How do I read my British Gas bill?

Written by Ben Gallizzi, Senior Content Editor - Energy and Electric Vehicles22 July 2024

If you're confused by your energy bill, you're not alone — suppliers are often regarded as having the most complicated bills out there. We’ve taken a sample British Gas energy bill and shown you where you'll find the key information.

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The main info on your British Gas bill

Charges, balance and credit/debit

A: Your balance will inform you if you're in debit or credit to British Gas. Knowing this can be a good indicator of whether or not your direct debit is at the right level to cover your energy usage.

If you're building up credit during winter months, it's likely you should be paying a lower direct debit amount. If you're in debit to your supplier in summer months, you'll accrue an even larger debt as you head into winter when your usage increases. Your supplier may automatically increase your direct debit amount in this instance.

Supplying regular meter readings keeps your balance as accurate as possible.

Plan details and annual usage

This example is for electricity — gas would follow the same format on a different page.

B: This is an example QR code you would find on your bill. Your bill's unique code contains information about your tariff and usage. Some apps can scan this code, compare your current bill, and inform you if there are cheaper deals to switch to.

C: Your tariff name could quickly flag whether or not you're on your supplier's often expensive default tariff (standard variable tariff). British Gas's standard variable tariff is called "Standard". You'll also need your current tariff's name for a comparison.

D: This is the date your current plan ends. After this point you'll be rolled onto a tariff chosen by your supplier, which could cost you more. You should switch again onto a fixed plan at this point to avoid overpaying.

E: If your plan has an exit fee, you may need to pay the stated amount if you switch to another plan before your current plan ends.

F: This is your annual usage in Kilowatt hours. This is usually estimated based on previous meter readings. Uswitch can use this figure to calculate how much you would pay for the next 12 months on different plans.

Meter details

G: Your electricity supply number (MPAN) and gas supply number (MPRN) are displayed next to each other on dual-fuel bills, or separately if you receive a bill for each fuel. Your MPAN is the one starting with an S, and the MPRN is simply a string of 10 numbers.

British Gas bill common terms

Here are some common terms you’ll see on your energy bill, and what they mean:

Fixed rate — A fixed rate means your rate cannot be changed by your supplier before your plan’s end date. You can usually get a fixed rate plan for one or two years. Find out more about fixed rate plans, including how they work and what the cheapest fixed rate plans at the moment are.

Variable rate — Variable rate tariffs can go up or down in price depending on the level of the energy price cap. They're often the most expensive tariffs, so if you're on one, it might be worth running an energy comparison to see what fixed options are available. You can do that by entering your postcode in the box below.

kWh — A kilowatt-hour or kWh is a name given to a unit of energy, and it is the standard unit across suppliers for both gas and electricity. One kWh will provide enough energy to power a 100-watt lightbulb for 10 hours.