A new scheme to help people slash around ￡200 a year from their energy bills has been launched.

The 'switch and save' scheme was officially unveiled by Surrey County Council leader David Hodge at today's Full Council meeting.

It comes after E.ON became the last of the major energy companies to push up prices when it announced a hike of nearly 9%.

Households and businesses are being urged to join Surrey's scheme which will allow them to bulk buy their energy, enabling them to switch to cheaper gas and electricity bills.

Residents can register online now by providing contact details, the name of their supplier and details of their current energy usage and tariff. The website can be found at www.surreyswitchandsave.org. Businesses can sign up from 14 January.

An auction with energy providers will be held in February, with the lowest bid winning. Following the auction, people will be told of the deal and given time to decide whether to switch.