Posts Tagged ‘British Gas’

British Gas see 98% rise in profits, don’t cut prices

28 July 2010

British Gas profits have risen by 98 per cent, but the energy giant will not pass this on to customers in the form of price cuts.

One of the ‘big six’ business energy suppliers, British Gas’s profits have almost doubled in the first half of this year.

Centrica, its parent company, has posted the massive leap in profits thanks to the coldest winter in 30 years. Wholesale energy prices have also been low, but none of this will be passed on to customers. British Gas argues that wholesale gas prices are set to rise once more.

While business gas customers on fixed contracts will be protected from any price increases for the duration of their contract, they could face sharp increases at contract renewal time.

That’s why shopping around for your business utilities is important. For advice on getting the best deal for business gas and electricity, contact Energy Advice Line.

Read the full story at the BBC.

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Schools get free solar panels to generate own business energy

29 June 2010

Business energy giant British Gas is to invest £15million in solar panels for UK schools. A total of 750 schools will benefit from the scheme, which will see solar panels installed for free, enabling each school to cut up to 20 per cent of its yearly electricity bill by generating its own green business electricity.

The panels are expected to generated about £1.3m per year through the feed in tariff scheme over the next 25 years, and British Gas will invest this back into installing solar panels on more schools through the not-for-profit Energy For Tomorrow Trust.

The schools will also receive a smart meter from British Gas, enabling teachers to use them to show pupils real-time business electricity consumption, educating future generations on how solar power can make a difference.

There will also be ‘Generation Green’ lesson plans to help teachers in this task.

Solar panels are increasingly popular for business electricity generation for many businesses, with many SMEs considering them as realistic prospect.

Would your business consider using solar power to generate business electricity? Tell us what you think by leaving a comment.

Read the full story at Utility Week

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British Gas ‘helping’ small business energy firms with bills

12 April 2010
British Gas's SAVE scheme has helped businesses stay out of debt, but keeping an eye on business energy costs is vital to help your company thrive.

British Gas's SAVE scheme has helped businesses stay out of debt, but keeping an eye on business energy costs is vital to help your company thrive.

On the anniversary of its SAVE scheme for small businesses (that’s Small business Advice and Value Expertise), British Gas claims that it is doing all it can to help small and medium sized business who are struggling with their business energy bills.

British Gas established the scheme in the depth of the recession. Speaking to This is Money, a spokesperson said that they established the scheme after realising many firms were struggling to pay their bills. “We knew that small business owners wanted a single point of contact for help and advice on their energy requirements,” they added.

To do this effectively, British Gas developed a five-step credit rating system that enables it to identify and target those SMEs at most risk of falling into business energy debt or defaulting on their payments.

The credit solutions team can give advice on reducing energy consumption as well as sending out energy saving products, and to date more than 10,000 small and medium sized businesses have taken advantage of the scheme.

This is all positive new for business energy customers; however, there is no dedicated hotline or website for businesses that are having payment difficulties to access, and often to really save on your business electricity and business gas bills it’s best to shop around for a new energy contract.

British Gas has received much criticism for “assumed renewal” tactics in the past, and it’s widely known that if you stay with your existing business energy supplier at contract renewal time you are not going to get the best prices or deals.

When you are nearing the end of your business energy contract, then is the time to get on the phone to find out what packages other suppliers are offering.

By using the services of an independent advisory service such as Energy Advice Line, you can take all the stress and hassle out of this process and get a business energy price comparison in just one phone call.

You can also use EAL’s free, online price comparison services, which presents the prices of the UK’s most competitive energy suppliers – negating the need to wait for a call back before you make your decision.

You can read the full British Gas story at ThisIsMoney.

Picture credit – CCA: Gas by Tom Pagenet from Flickr

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Don’t let your business energy supplier bully you into high prices

26 February 2010
There were debates on bullying here this week. Don't let your energy company bully you.

There were debates on bullying here this week. Don't let your energy company bully you.

Listening to Today in Parliament last night, I couldn’t help thinking what a confusing and precarious time it is for business energy customers.

As I predicted on this blog on Monday, there was much furore yesterday as British Gas revealed a jump of 58% in profits in 2009, taking them to a record high. On Monday, OfGem reported that for all energy suppliers profit margins had risen by about £30 per domestic customer a year, and consumer focus groups instantly called for recent drops in wholesale energy prices to be passed on to customers.

For business gas customers, things are a little different as business energy contracts are run for a fixed term. In the business energy market, it’s up to the customer to be aware of when their business gas and business electricity contracts are up for renewal and to make sure they act promptly if they want to switch supplier.

This got me thinking about another story that’s been all over the media this week. Bullying has become a real buzz word in the past week, with the allegations made about the goings on behind the doors of 10 Downing Street kicking things off last Sunday, sparking a great deal of debate and discussion about bullying in the workplace. On last night’s Question Time UKIP’s Nigel Farage was accused of bullying the EU president following his bizarre outburst in the European Parliament, and it’s clear that bullying will be a political hot potato for some time to come.

Nobody likes a bully, but for many business energy customers it could feel as if they are being bullied into high energy costs by their gas and electricity supplier. With tactics like assumed renewal of contracts and short windows of opportunity to terminate contracts and change supplier, the pressure is on customers to make sure they are getting the best deals for business gas and business electricity.

Energy Advice Line can help by taking note of your business energy contract renewal dates and contacting you to make sure you are aware that your period for termination is coming up. Just complete a renewal notification form. There are pre-prepared termination notices available on EAL’s website, and we can also help you to find the best prices for business gas and business electricity, taking the stress out of the process.

There is a spark of positivity for small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) this morning, as the BBC reports that the UK’s economy grew by more than initially anticipated in the last quarter of 2009. The original growth figure of 0.1% has been revised up to 0.3%, which indicates that the recovery is truly underway.

While this is welcome news for business owners, we are far from out of the woods yet. Just yesterday the pound slid to a record low against the dollar because of fears over the strength of the UK economy.

That’s why keeping overheads such as business gas and business electricity as low as you can is vital. It remains a stressful time for small and medium businesses, but help is available. To find out how Energy Advice Line can take the pain out of switching business energy supplier, contact us today.

Read the BBC story on British Gas here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8535850.stm

And the story about Economic Recovery here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8538293.stm

Picture credit – CCA: Houses of Parliament by wwarby, from Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwarby/3893487766/

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British Gas cuts standard gas prices by 7%

4 February 2010
Gas main replacement in Manchester. Worries abound about stability of supply.

Gas main replacement in Manchester. Worries abound about stability of supply.

British Gas has today announced cuts in standard gas prices of up to 7%. This will save the average domestic customer about £55 per year, and will be a welcome relief to many unsure how they will cope with increased fuel prices.

Wholesale gas prices dropped sharply a year ago and energy firms have been criticised for not passing these price cuts on to customers (although British Gas has cut its domestic prices three times in the last year.)

While this is good news for domestic customers, many businesses will still be concerned about the cost – and stability – of their business gas and business electricity.

Yesterday, Ofgem warned of the real possibility of energy blackouts unless significant changes were made to the way the energy industry operated. Speaking to The Times, Ofgem’s chief executive Alistair Buchanan stated that reforms were needed right now to avoid disruptions to supply by 2015, and added that investment of £200million was needed to prevent this happening.

Ofgem’s report offered several proposals, including the establishing of a central ‘energy buyer’ – seen by many as a step back towards nationalisation.

However, the Ofgem report has provoked a flurry of criticism. While Energy Secretary Ed Miliband insisted that the government was confident Britain would continue to have a secure energy supply in years to come, Shadow Energy Secretary Greg Clark directed blame towards the government.

In addition, Tim Hayward, Chief Executive of BP, gave an interview to the BBC’s Today programme described the flurry of fears over gas supply as “unreasonable paranoia.”

Here at Energy Advice Line, we’re keeping a close eye on changes in price for both business gas and business electricity.

Julian Morgan, Managing Director of Energy Advice Line, said: “I want to reassure our customers that EAL are very regularly updating the business electricity and gas prices provided by its panel of suppliers. One or two of our suppliers for example change their commercial prices on a weekly basis.”

To read the full story about domestic gas prices, from the BBC, click here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8497460.stm

To read the full Times article, click this link:

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/utilities/article7014312.ece?&EMC-Bltn=RZ65N2F

And listen to the Today programme’s interview with Tim Hayward here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8497000/8497578.stm

Image credit: CCA: By pit-yacker of Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/pit-yacker/3711266880

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Cut your business utility costs with the Energy Advice Line

25 June 2009

There is a potential risk that a number of business sectors will start to feel the affect of a slow-down in customer spending on the high street. However, small and medium sized business owners are also being warned to monitor the price they pay for commodities such as business electricity and business gas. These essential business costs are going up at an exponential rate, which coupled with the downturn in customer spending is putting much greater strain on business profitability.

Small and medium sized businesses are being advised to act now to address the increase of these essential overheads by comparing what they are currently paying with what is available from other providers in the market.

Energy Advice Line was set up specifically to address the needs of business and obtain the best possible business electricity, business gas and now business telecom rates and deals. EAL, however, does maintain a transparent approach to its contracts and as such there are no fees involved from the client side as EAL receive an introduction from the new provider.

Business customers are sometimes not that aware of the potential savings that can be made by switching business energy suppliers, and the perceived amount of paperwork can appear daunting. However, Energy Advice Line do all the legwork for customers, providing an impartial online price comparison service in which the customer can view and evaluate the most competitive offers on the market within seconds. The process of switching is seamless and the savings can be up to 50%.

Energy Advice Line have tailored themselves as consumer champions of the business energy market, believing that everyone should be entitled to clear, trustworthy and impartial advice about their business energy bills. Energy Advice Line are a totally independent business energy comparison company who will search the entire business energy market on a businesses behalf to establish which suppliers are prepared to offer the best prices.

Any supplier offering competitive business gas or business electricity rates will be included in their comprehensive panel of suppliers. Some of these rates may be the same as going direct but the cheapest prices will often be special rates that Energy Advice Line are able to negotiate through their size and industry contacts. Suppliers Energy Advice Line have terms with currently include: British Gas Business, Scottish and Southern Energy, Npower, Scottish Power, EDF Energy, Haven Power, and EON.

Energy Advice Line are committed to offering the lowest price for business gas and business electricity and will always present the best available deals, no matter what commission is being offered by suppliers. If, on the rare occasion, better prices are available by going direct to the supplier, they will be happy to explain the pros and cons of choosing that option.

This is a free service and Energy Advice Line only receive an introductory commission from suppliers once they have safely transferred as a customer. Price transparency is key to earning the trust of customers and, whilst unable to publish the commission rates here, Energy Advice Line are happy to advise on a case-by-case basis.

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Helping businesses save money on their energy bills and providing impartial

27 January 2009

Energy Advice Line (EAL) have tailored themselves as consumer champions of the business energy market, believing that everyone should be entitled to clear, trustworthy and impartial advice about their business utility bills.

Energy Advice Line are a totally independent business energy comparison company who will search the entire business energy market on a businesses behalf to establish which suppliers are prepared to offer the best prices.

Any supplier offering competitive business gas or business electricity rates will be included in their comprehensive panel of suppliers. Some of these rates may be the same as going direct but the cheapest prices will often be special rates that EAL are able to negotiate through their size and industry contacts. Suppliers EAL have terms with currently include: British Gas Business, Scottish and Southern Energy, Npower, Scottish Power, EDF Energy, Haven Power, and Eon.

EAL are committed to offering the lowest price for business gas and business electricity and will always present the best available deals, no matter what commission is being offered by suppliers. If, on the rare occasion, better prices are available by going direct to the supplier, they will be happy to explain the pros and cons of choosing that option.

This is a free service and EAL only receive an introductory commission from business electricity suppliers once they have safely transferred as a customer. Price transparency is key to earning the trust of customers and, whilst unable to publish the commission rates here, EAL are happy to advise on a case-by-case basis.

Whether it’s checking current contract status or helping avoid unwanted/expensive renewals, EAL’s service is geared towards making sure every switch happens smoothly and successfully. Given the high number of switching attempts that fail because of suppliers raising objections – legitimate or otherwise – EAL are very proud of a near 100% contract ‘live rate’. They will also be there throughout the term of the contract and, significantly, offer a ‘renewal reminder’ to ensure that there is always the freedom to choose the best available option from a business gas and electricity supplier at the end date.

The energy regulator – OFGEM – has published a list of ‘key questions’ that it recommends should be asked of business energy suppliers and brokers to improve chances of a fair deal. There shouldn’t be the need to ask Energy Advice Line any of these questions but, if in doubt, please do. NB OFGEM does not deal directly with any energy related enquiries/ complaints itself, but refers calls to Consumer Direct (08454 04 05 06).

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Beware of Supplier Win-Back Tactics warns the UK’s Energy Watchdog

18 January 2009

Energywatch, the UK’s gas and electricity watchdog is warning customers to beware of win-back phone calls from British Gas Business.

Julian Morgan, Commercial Director at the Energy Advice Line explains “The win-back tactic from British Gas is putting the client in a very difficult position as they have usually already formed a binding contract with another supplier. Then as a last ditch attempt to keep the customer British Gas object to the client transfering to their new supplier and while this block is in place, their very aggresive win back team phones the client and pressurises them into agreeing a new contract”.

Businesses are starting to complain…

Energywatch state that business consumers are starting to complain to the consumer watchdog that they are now being penalised by their new new supplier if they have accepted a win-back deal with British Gas.

Julian Morgan continues “If British Gas wanted to renew with the customer, they should have quoted to keep them when they sent the renewal quotation to them. Clients have even been known to go back to them after obtaining competitive quotes on the open market and ask give British Gas one last opportunity to beat it only for them to decline the opportunity. It does not make sense for British Gas to wait for the new supplier to start the switch process for their win-back team to get involved”

Creating confusion for the client…

This tactic creates a lot of confusion for the client and it can lead to issues of penalties being enforced by the new supplier. Paul Savage, Business Services Manager at Energywatch comments “Where a business has agreed to move suppliers, even over the phone, the new supplier is entitled to enforce their new contract, even before they have actually taken over the supply. As a result, small businesses can easily find themselves tied into two contracts with different suppliers at the same time and at the risk of paying substantial penalties.”

OFGEM are being pressed to act now!

Energywatch is pressing the energy regulator Ofgem to increase protection to small businesses and representation of the rights of this consumer group.

“In the meantime”, advises Paul Savage, “small businesses should be very wary of win back calls. They might ask themselves why their old supplier didn’t offer them such a good deal while they were still in contract with them. The deal may not be so good if they factor in the extra costs of terminating their new contract”.

If you would like any further information or advice regarding supplier win-back tactics, please do not hesitate to contact the Energy Advice Line on 0845 094 2518.

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