Liverpool City Council : Cut the cost of your energy by signing up to collective switch

Registration is now open for the Collective Switch scheme which has so far saved consumers on Merseyside more than £1 million in energy costs.

Merseyside, along with North Wales, has the highest average cost for gas and electricity in the country - with the average default bill of £1,197.

As the region also has one of the lowest average incomes in the country, people are paying a whopping 7.7% of their average income on energy - the highest in Britain.

According to Ofgem two thirds of households are paying more than they should because they are on their energy supplier's standard tariff - and could save up to £352 per year by switching.

Merseyside's local authorities in Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral are working with a local charity called Energy Projects Plus to help people switch to a cheaper rate.

The Merseyside Collective Switch uses the collective buying power of those who register to take part, to negotiate exclusive tariffs from energy suppliers. The tariffs negotiated in previous rounds have often been the cheapest on the market and exclusive to the Collective Switch.

To join the Collective Switch visit http://www.lcrenergyswitch.co.uk/ or call the local Save Energy Advice Line on freephone 0800 043 0151, where you can also get free and impartial help and advice about saving energy at home.

Mrs Appleby from Wallasey took part in the last round in November. She said: 'I was delighted to find that my monthly payments have dropped from £115 per month to £74 per month - incredible!'

Previous rounds of the switch have attracted exclusive offers from both the large and smaller suppliers, including British Gas, E.on, EDF Energy and Ovo, and have included offers for prepayment meter (or pay as you go) customers as well as direct debit and pay on receipt of bill.

In addition to the Collective Switch offer, participants are welcome to switch to any tariff on the market to find the deal that's right for them, with tariffs shown against each other for comparison. The service is free, and there's no obligation to switch if you decide not to.

Mayor of Liverpool and Chair of Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Joe Anderson, said: 'The Merseyside Collective Switch is a great scheme that is putting money back into the pockets of local people. It demonstrates that by joining together, we can get a fairer deal from energy providers. I hope many more people join this round.'

Registration closes at midnight on Monday 13th February.