The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has joined Bury Council leader Cllr Rishi Shoriand Stockport Deputy Mayor Cllr Walter Brett in calling for residents to use the scheme to take advantage of ultra-competitive renewable energy tariffs.

The three of them have collectively saved over £1,000 a year by switching their homes to the cheapest clean deals.

Speaking from his home in Bury, Cllr Shori said: “There’s a common perception that renewable electricity is eye-wateringly expensive and that switching is a hassle. That couldn’t be further from the truth. It took me less than five minutes to get a quote and switch, and we saved over £300.

“This is a fantastic scheme for the people of Bury, and puts Greater Manchester on the map as a clean energy pioneer.”

For Andy, the clean energy campaign is part of meeting his ambition to make Greater Manchester one of the leading green cities in Europe.

“If just one in 100 homes across Greater Manchester switches to a clean tariff, that’s the carbon emissions equivalent of taking more than 10,000 cars off the road,” Andy said. “At the same time, I was genuinely surprised at how much we were able to save by switching our own home. If we can help others do the same, we can make Greater Manchester a cleaner, greener, more affordable city to live.”

A dedicated Greater Manchester Big Clean Switch website, www.bigcleanswitch.org/gm, has been set up to help residents compare clean energy prices and switch.

The average household saving during a September pilot was over £290 a year.

Chris Fletcher, Director of Marketing and Campaigns at Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce said: “The publication of the government’s Clean Growth Strategy last week highlighted the increasing importance that low carbon industry is going to have to our economic prosperity, and Greater Manchester businesses are well-placed to play a leading role. What better way to support this growing sector than by helping local residents save money by switching to clean power?”

The campaign website includes a link to a whole-market comparison service to ensure that families on low incomes can access the best possible deals.

The new scheme is a partnership between the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Big Clean Switch campaign, which specialises in helping UK households switch to 100% renewable electricity. The programme is funded through commission paid by suppliers. This doesn’t affect the tariffs available, which will always be the same or better than those on the suppliers’ own websites, and a third of the money will be used by the GMCA to help fund environmental projects across the region.