A broker is an agent or facilitator in a deregulated energy market who acts as an intermediary between energy producers and energy consumers, or alternately between any two parties engaged at any point in the distribution chain between producer and consumer. The broker's role and scope of responsibilities in energy sales are similar to a real estate agent's role in home sales.

Unlike marketers, brokers never actually own the commodity traded between the parties, or the means of producing or consuming that commodity. Instead they act on behalf of one or both parties in the transaction, earning a preset commission on the sale itself rather than a percentage of the total sale's value.

In addition to assisting with transactions and negotiations, an energy broker may also perform duties ranging from aggregation and firming to arrangement of ancillary services for the customer. Brokering is conducted more and more frequently today using computerized systems which match available sellers with waiting buyers almost as quickly as these parties become known to the computer.

Energy brokers in the US seldom have the ability to exert direct influence on the price or availability of energy to end users. Their level of influence partly determines whether or not they need to be regulated at a state level or registered with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Marketers, on the other hand, are required to be registered and certified in virtually all markets.

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