Brighton & Hove City Council : New energy initiative could help residents save on fuel bills

A new local energy initiative could help households across Brighton & Hove save on their fuel bills.

The council is part of a partnership of Sussex local authorities, called Your Energy Sussex, which has set up an energy tariff scheme for residents across the county.

Councillors on the Housing and New Homes Committee will be given an update, and asked to support promotion of the Your Energy Sussex tariff scheme to local residents, at a meeting on 17 January.

A report to the committee says that nationally 75% of people haven't switched supplier or tariff in the past year. Locally this means that potentially around 90,000 of Brighton & Hove's households could be paying more for their energy than they need to.

Your Energy Sussex is linking with Robin Hood Energy, a not-for-profit company set up by Nottingham City Council to offer a range of competitive electricity and gas tariffs to residents, with an emphasis on providing good customer service and fair, straightforward advice for consumers.

Any surplus income, after costs, will go into a fuel poverty fund to support residents struggling to pay fuel bills.

If the committee agrees to promote the scheme to residents, it's hoped it will encourage more people to shop around to compare energy tariffs and consider switching suppliers to reduce gas and electricity bills.

Councillor Anne Meadows, chair of the Housing & New Homes Committee, said: 'Tackling fuel poverty is important and comparing tariffs offered by different energy suppliers can help people to get a better deal and reduce their energy bills.'

The Your Energy Sussex partnership is being led by West Sussex County Council, which is launching the new tariff later this month.

The full report is available in the Housing & Hew Homes Committee agenda (item 68).