Dr Macpherson said a public meeting in Alexandra this week produced some positive outcomes for people struggling to pay power bills, which in some cases were more than $1000 a month.
Dr Macpherson is establishing a working party to build a relief fund which would make grants to those most in need of help with power bills.
He said the group would either work to boost an existing fund managed by a social service group in Alexandra, or set up a separate fund.
"We will look for support from central Government as a contributor to a relief fund and I think that's got real prospects of getting somewhere," he said.
A submission is also being made to the ministerial review of the electricity sector, which Dr Macpherson hopes will alert politicians to the hardship faced by many people in Central Otago.
In the past few weeks Dr Macpherson has received details of power bills from residents throughout the district, as well as from schools, sport groups and community clubs, all struggling to pay for electricity.
"I will compile all those facts and figures in my submission, which will strengthen the case we have against rising power prices. It's not just a few grumpy seniors - it's a community-wide issue," he said.
Dr Macpherson received support to make a submission on behalf of the hundreds of people at Thursday's meeting in the Alexandra War Memorial Hall, which was also attended by a handful of representatives from electricity and welfare companies and organisations.
The meeting was intended to provide people with information about how electricity was priced, how people could use their heating appliances efficiently, and where they could access help if needed.
TrustPower community relations manager Graeme Purches was booed on stage as he tried to explain components of the industry.
When contacted by the Otago Daily Times yesterday Mr Purches said he did not regret attending the meeting despite being verbally abused by the audience.
"I can understand why people are vocal about living underneath the Clyde dam and wanting to get cheaper power, but the reality is it's connected to the national grid, and wholesale electricity prices are not markedly lower in any one region because there's generation there. It's not the way the market works. It would have been irresponsible not to have gone and at least attempt to explain that.
"We can't change the fact that retail company charges are only 14% of a power bill, yet our name is on the top of it, so we get blamed for everything," he said.
A retired Alexandra man who attended the meeting was ashamed at the conduct of others in the crowd.
The man, who did not want to be named, said he got a lot out of the meeting, and believed others would have too if they had listened to the information given instead of rudely interrupting speakers.
