The explosion in energy prices in recent years has weighed heavily on household budgets. So when an offer supervised by a leading consumer association allows you to make nearly 20% savings, there is reason to be interested…
Group purchasing: being together to pay less
The principle of group purchasing is simple to understand: to benefit from preferential rates blocked over time (here two years), buyers come together as a group. A call for tenders is launched, energy suppliers respond. We examine their offers and decide for the best bidder. It was following the opening of the energy market to competition in 2007 that the operation was made possible.
The return of gas supply
As early as 2013, UFC Que Choisir launched a group purchase offer on gas, successfully renewing the operation every two years. Up to 10,000 households have subscribed to each of these offers in the Nord and Pas-de-Calais, making it the most committed territory in the country. Since 2021, since no supplier has been able to guarantee locked-in prices over such a long period, the gas supply has been interrupted.
Certainly, in 2023, the UFC was able to launch a group purchase offer for electricity (with nearly €142 in annual savings), an offer which will end next year. “ There are therefore no new operations for electricity this year “, comments Jean-Christophe Lampe, president of UFC Que Choisir in the Lille metropolitan area, who specifies, however, that comparable fuel oil offers are always offered several times a year. On the other hand, the end of 2024 marks the return of the group purchase offer for gas, the market being much more stable than it was. An offer offered to all subscribers served by GRDF.
Between 17% and 22% reduction expected. After analyzing the offers received, a dozen in total, UFC Que Choisir selected that of Alterna Énergie for its “Cheaper Energy Together” operation. This operator displays a gas price including tax between 17 and 22% lower than the benchmark price for the month of November established by the Energy Regulatory Commission.
For a household consuming 20,000 kWh of gas per year, the savings made would reach €473 over the year, or €2,003.83 in annual bill, compared to €2,476.78 for the Engie Gateway Offer. A household using only 4,000 kWh of gas per year would achieve €166 in annual savings. In the event of a future price explosion within two years, the saving would be even greater than that calculated on current prices.
A secure operation. The contract established between UFC Que Choisir and the selected energy supplier covers two years. and guarantees the subscriber more protective clauses than those conventionally offered », Specifies the UFC. Note in passing that the subscriber remains free to cancel at any time.
How to subscribe? Everyone can discover the group purchase offer supported by the UFC on the website quechoisirensemble.fr. A quote can be obtained from the supplier. Subscription is open until December 31, 2024. The fees charged by the UFC to benefit from the latter amount to €12 including tax or €6 for members and subscribers to UFC Que Choisir publications.
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