British Gas is a national provider of both Gas and electricity to residences. However, other businesses own and maintain the infrastructure (pipes) that transports Gas to consumers.
It is, as its name implies, a British-owned company. The Gas Light and Coke Company (GLCC), established in 1812 and changed to British Gas in 1973, is the country’s oldest energy provider.
Centrica Business Solutions includes the division. Our parent business, Centrica plc, is a multinational energy and services provider committed to meeting its clients’ evolving demands.
With the energy management platform Energy360, you can better understand how much energy your company uses and exert more control over it.
Review of customers
Out of the 16 energy companies scored by 10,197 members of the public for the annual Which? Customer survey, British Gas and Boost Energy are ranked joint 10th. It ranks in the bottom part of our chart with a 52% customer satisfaction rating. Numerous other service providers, such as Utility Warehouse (67%) and Octopus Energy (73%), performed better regarding client satisfaction.
It received an average rating of three stars for half of the survey’s metrics and just two stars for the remaining half, including the transparency of its payments and customer outreach regarding the energy market. There are a variety of consumer comments. A long-time customer was happier, saying, “I’ve been with them for many years and have been very satisfied with the service provided,” while another claimed, “Very poor customer service and difficult to contact.”
British Gas verdict from Which?
Positives: Survey findings indicate that payments are largely correct.
Cons: Our customer survey revealed average customer service ratings; they could have been better for assisting needy clients.
During the energy crisis, British Gas
Customers were generally unimpressed with the information it gave on changing energy costs, giving it a three-star rating in our study. Even less so with the clarity of its communications regarding the energy market, which earned it a two-star rating. After a report accused British Gas of forcing prepayment meters on disadvantaged consumers, the company said it would stop doing so until “at least after winter.”
It beat eight of the 20 providers we evaluated in our supplier assessment of how well it assisted disadvantaged clients. Still, it lagged far behind the top two providers, Ovo Energy and Octopus Energy, which received scores of 22 and 21, respectively.
Trust for British Gas Energy
The British Gas Energy Trust is a nonprofit organization founded in 2004 to assist consumers with financial difficulties, regardless of whether they are British Gas or another supplier’s customers. It supports advisory services and awards grants to qualified candidates to pay off their energy debt.
Common grievances against British Gas
When surveyed, 5% of British Gas customers claimed their most recent contact with the company was to voice a complaint. Customers’ problems with their bills, which accounted for 55% of all complaints to British Gas, were followed by issues with energy pricing (33% of complaints) and meter accuracy (22%).
Do customers purchase green energy?
It purchases certificates to match customers’ demand and some renewable electricity is sold directly from generators. We requested data from energy companies in August and September 2022 on various sustainability factors. Based on their comments and details found on company websites, such as the yearly Fuel Mix Disclosure (FMD), we assigned them points. We evaluated several factors, such as how percent of the electricity they provide is renewable and whether they produce renewable energy themselves or purchase it from generators.
British Gas’ electrical fuel mix in 2021/22 consisted of 28% nuclear energy (from its participation in EDF Energy’s nuclear reactors) and 48% renewable energy. It purchases 0.4% of the renewable electricity from generators used by its domestic consumers, and REGO certificates match an additional 0.4%. More than two-thirds (70%) of the difference comprises renewable energy produced in Europe, outside of the UK, utilizing Guarantees of Origin (GoOs).
Customers that purchase British Gas’ Green Future Tariff have their electricity use matched with UK-based renewable energy sources. It received a 35% rating when we compared energy firms’ commitment to the environment in November 2022. placed it in our table of the 21 businesses we assessed in the bottom half.
News about British Gas
2023: British Gas
June: It revealed that some customers would be eligible for 50% off electricity on Sundays during summer. Customers with smart meters can enroll in the PeakSave program to receive cheaper electricity from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. As usual, you will receive a credit for half of what you spent during those hours after being invoiced.
Only your unit rate—the price per kilowatt-hour of electricity—is subject to the discount. The program will continue until September 24, 2023. It announced in February that it will suspend installing prepayment meters by force until “at least after winter.” Prepayment meters were forced on vulnerable customers by a third-party business that British Gas used to pursue customer arrears, according to a report.
2022: It introduced a new program in December that rewarded consumers for conserving energy during National Grid “turn-down” periods. A total of 100,000 smart meter users were invited to participate. They were charged about £4 for each unit of electricity they saved compared to their usual usage.
April: After former People’s Energy and Neon Reef customers who were transferred to British Gas under the Supplier of Last Resort procedure claimed. They received misleading communications about the amount they would pay for their energy use, YourMoney.com called on British Gas to apologize. YourMoney.com provided proof to Ofgem and the Energy Ombudsman, requesting they look into the situation immediately.
It established a plan in February to use direct customer debits to ringfence its £294 million in credit balances. The monies will be kept in a bank account apart from those used by the corporation to conduct regular operations.
2021: British Gas
It Evolve became British Gas in December.
November: After the smaller companies ceased operations, Bluegreen Energy, Neon Reef, Social Energy, and Zebra. Power clients were shifted to British Gas as their new supplier.
September: After the smaller energy providers ceased operations, MoneyPlus Energy, People’s Energy, and PFP Energy customers were transferred to it. A total of 441,000 consumers switched from other utilities to British Gas.
April: After purchasing the smaller company, Nabuh Energy, It started providing Gas and electricity to its 36,000 customers.
Conclusion
Customers awarded British Gas a three-star rating in our study because they wanted to be more satisfied with the company’s information on shifting energy costs. Even less so with its two-star grade for the clarity of its messaging regarding the energy market. It has announced it will stop pushing prepayment metres on vulnerable customers until “at least after winter” in response to a report that accused the business of doing so.