Residents in the Scarborough and Ryedale areas will have the opportunity to take part in an energy auction this month.

The auction, which is part of the nationwide Big Community Switch supported by North Yorkshire Council, aims to see if householders can save money on their energy bills by securing competitive tariffs with trusted energy suppliers.

Hosted by iChoosr, people must register for the energy auction by Wednesday, June 21, and will receive an offer from July 4 which must be accepted by July 31.

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The amount of money that can be saved will vary depending on individual factors, such as the current tariff, payment method, consumption and the winning bid. Savings, or where there are no savings, are clearly displayed in the personal offer received. There is no guarantee that an offer will be the cheapest, but the model aims to ensure most people are offered lower annual energy bills than they are currently paying or are available at the time of the offer.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for housing, Cllr Simon Myers, said: “We understand that switching energy suppliers can be a daunting task, and some customers have expressed concerns about the market conditions and the lack of cheaper deals available.

“Residents of Scarborough and Ryedale will have the opportunity to register for this round of the auction, which we hope will save them money. In the future, we hope to be able to extend the offer to the remainder of North Yorkshire.” To register, visit www.northyorks.gov.uk/BigCommunitySwitch iChoosr is a collective switching expert operating in the UK, the Netherlands and Belgium, helping households switch to new energy suppliers. It organises domestic energy group buying schemes in the UK in collaboration with community leaders, such as councils.