As part of our consultation on our manifesto for the 2012 London elections, Assembly Member Murad Qureshi reports on the opportunity for co-operative energy in the capital.

Londoners like the rest of the country are going to be hit this Autumn with record rises of up to almost 20 per cent in energy costs to keep themselves and their families warm. This when the energy companies already do not have a very good record in London of delivering their programmes to deal with fuel poverty.

While the Mayor of London has been complacent with the delivery of his home energy programme, as its targets for homes retro-fitted have been cut by three-quarters, the Co-operative Party has come up with an innovative way that households can mutually come together in energy co-operatives.

So while the Mayor offers charms, bluster and comes up with hot air on environmental issues, the Co-operative Party has come up with a way that shows how collective power can change the way we consume energy. Saving many London households from the full impact of price hikes by energy companies and even contributing new sources of energy to the grid through the feed-in-tariff.

You can download the full document ‘Collective Power: changing the way we consume energy‘