British Gas is perhaps the best-known and most revered of all utility companies in the United Kingdom. They serve over 350,000 business customers and are one of the big 6 energy suppliers who make up nearly 80% of the energy market.
Even more impressive is that as of July 2018, British Gas commanded approximately 25.3% of the non-domestic gas market. This makes them a powerhouse for business electricity and gas supply, eclipsing other large providers.
British Gas’s history stretches back over 200 years. The company we know today was formed under the Conservative Government of Margaret Thatcher by way of the Gas Act 1986, which led to the company’s privatisation.
Key features:
- Contract lengths from 30-days to 3-years
- Renew and cancel online
- 100% renewable energy available
- Easy to use online account platform
- Commercial heating care can be bundled in
British Gas Core Services
British Gas’s core business services are electricity and gas supply. They offer a variety of electricity and gas tariffs, as well as multi-site tariffs and renewable energy. All their energy plans can be on a variable or fixed price plan to suit your needs.
In addition to energy for small, medium and large business, British Gas also provide electricity and gas for industrial clients who spend more than £300k a year on their energy bills, with flexible contract lengths and a dedicated account manager.
Businesses can also benefit from boiler care and commercial heating care. Business Care covers central heating and ventilation systems. These business energy products can be bundled into your energy plan so all your needs are taken care of. As an add-on, British Gas can also assist your business with energy saving.
The cheapest way to buy business energy with British Gas is with EnergyBillKill – you can get a quote in less than 60 seconds and start your switch the same day.
British Gas Business Electricity and Gas Tariffs & Rates
British Gas offers a variety of business energy tariffs:
Fixed Price Energy Plans
British Gas’s fixed price business energy plans can be fixed for 1, 2 or 3 years so your rates aren’t affected by market prices.
- Fix for 1, 2, or 3 years
- Always pay the same price for your electricity and gas
30-day Rolling Energy Plan
British Gas’s 30-day rolling energy plans are variable business energy tariffs that give you contract flexibility. Your energy prices could go up or down, but you will be able to cancel anytime. You can also upgrade to a Fixed Price Plan anytime.
- Variable rates
- Renews every month
- Offers flexibility to cancel anytime
Half-hourly meters
If you have a half-hourly meter British Gas can offer you half-hourly rates that are based on your energy usage (how and when your business uses electricity).
- Splits energy into 30-minute blocks
- Special rates
- Flexible Meter Operator arrangement
Multi-site and multi-meter gas and electric
Multi-site and multi-meter rates are available for businesses who are expected to consume more than 100,000 kWh a year. With these tariffs, you get access to a special price for your sites and you can take out a contract from 30 days to 5 years.
- Special prices
- Fix your tariff up to a maximum of 5 years
- For large businesses that spend over £300,000 on their energy a year
British Gas Deemed Rates
You will be charged deemed rates either if your contract automatically renews without agreeing a new contract, or if you move into a new premises and there’s an existing supply in place with British Gas. British Gas’s deemed rates are less than some other suppliers, but in all cases they are considerably more than contracted rates.
Electricity deemed rates
British Gas’s electricity deemed rates are as follows:
Profile class | Standing charge (pence/day) | Unit rate (pence/kWh) |
01 – 04 profiles | 78.40 | 23.95 |
05 – 08 profiles and half-hourly whole current meters* | 108.37 | 24.43 |
*Where electricity is used wholly or mainly for non-domestic purposes only. These figures were accurate as of 26.05.2020.
Gas deemed rates
British Gas’s gas deemed rates are as follows:
Small non-daily meter | Large non-daily meter | Daily Meter | |
Standing charge pence per day | 139.62 | 580.66 | 38,013.82 |
Unit rate pence per kWh | 5.45 | 5.37 | 3.33 |
*Where gas is used wholly or mainly for non-domestic purposes only. These figures were accurate as of 26.05.2020.
British Gas Fuel Mix
Electricity
British Gas offers 100% renewable electricity for small, medium and large businesses. They do not publish how their renewable electricity is sourced (wind, solar, hydro, etc.) however their product is independently certified by the Carbon Trust.
Their electricity fuel mix is as follows:
- Coal 0%
- Natural gas 0%
- Nuclear 0%
- Renewable 100%
And the environmental impact is as follows:
- CO2 emissions – 0g per kWh
- Radioactive waste – 0g per kWh
If businesses do not opt for a Renewable Electricity tariff, then British Gas’s standard fuel mix applies. This is as follows:
- Coal 4%
- Natural gas 29%
- Nuclear 9%
- Renewables 56%
- Other 2%
And the environmental impact is as follows:
- CO2 emissions – 157g per kWh
- Radioactive waste – 0.006g per kWh
Want to compare fuel mixes? Head over to our fuel mix comparison page.
Pros and Cons of Switching to British Gas
Pros
- 100% renewable electricity available
- Non-renewable tariffs still have over 50% renewables
- 30-day rolling variable tariffs
- Fixed business energy tariffs from 1, 2 and 3 years
- Industrial tariffs (bills over £300k a year) can be fixed up to 5 years
- You can bundle in heating, ventilation and boiler care with Business Care
- Dedicated switching team
- Dedicated business customer service team
- Energy360 – helps you understand your energy usage
- You can manage your account online or in the British Gas app
- British Gas’s experts can help your small business with energy saving
- Good complaints handling – they resolve over 85% of complaints within 8 weeks
Cons
- Not always the cheapest supplier
- Renewal quotes can jump up in price
- Customer reviews are mixed with a negative lean on some platforms
Overall, the pros outweigh the cons when switching to British Gas. If you can get a great deal on your energy, there’s no reason not to switch to them.
British Gas Reviews
British Gas is rated average among customers online.
Here’s a breakdown of their ratings across different review platforms:
- Trustpilot – they have a 3.5/5 star rating based on over 32,000 reviews
- Review Centre– they have a 1.4/5 star rating based on over 300 reviews
British Gas has also been compared to other suppliers for complaints handling:
- Citizens Advice – British Gas Ranked 9th out of 16 for complaints handling among non-domestic energy suppliers.
How these ratings compare
If we combine the two review platforms Trustpilot and Review Center to create a rating system up to 10, British Gas has an overall customer rating of 4.9 out of 10. This means they are rated average among business customers online.
This is not the best nor the worst out there.
The Citizens advice data tells us that British Gas handles complaints better than Dual Energy, Scottish Power, Gazprom, Npower and Utilita, but worse than SSE, EDF, E.ON and Opus Energy. You can see British Gas’s latest stats for complaints handling here.
British Gas Contact Information & Tools
British Gas phone numbers
- Customer Service – 0333 202 9802
*Open 8am to 6pm – Monday to Friday
- Gas and electricity issues – 0333 202 9532
*Open 8am to 6pm – Monday to Friday
- Refunds – 0330 037 5109
*Open 8am to 6pm – Monday to Friday
- Business Care – 0333 202 9844
*Open 24-hours a day, 365 days a year
- Complaints – 0330 111 8098
*Open 9am to 5pm – Monday to Friday
Calls to 033 numbers cost no more than a national rate call to an 01 or 02 number.
British Gas Email Addresses
- Customer service – customerservice@britishgas.co.uk
- Customer service director – customer.service.director@britishgas.co.uk
- Business contracts – mybusinesscontract@britishgas.co.uk
- Account manager – myaccmanager@britishgas.co.uk
- Complaints – customercomplaints@britishgas.co.uk
- Installation complaints – installationcomplaints@britishgas.co.uk
- Electric car charging enquiries – ev@britishgas.co.uk
Making a Complaint with British Gas
You can make a complaint here. Select ‘business’ and follow the steps.
Further guidance for making a complaint can be found on Ofgem here.
British Gas Customer Service Address
For general enquiries, write to:
British Gas, PO Box 227, ROTHERHAM, S98 1PD.
If you want to send British Gas a complaint, write to:
Services Customer Relations, PO Box 699, Winchester, SO23 5AR.
Managing Your Business Account
You can register your business online here. This will enable you to manage your account online and through the British Gas app.
Paying Your British Gas Business Bill
You can pay British Gas in several ways:
- By debit or credit card
- By online banking
- By Direct Debit
- At the bank
- By post
- At the Post Office
- At a Payzone
- With a gas or electricity payment card
- From abroad
The easiest way to pay your British Gas energy bill is to login to My Account and make a bank payment or set up a Direct Debit.
Submitting Meter Readings
You can submit a business energy meter reading here.
British Gas Energy Guides
British Gas has published a series of energy guides here which can help you understand how energy works, how to switch and much more.
We have also published a guide to understanding British Gas energy bills.
British Gas Change of Tenancy Form
If you are moving premises you should let British Gas know as soon as possible – and they have made it easy for you to do this.
All you have to do is login to My Account and fill in a Change of Tenancy Form there. You will need the following details to hand:
- Your move out date
- New occupier name, phone number and email address
- Forwarding address
- Final meter reading
After you complete and submit the form, British Gas will get in touch with you.
British Gas in the News
British gas launches cheapest big six deal since 2016
Source: Express
March 2020: British Gas has launched the cheapest big six energy deal since 2016 with their Energy Plus Protection Mar 2021v2 tariff. It works out £315 cheaper than the average standard energy tariff from the big six.
British Gas launches 100% renewable electricity tariff
Source: Centrica
January 2020: British Gas has become the latest energy supplier to launch a 100% renewable electricity tariff for business. Their Green Tariff matches the electricity used by businesses with renewable electricity certificates.
Switching to British Gas
The easiest and fastest way to switch to British Gas is with EnergyBillKill. We have special deals in place with British Gas that can beat the prices you’ll get direct by as much as 20% – and you can compare quotes in just a few minutes!
Head over to EnergyBillKill.com to get started. You’ll need your business’s postcode, address, energy usage and ideal billing period. Simply enter these details when prompted to get quotes from several suppliers, including British Gas.
We’ve also launched a fantastic mobile app – it’s available on Android and iOS and is 100% free to use. Download it, enter your business details and we’ll give you quotes for energy on the move. It’s easy, fast and you’ll save money doing it.