British Gas in 2022: Prices, Reviews and Contact Details

British Gas Information

British Gas
Founded	1986
Client Email	customerservice@britishgas.co.uk
Client Number	00 44 113 298 0900
Log in	Log into your British Gas Energy account here
Number of clients	13 million
Postal Address	British Gas, PO Box 227, ROTHERHAM, S98 1PD

British Gas is the oldest energy supplier in the UK. They have been functioning for over 200 years under different names, such as the Gas Light and Coke Company or the British Gas Corporation. In 1986 under Margaret Thatcher, British Gas was privatised and became the first ever private energy supplier in the UK.

With the introduction of stricter regulations surrounding energy supply by Ofgem, British Gas has been hit quite hard. This is because smaller energy companies are attracting a lot of British Gas customers, due to lower tariffs, greener plans and better customer service.
Despite this, British Gas is still the largest supplier in the county providing around 11 million homes with energy.

British Gas Tariffs, Plans and Offers

British Gas has a robust range of tariffs including 4 fixed rate tariffs, one variable rate tariff and one pay-as-you-go tariff. You can also choose dual-energy or double electricity, depending on your energy needs. Here’s a little reminder of what it all means:

• • If you opt for a fixed tariff, this means that the price of your energy per kWh remains constant for the duration of your energy plan. Your bill will not be subject to market fluctuations, so you won’t be hit with any sudden price increases!
  • Variable tariffs do not offer this consistency, however, there are upsides to choosing this type of tariff as well; just as your bill can increase, it can also significantly drop in price. It just means that your supplier is free to change the cost per unit of your energy at any time.
  • Dual energy means that your gas and electricity tariffs are all in one place, under the same plan, rather than kept separate. This is generally considered to be much more convenient, and often cheaper, as discounts are usually provided for dual fuel customers.
  • Single electricity does what it says on the tin: you have one tariff for all of your electricity consumption.
  • However, if you opt for double electricity economy 7, the price of electricity is determined by the time of the day you are using it. These tariffs have two unit rates one for peak hours of energy consumption, typically during the day, and a second unit rate for off-peak hours of energy use, typically night.

If you’re unsure of any of this, please get in touch with us to discuss the best options corresponding to your energy consumption.

British Gas average annual total tariff costs

Here break down the average annual total costs of each of British Gas’s most popular tariffs. These costs are assuming the household has a standard meter and are listed as dual fuel bundles, but each gas and electricity tariff is available for individual purchase as well!

Below you can find the cost information associated with these tariffs.

British Gas Variable Rate Tariffs

British Gas currently offers only one variable rate tariff, which happens to be their standard variable rate tariff. What this means, as mentioned above, is that the rate prices of this tariff can increase or decrease on a near-daily basis to match the ongoing costs of energy within the UK. While there is less stability with this variable rate tariff because prices can increase or decrease often, it does have no contract or exit fees, so customers are free to switch their tariff plan whenever they wish without any penalty.

The costs associated with this tariff can be seen here:

British Gas Fixed Rate Tariffs

British Gas currently offers 4 separate fixed rate tariff plans that are each different in unique ways in order to meet the needs of as many different types of customers as possible.

The pricing on these tariffs can be seen here:

British Gas Prepaid Tariffs

In addition to their variable and fixed rate tariff plans, British Gas also offers a prepaid tariff plan that allows you to ¨top-up¨ your meter with as much energy as you would like to pay. The unit rates for this tariff plan, much like the variable rate tariff, are not locked and as a result, the costs of this tariff may increase or decrease to reflect the costs of energy in the UK going up or down.

Costs associated with this tariff plan can be seen here:

British Gas Economy 7 Tariffs

Also referred to as double electricity by some, British Gas offers several E7 tariff plans to accommodate customers that have economy 7 meters in their homes.

As mentioned previously, these tariffs have two separate unit rates, one for peak hours of consumption and another for off-peak.

Pricing on these tariffs can be seen here:

If you want to know more about the cost of tariffs offered by British Gas, you should give us a ring, and one of our experts can give you the most accurate and up-to-date information.

British Gas Feed-In-Tariff Scheme

Unfortunately, the British Gas FIT scheme was so popular that they had to stop it altogether. How does this work, you ask?! Well, with a FIT scheme, if you have solar panels then you are eligible to get money back if you sell excess energy back to the grid. In other words, if you generate too much energy for your household’s needs through your solar panels, then you can make money from this.

So what happened? Well, so many households joined the scheme and were making money, that there weren’t enough funds to pay every household for their excess energy. If you were already on a FIT scheme with British Gas before it was cancelled, don’t worry, as you are still eligible to continue on it until your contract runs out. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to renew it, and you’ll have to look to another supplier for a new FIT scheme.

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Does British Gas have good customer reviews?

According to TrustPilot, British Gas ranks 3.7/5 for customer satisfaction based on reviews from over 27,000 customers. 49% of reviews deemed the quality of service to be “excellent”.

Due to the emergence of lots of smaller and greener energy companies on the market, British Gas is dropping in the rankings. This is because their customer satisfaction doesn’t compare to that of smaller companies, which tend to look after their customers better. Generally, what pushed British Gas customers to a new supplier was the price of their tariffs, which are generally considered to be very high, or at least a lot higher than other providers on the market.

However, British Gas also have lots of pros over some of its competitors. For example, customers are generally happy with their Warm Home Discount scheme, as well as their app and online services which are easy to use. Find out more about the British Gas Customer reviews in our dedicated articles.

What other services does British Gas offer?

Do British Gas have a boiler service ?

As part of British Gas HomeCare, British Gas offer boiler cover for their customers. An annual boiler service is included in all HomeCare plans, including engineer callouts and a 24-hour hotline if you have any problems. You also have a 14-day cooling-off period if you want to cancel your plan! It’s important to get boiler cover if you have a boiler heating your home, as some home insurance plans might not cover boiler repairs if there is a problem.

You can book an annual boiler service for just £85 through their website to ensure that your boiler is working as efficiently as you would like. If you are a 5-year warranty customer, you must get your boiler serviced once a year in order for your warranty to stay valid.

Need a new boiler? You can book an appointment online to speak with a British Gas adviser who can help you decide on the right boiler for your household’s needs.

British Gas Home Insurance

On top of boiler cover, British Gas also offer home insurance called British Gas homecare plan. They offer buildings cover to landlords who rent our their property and want to cover themselves for damage. They also offer contents insurance if you are renting from a landlord. If you own the house and live in it, you can even take out both. However, British Gas Home Insurance is only available to take out for your main residence. So if you have a second home you want to insure, you’ll have to look elsewhere.

British Gas Smart Meters

In the UK, the government has made it a requirement for all suppliers to at least offer smart meters to their customers. It’s up to you if you want to have one – this isn’t a requirement. For this reason, British Gas offer smart meters to all of its customers. Having a smart meter is good for so many reasons, including:

• • • It allows you to stay on top of your up-to-date energy consumption.
    • You can keep on top of your Feed-In-Tariff (FIT).
    • It helps you to make a smart decision about how to reduce your energy usage.
    • It makes paying bills quicker and easier, as you can provide instant meter readings.

If you are already a British Gas customer, you can log into your account online, or visit the app, to apply for your smart meter.

Do British Gas have business energy deals?

A lot of the time, when judging an energy supplier, we only take into account their domestic energy tariffs. However, most suppliers on the market also have a range of business energy deals with their corporate clients. At the moment, British Gas offer just one gas and electricity tariff for their business customers.

Their business services are impressive, however. They offer a 24-hour service for their business customers, and competitive rates based on energy consumption. Depending on the size of your business, British Gas will offer a single point of contact for all your energy queries and services.

To summarise their business energy deals, British Gas offers:

• • • Tariffs that suit the size of your company, whether you are a small business or a larger corporation.
    • Both fixed and flexible contracts.
    • Plans ranging from 30 days to 3 years.
    • Dual fuel or single fuel tariffs.
    • A multi-site tariff for companies with multiple offices, collating all your sites’ usage in one plan.

Head over to our dedicated British gas business energy page to find the best deal for your company.

Who do they support?

Do you need emergency financial support? The British Gas charitable trust is an organisation that seeks to help those who are struggling to pay their bills. The trust funds organisations that provide emergency relief and support to those who need it, such as boiler repairs and fuel top-ups.

British Gas also offer a Warm Home Discount. This means that if a customer can’t afford to pay their bills during the winter, they are eligible for discounts. Why only in the winter? Well, tariff prices reflect supply and demand. This means that in the winter, there is more demand for heat, so the price goes up to reflect this. If you can’t afford to pay for this extra cost, you can apply year after year for this scheme to help you pay to fuel your house. British Gas will probably ask for proof of your financial situation, however, so be prepared to give some details about this.

Does British Gas use renewable energy as part of their fuel mix?

Where do British Gas get its energy from?

• • • British Gas haven’t quite managed to become one of the 100% renewable suppliers in the UK. Only 56% of British Gas’ energy comes from renewable sources, with 4% from coal. Compared to the other 5 suppliers who make up the ‘Big 6’, this is a relatively good statistic. However, relative to smaller suppliers, such as Bulb whose energy tariff is 100% renewable, greener moves need to be made.
    • With so many suppliers moving over to 100% green energy, this doesn’t look great for British Gas. However, they have committed to offsetting the carbon footprint of their customers.
    • British Gas have partnered up with ClimateCare, which will offset 94% of the gas British Gas customers use. They do this by investing in carbon reduction projects in developing countries.

Do British Gas have a renewable energy plan?

British Gas’ green tariff is 100% renewable and promises to offset all the electricity you buy with renewables. For businesses, British Gas also offer a 100% renewable electricity tariff that has been accredited by the Carbon Trust. By opting for Renewable Electricity for Business, the same amount of electricity you use will be sent back to the grid.

As well as this, British Gas’ Green Future tariffs aim to offset your domestic consumption and invest in environmental impact projects.

However, this still doesn’t really fare up compared to the renewable plans provided by some other suppliers, like Bulb or Octopus. If a green energy plan is a priority for you, it’s best to look elsewhere, perhaps to a smaller, independent energy provider.

British Gas contact

British Gas have customer service numbers for pretty much every issue or query you might have.

If you’re already a British Gas customer, then you can ring 0333 202 9802 any weekday between 8 am and 8 pm, Saturday between 8 am and 6 pm, and Sunday between 10 am and 4 pm. This number is to be used only if you already have an account and have some queries.

The British Gas head office is located at Millstream, Maidenhead Road, Windsor, Berkshire SL4 5GD. However, to post something to them, their PO box is PO Box 227, Rotherham, S98 1PD.

British Gas also have an app that is pretty highly rated. On this app, you can submit meter readings, book a utility service, and pay your bills, plus so many more services.

In short, there are a lot of ways you can get in touch with British Gas! Remember, if you want an impartial service, you can always get in touch with one of our experts to chat through your energy options.

British Gas in your area

At Switch Plan we know what matters for you when it comes to energy is to find the best supplier at the cheapest price. In the following links you will find information specific to your area to help you find the best energy deal for your city:

FAQ

Is British Gas good value for its price?

While some customer reviews expressed happiness with British Gas’ value for money, an independent survey revealed that overall customers rated the supplier 2 out of 5 stars for value for money.

Does British Gas use renewable energy?

British Gas does not use 100% renewable energy for all of their tariffs but they do offer a green tariff that does offer 100% renewable electricity and a carbon offset on a majority of gas used by customers that are signed up with this tariff.

What do British Gas customers say about them?

British Gas customers’ opinions are decidedly mixed. While they have a comparatively huge market share, and 14% of their customers have been with them for over 20 years, around 30% of reviews consider them below average.