Imagine that you could pay less for your energy. Imagine that you could negotiate your energy prices directly with the energy companies and pay a cost far below any published tariff. Well, maybe that option will be available sooner than you anticipate.

Online campaigning group 38 Degrees and consumer group Which? have today launched a campaign called 'The Big Switch'.

The concept is based on the power of collective purchasing and economy of scale. The more people interested, the greater the possibility of a better price.

Through bulk purchasing of gas and electricity it is projected that thousands of households will be able to benefit from much cheaper energy bills.

A first in the UK, the campaign invites consumers to register their interest on the Big Switch website up until the end of March. Which? will then subsequently invite the UK energy companies to outbid each other with low prices in a 'reverse auction'. Once the deal has been secured, each consumer who has registered their interest will be emailed with the details of the deal and offered the opportunity to switch at the confirmed price.

The campaign is aimed at challenging the big six over their high energy prices with the incentive to gain many more customers if they win the auction. For the consumer it offers the opportunity to pay the cheapest possible price for their energy.

According to energy regulator Ofgem 6 out of 10 people have never switched energy supplier and Which? reports that a staggering £4.1 billion a year is gained by the energy companies due to consumers not being on the best possible tariff and naively paying more for their energy than they need to.

The campaign has political support from Energy secretary Edward Davey and the shadow energy and climate secretary, Caroline Flint

To register your interest Click Here. The switching process will be handled by Which? and there is no obligation to switch once you have registered your interest.