Richard Lloyd: Join Which? campaign for a better energy deal

The latest research by Which? found that people in Scotland are collectively paying £350 million a year more than they need to by not switching to the cheapest energy deals.

And it’s not just the Scots – it’s the same story across the whole of the UK. In total, people could have saved around £16 billion over the last four years by switching to the cheapest deal.

The energy regulator Ofgem suggests that more than half of us have never switched energy suppliers. But if there’s so much money to be saved, why don’t more people do it? With a baffling array of tariffs on offer, it can be virtually impossible to know if you’re getting the best deal.

That’s why Which?, in partnership with online campaigners 38 Degrees, has launched The Big Switch campaign. To help people get cheaper energy bills, in a way that Which? makes it easier and simpler for you.

It’s a completely new way for people to buy energy as a group, and the first time this has been attempted for a big collective in the UK. We’ll be getting as many people as possible to sign up between now and 31 March.

Then, using the combined power of tens of thousands of consumers, we’ll negotiate with energy suppliers and seek to secure a market leading deal.

We will then provide you with a personalised savings amount, and you decide if you want to go ahead with the switch.

So far, the support has been strong. The campaign appears to have captured people’s imagination, with more than 90,000 people joining in less than two weeks; in the first two days alone, more than 50,000 people joined. But with millions of people in the UK worried about paying their energy bills, we need more people to get involved.

We’re urging people to get their friends, family, work colleagues and neighbours to join the campaign, too.

The greater the numbers, the stronger our bargaining power will be in our negotiations with the energy companies.

Beyond saving people money, this is an opportunity for the energy suppliers to demonstrate that they’re serious about putting consumers first. In recent months Which? research has revealed numerous failings in the energy market – from poor complaints handling to dodgy sales practices, and bamboozling bills and tariffs that almost no one can understand.

In fact, this week Which? highlighted yet another example of dubious sales tactics by the large energy companies. The undercover investigation found that people who switch tariff in supermarkets or shopping centres could be left worse off by hundreds of pounds. We also found that when people call energy companies asking for the cheapest deal, they might not be getting accurate information and quotes every time.

It’s simply not good enough for salespeople to be quoting misleading information to people who are looking to switch, and it’s little wonder that trust in the energy sector is so low.

Our latest customer satisfaction survey shows that less than a quarter of people think energy companies are trustworthy, ranking them even lower than the banks.

While The Big Switch won’t fix all of these problems, we’re hoping it could be the start of a big change.

When we negotiate with the energy companies, we want them to step up and demonstrate their commitment to giving consumers the best price for their energy. If they do, it could be the start of a better relationship with thousands of their customers, which can only be a good step for this much maligned industry.

The Big Switch team will be travelling around the country throughout February and March to answer your energy questions. From Wednesday 22 to Saturday 25 February, we will be at Silverburn shopping centre in Glasgow.

You can sign up to The Big Switch at one of our stands or online at www.whichbigswitch.co.uk.

• Richard Lloyd is executive director at Which?