This is Derbyshire -- A SCHEME which helps people in Derby to save cash on household energy bills is being run again after it was revealed that people who signed up last time are expected to save up to £412. The Ready to Switch campaign aims to help residents get the best energy prices through a process of collective bargaining. Derby City Council will encourage as many people as possible to sign up to the scheme and they will then go into a pool of customers including those gathered by other local authorities. Brokerage firm iChoosr will then run an auction with energy suppliers on behalf of the councils. The suppliers will make a "bid" of a rate to all those households that signed up, with the best being accepted. The city council previously signed people up for the scheme between April and June this year. Last time round, 195 in Derby switched to a new contract, in some cases saving them hundreds of pounds. A council spokesman said: "The biggest anticipated annual saving amongst those who signed up in June 2013 is £412. "This second auction will be another opportunity for people in Derby to see how much they can save. "The more people who sign up, the better chance there is of securing the cheapest possible tariff." People can sign up to Ready to Switch from today until February 17 by following a link from the city council's website, www.derby.gov.uk, to iChoosr's site. Councillor Sarah Russell, cabinet member for business, finance and democracy, said: "The cost of living remains a major concern for households in Derby. "The council's Labour administration is committed to standing up for the city's residents, providing help to ease the burden and reduce hardship. "That's why I am proud that we are able to offer households another opportunity to sign up to this energy switching scheme, hopefully enabling them to get a better price for their gas and electricity. "Understanding energy costs and deals is rarely straightforward. Suppliers put their prices up at will, and the tariffs are confusing, but we have found a way to make it easier. "Ready to Switch is so simple: you just follow the link from our website to the iChoosr website and type in a few details about your current energy supplier – you'll need to have a recent bill to hand. "iChoosr will then do the rest, including e-mailing you when the deal has been brokered and telling you if you can save money or not. "It's a really easy way for people to save money." iChoosr spokesman Bart Stevens said: "We have been active in Europe since 2008, organising collective switching schemes with local authorities. Over one million people have joined our schemes so far."
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This is Derbyshire -- A SCHEME which helps people in Derby to save cash on household energy bills is being run again after it was revealed that people who signed up last time are expected to save up to £412. The Ready to Switch campaign aims to help residents get the best energy prices through a process of collective bargaining. Derby City Council will encourage as many people as possible to sign up to the scheme and they will then go into a pool of customers including those gathered by other local authorities. Brokerage firm iChoosr will then run an auction with energy suppliers on behalf of the councils. The suppliers will make a "bid" of a rate to all those households that signed up, with the best being accepted. The city council previously signed people up for the scheme between April and June this year. Last time round, 195 in Derby switched to a new contract, in some cases saving them hundreds of pounds. A council spokesman said: "The biggest anticipated annual saving amongst those who signed up in June 2013 is £412. "This second auction will be another opportunity for people in Derby to see how much they can save. "The more people who sign up, the better chance there is of securing the cheapest possible tariff." People can sign up to Ready to Switch from today until February 17 by following a link from the city council's website, www.derby.gov.uk, to iChoosr's site. Councillor Sarah Russell, cabinet member for business, finance and democracy, said: "The cost of living remains a major concern for households in Derby. "The council's Labour administration is committed to standing up for the city's residents, providing help to ease the burden and reduce hardship. "That's why I am proud that we are able to offer households another opportunity to sign up to this energy switching scheme, hopefully enabling them to get a better price for their gas and electricity. "Understanding energy costs and deals is rarely straightforward. Suppliers put their prices up at will, and the tariffs are confusing, but we have found a way to make it easier. "Ready to Switch is so simple: you just follow the link from our website to the iChoosr website and type in a few details about your current energy supplier – you'll need to have a recent bill to hand. "iChoosr will then do the rest, including e-mailing you when the deal has been brokered and telling you if you can save money or not. "It's a really easy way for people to save money." iChoosr spokesman Bart Stevens said: "We have been active in Europe since 2008, organising collective switching schemes with local authorities. Over one million people have joined our schemes so far."
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