In the last few days, an uneasy fog has descended over London.Whilst it is not yet freezing cold, that murkiness is set to spread into homes across the UK as we all start to turn up the heat and pay more on our bills, but without the guarantee that we are getting value for money.Energy providers all make profit, yet bills seem to keep on rising year on year. To many consumers the numbers just don’t seem to add up and there is an eagerness to do something about it.Local Government could be about to change things. In a time of austerity it is the simple things like, food, warmth and a roof over our heads that really matter and the coalition Government has begun to recognise this.Just this week energy minister Ed Davey lent his support to a new scheme aimed at putting the power back into consumers’ hands.Under the same murky skies of London at the Local Government Association, Mr Davey shared the stand with Cllr Arooj Shah, the leader of Oldham City Council, on Tuesday as they highlighted a new scheme to bring down the price of energy.In what can only be described as a ‘Groupon-style’ project Oldham has devised a Collective Energy Scheme to chop energy bills by as much as £150 through bulk-buying. People sign-up to register their interest in combining their purchasing power to bulk-buy and Oldham’s switching partner iChoosr will then run an online energy auction with UK providers to get a cheaper deal on gas and electricityJust like a supermarket, the more you buy of a product, the cheaper the price – and the more people that opt in the more discount is achieved.What is interesting is that this project is something that can be led at a very local level, by authorities who want to make a difference to resident’s lives this winter, and beyond.It illustrates that working with the private sector is the way forward, to not only make the necessary savings in the public sector but to also provide higher quality services and pass on value for money to taxpayers.
