Collective Switching scheme returns to help save money on energy bills

Dover District Council has announced that Energy Deal is back - the collective switching campaign aims to help and support residents looking to reduce their gas and electricity bills, and registration opens on 2 December 2014.

The Energy Deal scheme was developed by Dover, Dartford, Tunbridge Wells and Gravesham Councils, and now Tonbridge & Malling has joined the collaboration. Group buying offers a straightforward solution for residents to find out whether they can get a better deal and benefit by saving money on their home energy bills.

The more people who register, the more interested the suppliers are in winning them as customers, and so the better the deal they can offer.

The scheme is open to all households using gas and electricity who pay monthly, quarterly or via a pre-payment meter. It's free to register for the scheme, and residents are not obliged to switch energy supplier. Registration will require details of annual energy consumption, current tariff/supplier, (shown on fuel bill/annual energy statement), and method of payment. Registration closes on 2 February 2015, and on 3 February energy suppliers are invited to compete with their best offer at an energy auction, (administered by iChoosr). Residents registered with Energy Deal will then be sent a personalised offer showing the winning tariff, which they can then decide whether they want to accept.

Since the Energy Deal scheme was launched in 2013, 3,315 households have registered. In the first round, the annual average saving was £93. The second round saw average savings of £190. The October auction saw a unique market leading tariff offered specifically for collective switching, with an average saving of £221.

Cllr Nicholas Kenton, DDC Cabinet Member for Environment said: "We are pleased to support this innovative energy project. This is a great opportunity, and has the potential to help residents save money on their energy bills."

For more information or to register online, visit www.dover.gov.uk/energydeal or if residents don't have access to a computer, they can call DDC on 01304 872428.