The name itself suggests that British Gas has a name that suggests it is British owned and operated. It’s the most powerful energy company across the UK and estimates that it serves around nine million homes.
The company is an affiliate of Centrica, a multinational energy and services firm, that also has utility providers across Ireland. Republic of Ireland. It has acquired customers from Robin Hood Energy, People’s Energy as well as other smaller companies as they stopped trading.
It’s also known under the title Scottish Gas in Scotland and claims to be ‘bringing Britain the modern, smooth-running homes of tomorrow and today’. In addition to electricity and gas, it also sells boilers, smart home products under the Hive brand, as well as HomeCare insurance.
The British Gas Rewards scheme offers customers personalized offers, that can include movies on Sky, days out at UK attractions Tickets to live shows at The O2, Wilbur the Penguin toys and restaurant vouchers.
Users can install British Gas’ British Gas app on iOS and Android devices. The app allows you can send the readings of your meter and pay for bills in just a couple of taps. Smart meters users can make budgets and keep track of their energy usage.
British Gas customer review
British Gas is ranked joint 10th with Boost Energy, out of 16 energy companies assessed by 10,197 consumers in the annual Which? customer survey.
A score of 52% means that British Gas sits in the lower tier on our list. Other providers have scored better in terms of customer satisfaction, including Octopus Energy (73%) and Utility Warehouse (67%).
British Gas was rated an average of three stars in half of the criteria during our survey, but only two marks for the other portion, which includes the accuracy of its payment system and information to customers regarding the market for energy.
Customers’ feedback is varied. One said, ‘very poor customer service and difficult to get in touch with and difficult to reach’. However, another loyal customer was more pleased, saying “I’ve worked with them for several years and am very pleased with the service provided’.
Which? verdict on British Gas
Results from the survey suggest payments are reasonably accurate
Cons: Average customer service rating in our survey of our customers; not among the best in helping the most vulnerable customers
Visit this website for British Gas Live Chat.
Our British Gas supplier assessment
In November 2022 we examined three aspects of suppliers’ business practices and procedures the way they handle complaints, how they carry out their customer service and how they support the most vulnerable customers, such as customers who have prepayments and those in financial difficulties.
This was done using a combination of our own observations and responses to surveys we sent out to suppliers.
British Gas received a mediocre score of five out of 10 on its performance in handling complaints, and a more impressive 17 points out of 23 in our evaluation of support to vulnerable customers.
British Gas customer service
British Gas was rated an average three stars for customer service by its customers. The provider wasn’t alone though – six others, including EDF Energy and Eon Next also received three stars.
In our study, 47% Of British Gas customers said its service was satisfactory. This is more than other major suppliers, but lesser than the 63% who said the same for Utility Warehouse.
It performed better in our supplier assessment of its customer service, which included looking at capacities, contact options, opening hours and self-service help, with a good score of 13 points out of 17.
British Gas in the energy crisis
British Gas customers were fairly unimpressed with the usefulness of the information they provided on rising energy costs in our survey, rating the information with three stars and less regarding the clarity of its communications about the market and energy prices, which received only two stars.
British Gas announced that it will stop fitting prepayment meters by force for a period of time, ‘at a minimum after winter’ following a report that found it to be imposing the meters on vulnerable customers.
British Gas Energy Trust
The British Gas Energy Trust is an independent nonprofit organization established in 2004 to aid customers having difficulty paying their bill, whether they are customers of British Gas or another supplier. It helps with advice and provides grants to eligible applicants in order to clear their energy debt.
British Gas common complaints
When we were able to survey British Gas customers, 5% said they last contacted the company to file complaints.
The most frequently-reported complaint that customers filed with British Gas was about a problem with their bill 55% of customers complaining did so over this, followed by cost of energy (33 percent) as well as the precision of their meters (22 22.2%).
If you sign up to British Gas with a prepayment meter?
Yes. British Gas pay-as-you-go customers can top up at a Post Office or Payzone outlet. A notice on the company’s website states: “You’ll need to top up with at the minimum PS5, and you’ll have to top it up to the nearest one pound.’
It’s installing smart prepayment meters. Customers who have them can top up on this British Gas website, its application or an automated payment phone line.
British Gas offers PS10 emergency credit when you’re out of fuel but are unable to replenish. Friendly Credit will be activated automatically if you have an electronic meter, or a non-smart electric meter , and you run through credit in the period between 6pm until 9am, or on a bank holiday. You can also make emergency credit available at other times via your smart meter as well as your in-home display. You can also activate it using the card you have with your key or a traditional meters.
All energy you consume will be noted as debt on your meter. You’ll have to pay it back the next time you top it up.
The government will offer all households that reside in Great Britain with an electricity supply a PS400 reduction on energy bills spread over six months from October 2022 to March 2023 through their Energy Bills Support Scheme.
If you’re prepay customer using an intelligent meter, the discount will be applied automatically in the form of credit every month. Customers with traditional prepayment meters will receive vouchers in the post.
Does British Gas sell renewable energy?
British Gas buys some of the electricity generated by renewable sources that it sells directly from generators as well purchasing certificates that match its customers’ use.
Proportion of renewable electricity in accordance to the 2021/22 British Gas energy mix. Other responses based upon information from suppliers in August as well as September of 2022.
In the months of August and September 2022, the EPA asked energy companies to provide information on the sustainability of their operations in a variety of ways. We assessed their scores based on their responses , as well as information published on their websites. This includes an annual Fuel Mix Disclosure (FMD). Some of the factors we assessed were the percentage of electricity they supply is renewable and whether they generate renewable energy or purchase directly from generators.
The overall British Gas’ electricity fuel mix in 2021/22 comprised 48% of renewable, and 28% nuclear (from its share in EDF Energy’s nuclear plant).
British Gas buys 0.4% of the renewable energy its domestic customers use directly from generators and a additional 0.4 percent is secured with REGO certificates. More than two thirds (70 percent) is matched to renewable power that is generated outside the UK and in Europe, using Guarantees of Origin (GoOs).
Customers who buy British Gas’ Green Future Tariff have their electricity use in line with renewable sources of electricity generation in the UK.
We compared energy companies according to their environmental credentials in November 2022, British Gas scored 35%. This puts it at the bottom on our list of 21 companies that we evaluated.
British Gas in the news
British Gas in 2023
Feb. British Gas said it would stop force-fitting prepayment meters’at a minimum following winter’. A third-party company employed in conjunction with British Gas to persue customer insolvencies imposed prepayment meters to vulnerable customers, according to a report.
British Gas in 2022
December, British Gas launched a new initiative to test paying customers to reduce their energy consumption during National Grid’s “turn-down” events. It announced that it would be emailing over 100,000 smart meters customers who have signed up to join the scheme and will pay them approximately PS4 per unit of electricity saved compared to the amount the normally use.
April: The energy company is being urged by YourMoney.com to apologize following the former People’s Energy and Neon Reef customers who switched to it via the Supplier of Last Resort process said they received erroneous emails regarding the cost they would pay for their energy usage. YourMoney.com submitted evidence to Ofgem and the Energy Ombudsman, calling on them to immediately investigate the issue.
February: British Gas set up a plan to ringfence the PS294m it has in credit balances by using direct debits to customers. The money will be held in a bank account distinct from the money the company needs to run its day-to-day business.
British Gas in 2021
December: The company announced that its brand new, British Gas Evolve, changed it’s name back change to British Gas.
November British Gas became the new supplier for Bluegreen Energy, Neon Reef, Social Energy and Zebra Power customers when the smaller firms stopped trading.
September The customers from MoneyPlus Energy, People’s Energy and PFP Energy were moved to British Gas after the smaller providers stopped trading. Total, about 441,000 customers switched from PFP Energy to British Gas.
April British Gas will begin offering electricity and gas to Nabuh Energy’s 36,000 customers following the time it purchased the smaller company.