We are all feeling the cold but reluctant to turn up the thermostat, according to research last week.

Almost two-thirds of Brits layer up at home with gloves, hats, scarfs and extra jumpers in an attempt to keep warm and reduce their fuel bills, while 22 per cent get into bed early, 17 per cent switch on the oven and six per cent spend more time at work, the Santander survey claimed.

Just six weeks into the new year the big six energy suppliers have all cut prices by very similar amounts. But is it a price war or just a token gesture, while small suppliers still offer the best chance to save on bills?

According to uSwitch.com, the big established suppliers are vying to top comparison tables by offering the cheapest fixed energy deal on the market.

“Usually, the cheapest fixed plans are offered by less established suppliers, but this new trend for ‘Big Six’ suppliers to become involved in the race is an unexpected effort by larger suppliers to be more competitive,” the website says.

Fixed deals usually last for around 12 months, which sounds questionable at a time when wholesale prices for both electricity and gas seem to be falling. But prices are now at their lowest level since early 2011, and fixed deals offer far lower rates than sticking on standard energy plans.

In late January E.on announced a gas price cut of 5.1 per cent, followed by SSE promising 5.3per cent and ScottishPower 5.4 per cent. Last week we saw npower offering 5.2per cent, British Gas 5.1 per cent and EDF 5 per cent. But these relate only to expensive standard tariffs.

Ann Robinson, uSwitch’s director of consumer policy, says: “Instead of waiting around for token-gesture price cuts, big six standard plan customers should do their own price cut by switching to a cheaper fixed deal, saving more than £320 a year.”

Ben Wilson, energy spokesperson at Gocompare.com, adds: “Npower are offering their loyal customers a tiny £32 saving - only on gas and only at the end of the winter period. They are banking on the hope that npower customers won’t notice that they can save almost 10 times that amount by switching to a best-buy dual fuel tariff.”

James Padmore, head of energy at comparethemarket.com, chips in: “It seems like the Big Six are marching in lock step on these price cuts, all reducing their prices by just over five per cent one after the other. However, as has been made clear before, these cuts are far off what is fair and reasonable, especially given the dramatic reduction in the wholesale cost of energy.”

Padmore adds that the round of price cuts, yet to take effect, “conveniently kicks in just as the weather is set to get warmer”.

According to Mark Todd at comparison site energyhelpline, Scotland is one of two UK territories where potential savings from switching are the highest. He says: “You can get a really cheap price for energy in the UK but you need to take action to get it. The cheap deals won’t come to you – you need to go and get them.”

Martin Lewis, founder of www.cheapenergyclub.co.uk which has 1.9 million members, says: “E.on, SSE, Scottish Power and npower customers with typical usage on standard tariffs will still be paying at least £1,050 a year, after the cuts, and those from other firms even more. Yet the market’s cheapest tariffs for switchers are under £770 on the same usage, and our new collective switch which launched last week undercuts that substantially.”

The biggest saving out there might be with a collective switch, where you register to join a group using group buying power to extract the lowest possible 12-month fix price from a supplier.

You input your details in the same way as on a comparison site, and when the price has been fixed you get an e-mail which shows how much your saving would be. Compare that with the savings offered by other deals before deciding to join up, which can be done straight away.

When it comes to customer service, you might be taking a risk with some of the small lesser-known suppliers. According to Citizens Advice last autumn, four of the six most complained-about companies were First Utility, Extra Energy , Cooperative Energy and Spark Energy, along with npower and (bringing up the rear) ScottishPower.

Comfortably out in front with the least complaints was SSE while EDF, British Gas, E.on were in the top five. The best-ranked challenger brands were two ‘green’ suppliers, Ecotricity and Good Energy.

Only one in five people switched supplier last year, but using a comparison site such as uSwitch, GoCompare, or the Which? service makes it easy.

Have details ready on your energy consumption before you start, and investigate exactly which of the many confusing tariffs you are on in order to get the right answer for your potential saving.

For tips on painless ways to reduce your usage, go to www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/domestic/scotland or call Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282 for free impartial advice.