A Suffolk social enterprise has, this month, launched a new group buying company to bring cheaper heating oil to social enterprises, households, businesses and communities across the whole of the County.   
Suffolk ACRE Community Buying Ltd aims to harness the purchasing power of Suffolk’s 400 or so rural villages that are without mains gas, to make significant price savings through oil companies delivering to several addresses in one community on the same day.
“Not only will the new scheme be good for individuals, communities and  rural businesses, the environment will also benefit with more efficient tanker routes; the fewer tankers there are on Suffolk’s small country roads, the better” said Wil Gibson CEO of Suffolk ACRE
Experience in other counties has already shown that it’s possible to get a discount of around £50 on a single order using a group buying syndicate. The Suffolk scheme will see local people collating monthly orders for their local area and passing the information to Suffolk ACRE who will negotiate one price for the whole county.  
Membership of the scheme is open to anyone and members will be able to purchase as many times as they like during the year in return for a small annual membership fee.
Social Enterprises who receive the Brightspace newsletter are being offered a reduced membership fee
Providing opportunities to buy small quantities of oil monthly at a good price should help those facing the biggest disadvantages to keeping warm. With between 15% and 20% of Suffolk households in fuel poverty as at 2009 (Department of Energy and Climate Change) and the recent report by the Centre for Policy Studies suggesting this will rise to 30% by 2030, Suffolk ACRE believe their new initiative is good news for everyone that depends on oil for their heating.
For more information on the special rates for social enterprises, please telephone Suffolk ACRE on 01473 345300 or e-mail oil@communitybuying.org.uk .