Councils in Sussex are trying to get residents to save up to £300 per year on their energy bills by switching to a ‘not-for-profit’ council energy partnership.
According to figures from Ofgem, only 25% of households have compared their energy costs and switched supplier in the past year.
In West Sussex alone, that means more than 500,000 households could be paying more than is necessary for their gas and electricity.
Your Energy Sussex, a partnership between nine out of 15 Sussex councils and Robin Hood Energy, is operated by councils who say they are motivated to keep tariffs low rather than by the need to pay shareholders bonuses.
The partnership claims it can save people as much as £300 per year on average.
Robin Hood Energy is a licensed energy company owned and operated by Nottingham City Council.
Your Energy Sussex is also working with Robin Hood Energy to provide green energy from its solar panels directly to customers through the launch of a green energy tariff later this year.
Cllr Nick Bennett, East Sussex County Council’s lead member for transport and environment, said: ‘We’re delighted to be working with our partners to support a local initiative that will not only help our residents to save money on their energy bills but will also support ways to tackle fuel poverty.’
