The Community Council of Staffordshire has teamed up with Make It Cheaper to help our members benefit from the best available energy prices on the market.

With the “Big 6” energy suppliers announcing that prices are going up again by as much as 19%, what can village halls do to protect themselves? Well for a start, charity-run community buildings are treated by the utility companies in much the same way as businesses so it makes sense to look to the commercial sector for advice.

 

1. Make It Cheaper is:

• The UK’s largest price comparison service exclusively for businesses
• Receives enquiries from over 2000 small businesses each week looking to cut their costs
• Makes a typical saving of 30% across their energy, telecoms (fixed line, broadband and mobile) and financial services
• Based in London Waterloo with over 100 employees
• A free and impartial service that compares the whole market  with complete independence
• The preferred partner of the Law Society, Interflora and The Institute of Hospitality
• Works very closely with Doug Richard from Dragons Den, to help businesses nationwide learn how to cut their costs and increase profitability.

 

 

• 2. Business energy contracts works like this:
• Unlike household utilities, businesses are not free to switch suppliers at any time;
• 95% of businesses are in a contract which lasts 1-5 years;
• Suppliers offer attractive ‘new customer’ rates and penalise loyal customers with uncompetitive rates;
• A current rule of thumb is that - if you are paying anything over 10p/unit for electricity or over 4p/unit for gas - it would be worth taking some form of action
• If a business does not serve notice on its supplier it will be automatically rolled in to a new contract typically on higher rates for another 1-2 years (Make It Cheaper can supply a template termination letter);
• Make It Cheaper reads the small print, knows how and when to serve notice and can advise its customers on how to get on, and stay on, competitive energy rates.

 

 

3. If you are interested in receiving help from Make It Cheaper on its non-domestic electricity and/or gas bills

• Download and complete a “Letter of Authority” from the bottom of this page.  Once completed send the letter, together with all the pages of a recent bill (electricity and or gas) by email, post or fax  to the Community Council of Staffordshire and we will forward it to Make It Cheaper.
• The Letter of Authority allows Make It Cheaper to contact your supplier(s) to confirm when the current energy contract(s) ends;
• Make It Cheaper contacts you and advises on the current situation and when action is required ie when your current contract is due to end;
• Make It Cheaper calls you ahead of the contract renewal date to get you the best rates in the market in a process which should take no more than 10 minutes on the phone.

 

 

Click here to download the

Letter of Authority

Send the completed “Letter of Authority”, together with all the pages of a recent energy bill(s) to:

 

Community Council of Staffordshire

Friars Mill, Friars Terrace

Stafford, ST17 4DX

 

Email: communitycouncil@staffs.org.uk

 

Fax: 01785 242176