Families facing massive fuel bill price rises could be offered another helping hand by Kirklees and Calderdale Councils.
Chiefs at both councils are to look into organising collective fuel switch schemes.
The first switch earlier this year saw more than 1,500 Kirklees households sign up to a collective agreement – which enabled them to make an average saving of £137.
In Calderdale, more than 700 families ended up more than £120 better off.
Now Kirklees leader Clr Mehboob Khan has promised to look at reprising the deal, in the wake of big rises announced by power companies.
npower were the latest to push up prices, with an 11% rise looming on gas bills.
Bosses from the Big Six energy firms have been called to give evidence to a committee of MPs about the recent hikes in prices.
The Energy and Climate Change Committee said other smaller energy suppliers will also appear before Parliament on October 29.
Sir Robert Smith (Liberal Democrat, West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine), acting chairman of the committee, said: “The committee has today decided to call in the energy bosses in the context of the latest wave of price increases.”
Three of the Big Six have announced price rises in recent weeks – 8.2% by SSE, 10.4% for electricity and 8.4% for gas by British Gas, and 9.3% and 11.1% respectively by npower.
Clr Khan’s pledge came after the success of the scheme in the spring.
Kirklees households were among those across the region which saw their bills reduced by almost £1m in total.
The councils in Kirklees, Bradford, Leeds, Wakefield and York banded together with their local authority and Community Energy Direct to source the best price deal from gas and electricity suppliers.
Clr Khan said: “I think there is great potential to look again at another scheme.
“The timing has to be right and that is certainly the case now as people face big increases in their fuel bills.
“The last scheme we had was very successful and we know that people across much of Yorkshire are benefiting.
“I will talk to the people behind the scheme and other councils and see if it something that can be repeated.
“I know the Government are looking at schemes to prevent people on the lowest tariffs being hit with big rises but we can also play a part.
“Our scheme was simplicity itself; people just needed to register their details and the scheme officials did the rest.”
Calderdale Council’s deputy leader Clr Barry Collins said: “The council has been part of two collective energy switches this year. Our aim was to make people aware that changing energy suppliers can save them money on their gas and electricity bills.
“Across the two switches, nearly 700 residents registered and the average saving per home was up to £126 per year.
“We’re reviewing the merits of a third collective energy switch. Even when there isn’t a collective switch taking place, we encourage people to regularly shop around for the best energy deal so they can heat their homes affordably.
“But switching suppliers is only part of the solution – for example, effective stone wall insulation can save up to £400 per year by reducing heat loss, and loft and cavity wall insulation can cut costs by £255”.
