NEARLY one million people in Scotland have lost out on £1,500 over the last six years because they have not switched energy suppliers, official statistics show.

Fully 860,000 people have kept their old power deal for more than six years, failing to take advantage of competition, according to watchdog Ofgem.

As winter bites hardest with severe snow and frost, energy poverty campaigners say the failure to shop around is costing such consumers the equivalent of half a year of weekly shopping.

Figures for the whole of the UK are even more dramatic, with nine million households having stuck with the same gas and electricity supplier for six years. That is one in three homes.

A campaign called Big Energy Saving Week, run by the UK Government, Energy Saving Trust and Citizens Advice, begins this week. Backed by numerous organisations, charities and companies, it aims to challenge perceptions all suppliers charge the same.

Mike Thornton, director of Energy Saving Trust Scotland, said: “The difference between the average Standard Variable Tariff and the cheapest deal on the market is significant, but millions of households still aren’t accessing these savings.

“To put that into context, switching this year could save you up to £300 – equivalent to more than a month’s worth of food shopping.

“In other words, if you haven’t switched for six years, you’ve missed out on more than six months’ of food shopping.

“With January being a tight month for household budgets, now is the time to look at switching your energy tariff to make sure you’re on the best possible deal.”

A survey carried out for Big Energy Saving Week found 37 per cent of households in Scotland did not see the point in switching because “all suppliers are the same”.

Only 18 per cent of people in Scotland have switched in the last year alone. The poll also found consumers were less canny about energy than about other big ticket products. Some 64 per cent of people in Scotland would read reviews when planning to spend £1,000, it discovered. But only 16 per cent read any reviews about their new energy supplier when they last switched.

One in five, moreover, were unaware they could switch without using an online service. Home Energy Scotland has a hotline for ways to cut bills at 0808 8082282.

Citizens Advice also has an online comparison tool. Derek Mitchell, the organisation’s Scottish chief executive, said: “With many Scots experiencing a particularly cold winter this year, we are concerned many consumers are paying over the odds to heat their homes.

“Our data tells us the people who would benefit most from lowering their fuel bills are often the least likely to seek help.”

Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said: “We are helping people take control of their fuel bills to reduce how much they pay for their gas and electricity.”