British Gas is the UK's largest supplier of gas and electricity for domestic use. But does 'biggest' mean best? Find out what they offer and how British Gas tariffs, charges and customer service measure up.
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Who are British Gas?
British Gas is part of the Centrica Group, which was formed following the merger of British Gas plc in 1997. British Gas also operates under the names Scottish Gas in Scotland and Nwy Prydain in Wales.
British Gas customer satisfaction
In our 2017 Energy awards, British Gas received a score of 75% in overall customer satisfaction, ranking it fifth among eight other suppliers.
Rated in 11 categories total, British Gas earned its best score in the category of incentives and rewards.
Managing Director of UK Home at British Gas Sarwjit Sambhi said of the results:
"We’re pleased that our customers are seeing the benefits of the improvements we’ve made to our customer service, and our overall customer satisfaction scores have increased. Our customers are at the heart of what we do at British Gas, and we will continue to listen to them so we can further improve the service we offer."
The customer service rating is based on an independent YouGov survey that was conducted between 27th October and 1st November 2016. A total of 5,028 UK energy consumers were asked their opinions on a wide range of issues relating to satisfaction with their energy suppliers. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (18+).
Recent price changes from British Gas
In August 2017, after freezing prices for six months, British Gas announced it would raise electricity prices by 12.5% on its standard plan customers. This price rise would take effect 15 September.
Claire Osborne, energy expert at uswitch says:
“It’s time switch supplier and send a message that price rises like these just aren’t acceptable.
“Seven in 10 households are overpaying for their energy on expensive standard tariffs, yet within ten minutes they could switch and save hundreds of pounds – as well as protect themselves against further hikes by fixing their tariff.”
Previously, in February 2017, British Gas had announced it would extend its price freeze until August 2017. This news came after three other big six suppliers — EDF Energy, ScottishPower and npower — had announced price rises of 1.8%, 7.8% and 9.8%, respectively.
See the most recent price changes from British Gas and other suppliers below:
| Supplier | Date effective | Avg price change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 21 June 2017 |  7.2% |
| 26 April 2017 | 9% |
| 15 Sept 2017 | 7.5% |
| 31 March 2017 | 7.8% |
| 28 April 2017 | 7% |
| 16 March 2017 | 9.8% |
*Based on a medium energy user on a standard dual fuel tariff, paying on receipt of bill, with bill sizes averaged across all regions.
British Gas price rises and price announcments
In November 2016, British Gas announced that it would freeze prices for standard rate customers for the winter season. The supplier promised to keep rates where they are until at least March 2017 (in early 2017 the supplier stated it would extend its price freeze until August 2017).
British Gas last announced a price rise in October 2013, when the company said it would raise prices by 9.2% on average, or about £123 more per year for the average customer. This would go into effect on 23 November 2013. (In 2014 and in 2015, the supplier announced three price cuts to its gas customers.)