Portchester entrepreneur saves people £50,000 on gas, electricity, broadband and other utility bills since launching free UtilityMOT service last year

Alex Shrimpton launched UtilityMOT in March last year, and the free service has cut £50,000 from bills to date.

The business allows customers to get a free audit on their current suppliers – showing what they pay and use – before offering advice on how they can save money and helping them to do so.

Mr Shrimpton said: ‘It’s easy to go on Money Supermarket, GoCompare or other comparison sites, but they only ask you a generic set of questions that might not actually apply to your usage, household situation or what else you’re using.

‘That’s where I come in – I will ask my clients the questions that comparison sites won’t ask, that are completely bespoke to them.

‘There is so much information online and often it’s complete jargon and the typical person won’t understand that, so I feel it’s important to have someone who knows what they’re talking about to come in and explain those technical terms and make things simple.’

Mr Shrimpton has 13 years’ experience in the utilities industry, having previously worked for O2, Vodaphone, and Scottish Power.

He uses that knowledge to determine where customers are overpaying.

This covers bills for gas, electricity, broadband, mobiles and others.

The utilities expert keeps in touch with his clients yearly to determine whether they can continue to make savings.

He decided to start the business after helping his family with their bills, and wanted to help others.

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‘What comes easy to me – having gained so much experience in the industry – is often complicated to someone who doesn’t have that experience,’ he said.

‘I realised that people needed help understanding what it is they’re paying for and find out ways that they can pay less.

‘I wanted to help people beyond my own family, so made it into a business that could help hundreds of people.

‘Having hit such a big milestone is so rewarding, especially as it’s completely free for my customers.’

Mr Shrimpton earns money through affiliate partnerships with utility providers, so his customers do not have to pay a penny, even if they do not switch providers.

More information can be found here.