Energy Suppliers

British Gas

British Gas is a UK-owned company that is part of the Centrica group. As the UK’s biggest energy supplier, it provides gas, electricity and home repair services to millions of customers across England, Scotland and Wales.

• British Gas services
• Switching
• History of British Gas
• Environmental responsibility
• Community work

British Gas services

British Gas (www.britishgas.co.uk) offers 3 tariffs for their gas, electricity and dual fuel range:

• Standard
• Price Promise April 2014
• Online Energy

The standard tariff offers variable pricing and the Price Promise April 2014 tariff freezes the price of your electricity and gas until April 2014.

Online Energy is the cheapest tariff offering a 4% discount for managing your account online, but, has limited availability.

British Gas additionally offers green energy tariffs called Sustainable Energy, which matches each unit of electricity you buy with a unit of 100% British renewable electricity sources and helps reduce your carbon footprint.

Other products from British Gas include prepayment meters, boiler installation and the HomeCare central heating maintenance and repair service.

Sign up to British Gas today.

Switching

If you feel that your current tariff no longer suits your needs, consider switching to a more economical option.

Switching is easier than you think. All you need to do is submit a few details about your existing deal into the EnergyChoices.co.uk calculator and find out how much you could save.

Read our guide to switching energy suppliers for more information.

History of British Gas

The British Gas Corporation was formed in 1973, with the 12 old Gas Boards dividing into regions, each responsible for a particular geographical area.

In 1986, the British Gas Corp transferred to British Gas plc, and shares in British Gas plc were offered for sale.

By 1994, gas business in Great Britain was restructured into five units:

1. Transco – for transportation and storage
2. Public gas supply
3. Business gas
4. Service and retail
5. E&P and global

The British Gas we know today began to emerge in 1997, with the company being de-merged into two strands: BG plc and Centrica.

The focus of BG plc is transportation, research and technology. Centrica, on the other hand, is concerned with retail and trading.

In 1997, BG was split into BG and Lattice, and in 2002, Lattice merged with the National Grid to form National Grid Transco.

Environmental responsibility

In addition to offering the environmentally conscious tariffs Future Energy and Future Energy Plus, British Gas offers a free bespoke ‘Energy Savers Report’ which outlines ways that you can save energy in your home.

British Gas also provides home insulation services and green gadgets such as Standby Busters and solar powered torches. If you’re interested in ways of generating your own hot water using the sun’s energy, British Gas can help with solar panel installation too.

By signing up to a green energy tariff you can do a little more to help save the planet. The amount of energy you use will be matched by British Gas, and the equivalent will be supplied by them from a renewable source back to the national grid.

Community work

British Gas says one of its main concerns is affordable energy for all. The company says this means making a positive impact on its customers’ quality of life and diminishing fuel poverty in the communities where it operates, as well as helping customers to reduce their energy bills.

In difficult economic times, British Gas says it believes all UK citizens, irrespective of circumstance, should have access to safe, cleaner and affordable energy.