Householders in Allerdale have slashed hundreds of pounds off their utility bills following an auction between energy companies.

199 households signed up for the latest round of the Big Allerdale Switch which was organised by Allerdale council and iChoosr, the UK’s leading expert in collective energy switching.

At the auction, competitive tariffs were on offer and people have saved an average of £223 on their utility bills.

The highest average saving was for customers on dual fuel contracts who pay by Direct Debit, saving an average of £270.

SSE won the dual fuel and electricity only online and paper billing contracts and Robin Hood Energy won all the pre-payment contracts.

Residents are still able to join the scheme and take advantage of savings.

Councillor Carni McCarron-Holmes, the council’s executive member for housing, said: “We are delighted at how successful the Big Allerdale Switch has become.

“Our residents have saved thousands of pounds on their energy bills since the scheme was introduced.

“The council has made reducing poverty a key priority and we have continued this energy switching initiative so residents’ savings continue to increase.

“It costs nothing at all to register your interest to switch and you could really end up benefiting in the long run.”

George Frost, iChoosr UK country manager, said: “The time has come to fix in your rates as you will not be reading about falling energy prices in the near future.

“After almost 18 months of energy prices falling, they are now on the rise again.

“We have seen a steep increase in prices in the last fortnight alone. Moving to a fixed rate deal now for the winter, and year, ahead is the best way of securing the best price and keeping energy costs low.

“In a market where prices are rising, the benefits of a fixed rate contract are all the greater. There were two winners in this auction – SSE and Robin Hood Energy who will supply a range of contracts to residents.

“The SSE tariffs are exclusive to residents of our partner councils and scheme members and are not available direct from the suppliers or via price comparison services.”

Residents who signed up will receive personal offer letters or emails letting them know if they’ll be saving against their current deal and, if so, how much.

Households in the area who haven’t yet signed up are able to access the competitive deals secured by signing up at www.allerdale.gov.uk/warmhomes

The offer expires on Tuesday, November 29.