THOUSANDS of Scots have signed up to a collective bargaining campaign which aims to use people power to cut the cost of their gas and electricity.

The Big Energy Switch aims to attract 20,000 Scottish consumers in the hope of securing greater discounts from companies who can offer cheaper prices to larger numbers of people.

The campaign, run by One Big Switch, is already underway in Ireland where average household participants are said to have saved around £270.

Similar schemes are also in use in the UK but this is understood to be the first Scotland-only campaign of its type.

Campaign director Michael Stewart said: "This a chance for people in Scotland to come together and use our collective power to deliver some real cost of living relief.

"Scottish consumers can use their collective power to put Scotland first, and unlock group-discounted energy for all Scottish families.

"National group switching campaigns, like the Big Energy Switch, have worked in other countries to help fight back against the rising cost of living, and now is the time for Scottish consumers to act together to unlock group-discounted energy here as well."

More than 1200 Scots signed up to the campaign in its first day of opening, while One Big Switch aims to reach its target of 20,000 participants with the next four weeks.

It is completely free to sign up to and consumers taking part are under no obligation to take the offer.

The scheme is already in talks with energy companies about securing a deal, but it will only be finalised once firms know exactly how many people have signed up.

This offer will then be put to the participants who can then either take the new deal or use it to negotiate a better price with their current supplier.

If they do decide to switch, then One Big Deal receives commission from the energy firm.

Father-of-one Colin Brodie is one of the thousands of Scots already signed up to the campaign and said he hopes it can make his energy bills more affordable.

The 39-year-old, who lives with his partner Stacey Walker and seven-year-old son Kayden in Clydebank, said: "My family and I have signed up to the big switch because we are a very low income family and we are fed up with the ever increasing cost of energy to heat and run our homes.

"We try where we can to save money by doing all the usual things like pulling plugs out and only using hot water we need, but despite all that we still struggle and sometimes can't afford to buy gas.

"The Big Switch is a way for us to show that if you get enough people interested you can force change and hopefully it will make our lives that little bit easier and more affordable."

According to One Big Switch, average fuel bills in Scotland have risen almost four times faster than household incomes since 2003.

The organisation hopes that through using collective bargaining, they will be able to bring prices down for those who sign up, as well as spark an energy price war in Scotland which could be good news for all consumers.

The scheme also allows smaller energy firms to break into the market as they can attract a lot of customers at once.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) said the campaign could strengthen people's bargaining position, but warned consumers to ensure the deal is definitely the best one for them before switching.

CAS spokeswoman Kate Morrison said: "After years of energy price increases many people in Scotland find heating their homes unaffordable, and despite recent reductions in wholesale costs household bills remain too high.

"We have always encouraged people to check whether they can pay less for their energy bills by simply switching tariff or supplier.

"Collective action may strengthen people's position to negotiate prices with suppliers but we would advise anyone taking part in a campaign like this to make sure that the new deal will definitely offer them cheaper energy before committing to switch."