Centrica to reduce British Gas bills by an average of 53 pounds

2nd Dec 2013 08:30

Centrica has unveiled plans to reduce its British Gas customer bills by an average of 53 pounds a year. The reduction comes after British Gas decided to reduce its household gas and electricity prices by an average of 3.2%, which is equal to an average of £41 of the firm's average annual dual fuel bill, while the additional £12 will be the result of a customer rebate for the government's Warm Home Discount (WHD) scheme.The move was prompted by recent changes to the Energy Company Obligation, the energy efficiency programme introduced in early 2013, under which energy suppliers are obliged to help improve the energy efficiency of their domestic customers' buildings, which are then tacked onto customers' bills. Under the changes, the programme will focus on offering value for money for customers, and will spread the cost of things like home insulation over a longer period. Chris Weston, the Managing Director of British Gas, said: "British Gas is pleased to be cutting energy bills by an average of £53 from January 1st. We've been able to do this because the government has committed to making changes to the environmental and social obligations that are paid for through energy bills. These changes will now allow us to help more people at a lower cost."British Gas strongly supports the aims of the Energy Company Obligation, which is transforming homes and communities across the UK, providing energy efficiency measures such as insulation, while keeping homes warm and cutting carbon emissions. "While this price cut will be welcome news this winter, we will continue to do everything we can to help customers reduce their energy consumption and keep their energy bills as low as possible." NR