Centrica profits up after cold weather
May 28, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Most of the country may have suffered from the bitterly cold weather to strike the UK in the first part of the year. But what was bad news for many was good news for the gas companies. Now Centrica, the owner of British Gas, has revealed that it saw a 7% rise in the use of gas during the first three months of the year compared to 2009.
This was not the only good news for the power giant as it also saw its electricity use rise by 2% compared to last year. And on top of that, British Gas revealed that its price cuts had been responsible for a large increase in its overall customer numbers. British Gas cut its bills by 7% in February, and now it says that this has led to 200,000 more residential customers.
For the first six months of last year, British Gas boasted a large operating profit of £299 million, which was up an enormous 80% from 2008. It is now suggesting that it could beat even these record profits when its figures are revealed.
All this of course will see increased pressure from consumer groups for British Gas to cut its bills further. Bills are still incredibly high for many, and it will do the company no favours to keep the prices high if they are going to make record profits.
If British Gas does reduce its bills then this will be good news for customers across the country, because the other major power companies generally follow its lead.
Hunt for Britain's oldest boiler
May 20, 2010 at 10:56 am
Not many of us would rejoice in the fact that we struggle each winter with an ancient boiler. However, as a result of a recent initiative from energy supplier, npower, this could be distinctly beneficial.
Earlier this year, the government launched a new scheme for scrapping old boilers, under which homeowners who were replacing their G-rated boilers could be rewarded with £400 towards a new energy efficient system.
Intrigued and inspired by their engineers uncovering some weird and wonderful ancient systems which would not have looked out of place on Antiques Roadshow, npower have launched a hunt for the oldest boiler in Britain. The lucky winner will receive £3,000 towards the cost and installation of a new A-rated energy-efficient system.
The competition does not close until 30 June but in the event of a draw the winner will be the first of the tied entries to have been received so it is advantageous to be quick off the mark. For full details of how to enter, send an email to kate.dawson@europe.mccann.com. The competition is open to home owners only and does not cover commercial properties.
Even after the official government scrappage scheme ended, npower pledged to continue giving customers an allowance towards a more modern system. For further details of npower’s own scrappage scheme see their website.
The energy supplier is set to delight not only owners of old boilers but also football fans with their new Wallace and Gromit advert “Hand of Dog”, supporting England’s bid for the 2018 World Cup.
