why group purchase offers are flourishing again – L’Express

The cost of energy increased significantly in August 2023 and is expected to jump again in February 2024. But for now, the consumer defense association UFC-Que Choisir has decided to relaunch, on Thursday October 26, a group purchasing operation to pay less for electricity. The price per kilowatt hour is negotiated by the organizer with electricity suppliers thanks to input from potential customers. The offer proposed by UFC-Que Choisir costs 12 euros for membership then charges the kilowatt hour excluding VAT 12.1% less than the regulated rate. The selected energy supplier is Octopus Energy (formerly Plüm Energie).

“We selected this supplier by offering a secure contract, and support from UFC-Que Choisir in the event of a complaint,” assures AFP Cédric Musso, director of political action at the association. “The legal security proposed goes beyond traditional contractual conditions,” he asserts, “and the protective clauses drawn up make it possible to fight against unfair clauses from suppliers.” Octopus Energy manages to offer prices significantly lower than those on the market by saving on marketing costs, which disappear with the group purchasing mechanism, according to the association. This does not receive any commission, only a membership fee of 12 euros. In addition, the supplier promises a price bonus in the event of a drop in consumption.

“We monitored and it has still fallen in recent months,” relates Cédric Musso, whose group purchasing subsidiary, active since 2014, was able to encourage suppliers to make their best proposal. The principle is simple: associations, local authorities or brokers negotiate the purchase of energy (electricity, gas, fuel oil, etc.) at preferential rates from one or more electricity suppliers. Concretely, the consumer association launched a call for tenders from national electricity suppliers, “so that they offer an attractive offer financially and legally secure”.

Prices will be predictable for two years, unlike traditional contracts whose prices vary according to increases in regulated prices. “Only the supplier is committed for two years, not the customer who can cancel at any time and return to the regulated rate or elsewhere if he wants,” explained Cédric Musso. Thus, if prices drop in other offers, the customer will be able to change supplier. The last group purchase represented a saving of 154 euros on average per household per year. The new offer is limited to the first 120,000 subscribers who must register by November 15. Corsica and the regions distributed by local establishments such as Strasbourg, Metz, Bordeaux or Grenoble, however, are not affected.

If the offer is “attractive”, according to the Energy Mediator, there are “other offers cheaper than the regulated rate”. He recommends using his online comparator. “It is a good signal that suppliers are able to offer offers with prices lower than the regulated sales price,” notes the Mediator. These types of contracts offer greater security and avoid price surprises during the winter.

But UFC-Que Choisir is not the only one to relaunch its offers. The Selectra comparator and the Ekwateur energy supplier joined forces to offer a similar offer until February 28, 2024, with a 14% discount compared to regulated electricity prices. Their offer promises a discount of 3% to 6% for 12 months, depending on household consumption compared to the benchmark price. Hello Watt has also launched its pre-registration for its fifth edition of group energy purchasing. L’stated objective is to achieve a saving of 20%.

Be careful, however: not all group purchase offers are equal and a comparison is necessary. Several sites, such as that of the Energy Mediator comparator, Selectra or even Le lynx, allow you to make comparisons before changing.