as the price.
How do you assess an energy broker?
Rather than a ranking, five questions to ask at the first meeting. The answers can be checked.
- What data do you build the request for offers on? If nobody asks for your load curve, the offers obtained will be generic.
- How many suppliers do you consult, and on what criteria? A broker working with a single supplier is a reseller.
- What happens after signature? Administrative support is where the benefit of a good contract gets lost.
- Who is my contact at the next renewal? Continuity in the person across the table counts as much as today’s offer.
- Do you recommend an offer? A broker presents and explains, it does not recommend. An answer that points straight to one offer should make you wary.
Flexy has supported 800 businesses since 2014, covering 1,250 GWh under management and more than 6,000 meters, across 8 countries and 8 sectors. Our 25 energy experts present the offers of the suppliers active on the market. We recommend none of them.
To find out more, see our services and contract renewal. To discuss a specific end date, book a meeting.
Frequently asked questions
Does a broker work with every supplier?
That depends on the broker, and it is a question worth asking directly. A B2B broker consults the suppliers active on the market for the profile of the company concerned. One that systematically presents the same supplier is in a different line of business.
What is the difference between a broker and an energy comparison site?
A comparison site ranks public offers on the basis of an estimated consumption, mainly for households. A B2B broker starts from the company’s real consumption profile, consults suppliers to obtain offers on that profile, and handles administrative support through to the next renewal. The first gives a price, the second presents the offers received objectively.
Does the broker sign the contract in the company’s place?
No. The supply contract binds the company and the supplier it has chosen. The broker prepares the decision, documents it and supports it, but the commitment remains the company’s own.