North East Lincolnshire Council is inviting the borough’s households to join an army of energy switchers and battle the bills by signing up to The Big Community Switch.

It comes as a new energy group buying scheme opened for registration this month at www.nelincs.gov.uk/TheBigCommunitySwitch.

And there’s a year’s free electricity and gas on offer to people who get five friends or family members to sign up too (terms and conditions apply).

Administered by the UK’s leading collective switching expert, iChoosr Ltd, the most recent auction held in June the average saving per household to take up their offer is £234.36.

North East Lincolnshire households wanting to register for the next auction can submit their details at www.nelincs.gov.uk/TheBigCommunitySwitch before 11.59pm on 13 October 2014.

If you don’t have access to the internet, staff at your local library and Children’s Centre can help, but remember to bring a copy of a recent gas and electricity bill with you. Friends and family might also be able to assist as up to five separate addresses can be registered with the same email.

Alternatively you can contact the Home Energy Team at North East Lincolnshire Council on 01472 324782 with your latest fuel bill and they will be able to register for you.

Once households have had the opportunity to register their interest, a reverse auction will be held to invite energy suppliers to compete with their best offers. The scheme is free for households to join and there is no obligation to take up the winning supplier’s tariff offer. The scheme is open to all households which pay monthly, quarterly or via a pre-payment meter.

You could win one year’s free electricity and gas up to a maximum value of £1,200 if you switch suppliers get five or more new registrants to register for the current auction. To be entered into the draw residents must have referred at least five new registrants to the scheme via their ‘tell-a-friend’ link AND they must go on to switch supplier. iChoosr will notify all registrants with five or more referrals within one week of the auction day that they are to be entered into the prize draw.

On November 25 2014 (the day after the acceptance period has ended), iChoosr will pool registrants with five or more eligible referrals AND who have switched to a winning supplier from the current collective energy switching scheme. The winner will be drawn from this group of switchers. Full terms and conditions at www.nelincs.gov.uk/TheBigCommunitySwitch.

The group buying phenomenon is growing in the UK. So far schemes run by iChoosr on behalf of councils have attracted over 350,000 household registrations and over 40,000 households have saved over £6.5m by switching. The average saving for those switching is in 2014 through collective schemes run by iChoosr is £215.

Filip Vissers, UK Country Manager, iChoosr commented: “Group buying, as promoted by local councils, is storming in to the consciousness of households throughout the country. People want help in finding a good deal on their energy bills and most people are comfortable seeking this help via their council. Many who find the switching process baffling end up doing nothing and paying more than needed.

“Group buying offers a straight forward solution. The more people who register, the more interested the suppliers are in winning them as customers and so the better the deal they offer. People who register are offered a deal after the auction and they choose whether to take it or not. Yes or no. Simple, but you have to register to have a chance to take up the saving so register today and tell your friends, family and neighbours to do so too.”