About 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 name Scottish Gas in Scotland.
British Gas and People's Energy
British Gas took on the 350,000 domestic and 1,000 business customers of People's Energy when the supplier went bust in September 2021.
British Gas and PfP and MoneyPlus
British Gas took on the customers of PfP and MoneyPlus when the two energy suppliers went out of business in September 2021. This totalled around 96,600 customers.
British Gas and Robin Hood Energy/Ebico
British Gas took on the customers of Robin Hood Energy, as well as its partners including Ebico. Robin Hood and Ebico's 112,000 customers were transferred to British Gas tariffs as part of the sale of the companies in September 2020.
British Gas and Breeze Energy
British Gas was appointed by energy regulator Ofgem to take on the customers of Breeze Energy when the small supplier ceased trading. Breeze Energy's 18,000 customers were transferred to British Gas tariffs from December 2019.
British Gas tariffs and prices
As one of the leading energy suppliers in the UK, there are a range of British Gas tariffs available to meet the needs of as many customers as possible.
All British Gas energy tariffs currently available through Uswitch can be seen in the table below. The prices are based on an average household, so click 'compare now' to find the cheapest British Gas tariff for you.
| Supplier | Plan name | Tariff type | Price |
|---|
This information is updated hourly with British Gas energy plans which are available to switch to through Uswitch. To appear in this table, plans must be available in at least 7 of the 14 regions.
How British Gas prices have changed in 2021
Like most energy suppliers in the UK, British Gas is subject to the Ofgem price cap, which sets the maximum price that can be charged for British Gas' standard tariff. These types of standard variable or default tariffs tend to be more expensive than fixed plans, and are usually not the cheapest British Gas tariffs available.
In August 2021, the Ofgem price cap level was increased to £1,277 per year, the second time in a year it had increased, and now at its highest ever point. British Gas therefore increased the price of its standard variable tariff to £1,277 to come into effect on 1 October 2021.
This followed a 9% increase in British Gas prices from 1 April 2021, also in line with the energy price cap level.
The table below shows recent changes to British Gas standard tariff prices, alongside changes by the rest of the big six energy suppliers:
| Supplier | Price change 1 | Date effective | Price change 2 | Date effective | Price change 3 | Date effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EDF Energy | -7% | 1 Oct 2020 | +9% | 1 Apr 2021 | +12% | 1 Oct 2021 |
| E.ON | -1% | -7% | 1 Oct 2020 | +9% | 1 Apr 2021 | +12% |
| British Gas | -7% | 1 Oct 2020 | +9% | 1 Apr 2021 | +12% | 1 Oct 2021 |
| ScottishPower | -7% | 1 Oct 2020 | +9% | 1 Apr 2021 | +12% | 1 Oct 2021 |
| SSE | -7% | 1 Oct 2020 | +9% | 1 Apr 2021 | +12% | 1 Oct 2021 |
| npower | -1% | 1 Apr 2020 | -7% | 1 Oct 2020 | +9% | 1 Apr 2021 |
Based on a medium energy user on a standard dual fuel tariff, paying on receipt of bill, with bill sizes averaged across all regions.
Based on a medium energy user on a standard dual fuel tariff, paying on receipt of bill, with bill sizes averaged across all regions.
Previous changes to British Gas prices
In August 2020, British Gas prices were reduced by 7% for customers on standard variable or default tariffs, in line with a reduction in Ofgem's energy price cap level. The price change came into effect in October 2020, and translated into an average £82 price drop for customers on the British Gas' standard tariff.
In February 2020, there was a price drop for British Gas' standard tariff customers, also in response to a drop in the price cap. This price drop was effective from April 2020.
In August 2019, British Gas prices dropped by 6% on standard variable tariffs, also in response to a reduction in the energy price cap. The new rates came into force on 1 October 2019.
This price drop followed an increase in February 2019 when the supplier announced it would be raising prices for around four million customers on the British Gas standard tariff by 10%, effective 1 April 2019. The supplier increased its rates to the new energy price cap level of £1,254.
In April 2018, British Gas prices rose by 5.5% on dual fuel standard variable rate tariffs, effective 29 May 2018.
The increase put the price of British Gas' standard tariff at £369 above the cheapest energy deal on the market at the time of announcement.
Read more about British Gas's price change history.
British Gas renewable energy
British Gas energy tariffs include various plans that feature renewable energy as a selling point. These green tariffs come in the form of offsetting carbon use (by funding projects dedicated to reducing carbon emissions) when customers buy gas, or matching electricity consumption by purchasing electricity generated from renewable sources.
Is British Gas going bust?
The energy market is challenging and unpredictable at the moment and there is a certain level of risk to some suppliers - find out why in our energy market Q&A guide.