WIREDGOV

Edward Davey was at the Eden Project in Cornwall yesterday, launching the new collective switching scheme Cornwall Together.

The groundbreaking scheme will enable people across Cornwall to join together as a single powerful unit to negotiate cheaper energy bills - delivering Cornish households and businesses up to an estimated £3.7million worth of savings.

In a keynote speech delivered at the Eden Project, the Secretary of State spoke of his vision for energy collective purchasing and praised the Cornwall Together initiative.

"I want the benefits of collective switching to be open to all communities. That’s why Cornwall Together is such a fantastic initiative.

Not just because this is the first time a county has joined together to help people save. Not just because it’s coming from a new angle, by working with big employers in Cornwall, across sectors. Not just because it encourages people to think about more sustainable energy options. But also because this is the first collective switching scheme I’ve heard of that will actively target the hard-to-reach the households who most need help. And 1 pound out of every 10 generated will go into a fund for Cornish communities.

This scheme really is the first of its kind. And I sincerely hope it’s the first of many."

Building on the Cornwall Together initiative, Ed Davey has written to Local Authority Chief Executives today to encourage them to consider how they might lead and facilitate community energy switching and bulk buying schemes.

The Secretary of State also praised the "impeccable" low-carbon credentials of the Eden Project who held the first eco car show, have plans for an 80% cut in emissions by 2020 and a new, deep geothermal energy system, drawing heat from Cornish stone to warm the biomes and feed into the grid.