Graham, Tom and Ian

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Slash your fuel bills by up to £250 a year – here’s how

by Lib Dem team on 4 January, 2013

Eletricity meter

Residents across Greater Manchester are being encouraged to start the New Year by slashing their fuel bills by up to £250.

The project harnesses ‘people power’ from across Greater Manchester to join a ground breaking collective energy switching scheme that could mean large reductions in the cost of heating their homes.

The combined bulk purchasing scheme, administered by Oldham Council, already has over 8,000 households signed up.

As the cold weather continues, residents can register their interest in the collective bulk buy scheme, to be launched on January 2nd, by visiting www.stockport.gov.uk/energyswitch or phoning 0800 009 3363.

Residents are invited to register their interest in combining their purchasing power. Under the scheme, the group then enters a ‘reverse auction’ and gets a cheaper deal together on gas and electricity from energy companies.

Residents need to provide a copy of their current energy bill to register an interest before the scheme closes on January 28th. Anyone who enters will receive an offer for a new rate which they do not have to accept. Interest is also invited from residents who use prepayment meters.

Councillor Stuart Bodsworth, Executive Member for Sustainable Futures at Stockport Council, said: “Many residents don’t have the time to look around for the best deal from energy providers, or don’t know where to start. I would urge people to look at this Council-backed scheme which gives them the chance to combine their purchasing power with people across Greater Manchester. Working together the people in the scheme make a big prize for the energy companies, but if you don’t like the deal you are offered you don’t have to switch. People have nothing to lose by signing up and they could make a significant saving on their energy bills. At a time of rising fuel costs, it is an opportunity that few can afford to miss.”

   6 Comments

6 Responses

  1. Bob says:

    I am in, the savings will go someway towards our crippling council tax bill of over £2500 a year.Will all the council departments be registering too in its bid to cut costs?

  2. Iain Roberts says:

    Hi Bob, although this scheme is for domestic bills, the Council has long worked with other councils to negotiate the best deal we can get.

  3. Frederick Kenny says:

    Yes I have also registered and will be interested how it compares with the uSwitch etc. quotes I regularly use.

    Agree with the sentiment on Council Tax. The proposal to jack up the already horrendous cost by 2.5% when most of us have had no income increases or even declines is in my view absolutely out of order and something I strongly urge the lib dems not to do and instead take the extra government cash and make the small extra cuts that will be required next year in any case.

  4. Iain Roberts says:

    Just to be clear, the additional cuts we would need to make if we took the Government money are not small – they’re around £2 million this year, £2 million next year and £3.5 million each year after that.

    The biggest part of council spending by far is on vulnerable children and adults, especially the elderly: those areas would be the ones under most pressure from additional cuts. Although that doesn’t affect many people, it’s a very big deal for those it does affect which is why we think it’s right to ask people to accept an increase in council tax at around the same level as inflation & pensions have increased.

  5. Karen Sandler says:

    Hurray! I was waiting for this. However, please not that
    the website is down and unresponsive. No contact form exists. The phone was answered very quickly and by a very polite young lady. I have now registered – by phone. Just a warning.

  6. Iain Roberts says:

    Thanks for the warning Karen. I registered on the website without any problem a few days ago, so hopefully it’s just a temporary problem.

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