RESIDENTS of Gloucestershire are being encouraged to sign up to the Big Community Switch and save money on energy bills.

Gloucestershire County Council is participating in the switch to help people get cheaper gas and electricity by working together.

The project is centred on bulk buying - if a large number of people change supplier together they are likely to get a better deal than just one person shopping around and switching on their own.

The more households that register their interest in switching, the more attractive it becomes for an energy supplier to offer a competitive price and the more likely consumers are to achieve significant savings.

Residents need to register their interest with the Big Community Switch by Monday, February 2, at the latest.

This can be done online at gloucestershire.gov.uk/bigcommunityswitch or by phoning the council on 01452 425757 between 8.30am and 5pm from Monday to Friday.

Leader of Gloucestershire County Council Cllr Mark Hawthorne said: “Switching energy supplier is often the best way to save money on your bills.

“We are continuing to support this scheme as we know the process of switching can often put people off. This way all you need is a recent energy bill and the Big Community Switch will do the rest of the work and hopefully get you a better deal.”

Those interested in signing up only need to provide basic information at this stage such as name, address, contact details, an indication of their energy consumption and whether they wish to consider switching for both gas and electricity, or electricity only.

It's a good idea to have a recent bill to hand as it makes registering easier and more accurate registration means a more accurate offer.

Residents who have registered their interest will receive a personalised energy offer during late February or early March.