The city of Pittsburgh is inviting other municipalities to join its energy purchasing consortium, which will be backed by a $127,500 state grant accepted by City Council yesterday.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said in a news release that the Department of Community and Economic Development grant will help the city pay for its energy manager and for the kilowatt-buying services of Pine-based Co-eXprise Inc., which conducted an early 2008 auction credited with shaving $1.4 million from the electricity bills of the city, Allegheny County, and a handful of governmental authorities and nonprofit entities.

Now the city will approach the councils of governments in the county and ask if any of their municipalities want to join the next electricity auction, in the hope that a bigger buy will mean lower prices.