Thousands join scheme to cut bills

ABOUT 800 people a day are joining an energy switching scheme run by a dozen councils including one in Yorkshire.

Nearly 14,000 people have signed up to the Energy Switch scheme so far, which is being led by Peterborough Council, and includes Hull Council and 10 others – making it the biggest local authority-led collective switching scheme in the UK.

All people have to do is sign up at the website and give details of their energy use.

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On January 29, energy suppliers will be invited to bid to provide energy at the lowest cost to all those who have registered.

Residents will then be sent a letter with an offer outlining the deal, which they can accept or not.

A similar auction led by South Lakeland District Council in Cumbria saw prices drop between £60 and £200 a year.

The deadline has been extended to allow more people to sign up and because energy companies were unwilling to have an auction before Christmas. Households will now receive their offers in early February. Hull has had the second highest numbers of people registering, with about 2,000 wanting to take part.