Gloucestershire's Big Switch

15 November 2013, 09:33

There is help for people worried about rising energy costs.

Gloucestershire County Council is relaunching it's Big Community Switch, which will help people get cheaper gas and electricity by working together. 

The Big Community Switch is bulk buying, if a large number of people want to change supplier together they are likely to get a better deal than just one person shopping around and switching on their own. 

And the more households that register their interest in switching, the more attractive it becomes for an energy supplier to offer a competitive price and the more likely consumers are to achieve significant savings. 

Residents need to register their interest with the Big Community Switch in the next few weeks. You can do this either online or by phoning the council on 01452 42 57 57 between 8.30am and 5pm Monday to Friday (until Monday 18th November). 

By doing this, you are under no obligation to switch supplier. People only need to provide basic information at this stage: name, address, contact details, an indication of their energy consumption and whether they wish to consider switching for both gas and electricity or electricity only. 

It's a good idea to have a recent bill to hand as it makes registering easier and more accurate registration means a more accurate offer. 

Cllr Mark Hawthorne, Leader, Gloucestershire County Council, said: ''Switching energy supplier is often the best way to save money on your bills, but the process of applying can often put people off. That's why we are supporting this scheme and we hope as many people as possible will take part. All you need is a recent energy bill and the Big Community Switch will do the rest of the work and hopefully get you a better deal.'' 

Residents who have registered their interest will receive a personalised energy offer during late October or early November. Although this is likely to be lower than their current bills, there is no guarantee of this, but there is also no obligation to accept the offer and switch supplier. 

People only need to sign up to the scheme and make the switch if it works for them. To take part in the scheme, you must register by 23:59 on Monday 18th November