Energy brokers help secure electricity and gas contracts. For many, especially those with renewals landing around October 2026, a broker can be the simplest way to access the wider supplier market and get advice on pricing.
But there’s a question most businesses never ask:
How much are you actually paying for that service?
The commission uplift most businesses never see
Brokers have to declare the commission uplift they are charging, but not the actual cost in £.
They add a commission uplift directly into your unit rates — typically anywhere from under 1p/kWh up to 4p/kWh.
If your business uses 250,000 kWh of electricity per year, and your broker has added a 2p/kWh commission, that’s:
And in many cases, that commission is for a contract review that takes only a few hours.
The commission gets paid even if you stop using the broker
One of the least‑understood issues is this:
Once the commission is built into your contract, the broker gets paid regardless of whether you continue working with them.
It’s locked in for the duration of the contract.
When fees might be justified — and when they’re not
If your broker provides additional services — invoice validation, query management, consumption reporting — and those services are genuinely delivered, some level of fee can be justified.
But for a simple commercial contract assessment?
Paying thousands in hidden commission is daylight robbery. Money that should stay on your Balance Sheet, not someone else’s.
A fairer model: direct fees, no hidden uplifts
At Stratagem, we take a different approach.
We work on a direct fee, agreed upfront, based solely on the amount and complexity of the work involved across all services.
That means transparency. That means control. That means value.
If you’re unsure what you’re paying — check.
If you’d like to understand whether your current broker fees are fair — even if you simply want a sounding board — we’re happy to help.
Sometimes a 10‑minute review is all it takes to uncover thousands in avoidable cost
I founded Stratagem after having worked with energy suppliers and consultants for 20 years that I wanted to build something different.
