Which? launches campaign to negotiate cheaper energy prices

The consumer champion challenges energy companies to offer cheaper prices and will help people switch.

Which? has unveiled a campaign called The Big Switch where it is going to attempt to negotiate cheaper energy prices for anyone who signs up.

The consumer champion is teaming up with campaign group 38 Degrees to challenge all energy companies to offer a market-leading deal. They will then take part in a one-day ‘reverse auction’ to beat their competitors. The best deals will then be offered to people who signed up to the campaign by the 31st March.

Participants can then either choose to accept the new deal, at which point Which? will handle the switching process, or stay with their current supplier.

To promote the campaign, Which? will be holding a series of roadshows around the UK where you can find out more about the Big Switch and how it works. The roadshows will be at the following locations on the following dates:

Weds 15th – Sat 18th February: The Oracle, Reading

Weds 22nd – Sat 25th Feb: Silverburn, Glasgow

Weds 29th Feb – Sat 3rd March: The Arndale, Manchester

Weds 7th – Sat 10th March: The Bullring, Birmingham

Weds 14th – Sat 17th March: St David’s, Cardiff 

Which? says that the complexity of energy deals and tariffs means 60% of people have never switched energy supplier. It estimates this is costing UK energy customers £4.1 billion a year.

If you want to sign up to the Big Switch, you can do so from today at www.whichbigswitch.co.uk

Suppliers attempt to woo customers

The campaign launches as it emerges that British Gas and npower have been trying to woo back customers who’ve switched to another supplier with cashback offers.

And Co-operative Energy last month announced it would pay the switching penalties of the first 10,000 people who switched from another supplier to one of its tariffs.

Meanwhile, lovemoney’s energy comparison partner Energyhelpline.com estimates that the recent cold weather combined with last year’s price rises means the average February energy bill will be £189.92 this year. That’s up from £105.59 in February last year.

Despite recently-announced price cuts by all of the Big Six energy supplier, only three – British Gas, npower and EDF - have now come into effect.

Here are the current cheapest tariffs based on the average UK energy bill of £1,322 a year:

Source: Energyhelpline.com

What do you think of the Big Switch? Will you be signing up? If you haven't switched energy suppliers, what has put you off? Share your thoughts in the Comments section below.

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More: The best and worst energy suppliers | Energy customers ‘missing out on millions in compensation’

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