British Gas is contemplating the addition of "Free Electricity Saturdays" to attempt to counter prevalent anger over surging electricity bills and utility company gains.
Centrica, which owns British Gas, on Wednesday reported a 9% increase in group gains, after gasoline consumption jumped 13% following last winter's record breaking cold spell. Additionally, it refused to rule out another price increase.
Under Free Electricity Saturdays, pioneered by British Gas's Us company, clients could be urged to utilize electricity-eager electrical devices for example washing machines and tumble dryers in the weekend. The point would be to increase family use at a time when industrial and commercial electricity demand slumps.
Other tariff thoughts under consideration contain pricing gasoline on Saturdays and Sundays at half the amount of weekdays. But any change to day-by-day pricing would need families to have smart meters fitted. British Gas has installed several million of the devices.
Centrica's chief executive, Sam Laidlaw, told the Financial Times that free Saturdays could be launched early next year, in a move the firm hopes could facilitate the significant criticism it has faced from consumers and political leaders over its climbing earnings.
This past year the chancellor pledged to compel energy companies to provide every client the cheapest possible price rather than place them onto regular tariffs, however it later appeared this can lead to one in five clients really spending more.
Business Gas Prices are going up.
Laidlaw said cheaper weekend tariffs would help the environment: "In addition to being good for customers, they [free electricity times] are good for carbon reduction by lowering peak power generation that's disproportionately higher in carbon dioxide emissions."
Earlier, Centrica's chief financial officer, Nick Luff, had refused to eliminate a further price increase, as he warned that British Gas is under pressure from the price of government energysaving schemes and volatile prices in the wholesale gas marketplace.
"What I can-do is ensure you that we'll keep our costs as low as we can," he said. "It is really in our interests to possess competitive prices - we need to bring clients - and when prices really need to increase we will delay that for so long so possible."
Centrica, which increased costs by 6% last November, reported a 9% increase in gains to GBP1.58bn for the first 6 months of the full year. for its whole company spanning energy generation and supply. He added that while team earnings were up 9% to GBP1.58bn, earnings within the residential arm of British Gas increased just 3% to GBP356m from GBP345m.
British Gas prompted widespread criticism with last year's cost increase, which added GBP80 annually for the typical double-fuel customer's statement. The business, electricity prices which serves 10m families, assured in-may it could use its gains to keep costs down, but has refused to place a date to the whole period of the cost assurance.
Consumer groups urged British Gas to freeze electricity bills for the remainder of the full year.
Tom Lyon, at uSwitch.com, said: "The fact that British Gas has absorbed increasing prices to date this season is going to be of cold comfort to customers who might be fearing the worst - notably with rumors of cost rises. Earnings are up from this past year, therefore we'd encourage British Gas to help quell clients' anxieties and commit to a price freeze for the remainder of the full year."
Centrica, which owns British Gas, on Wednesday reported a 9% increase in group gains, after gasoline consumption jumped 13% following last winter's record breaking cold spell. Additionally, it refused to rule out another price increase.
Under Free Electricity Saturdays, pioneered by British Gas's Us company, clients could be urged to utilize electricity-eager electrical devices for example washing machines and tumble dryers in the weekend. The point would be to increase family use at a time when industrial and commercial electricity demand slumps.
Other tariff thoughts under consideration contain pricing gasoline on Saturdays and Sundays at half the amount of weekdays. But any change to day-by-day pricing would need families to have smart meters fitted. British Gas has installed several million of the devices.
Centrica's chief executive, Sam Laidlaw, told the Financial Times that free Saturdays could be launched early next year, in a move the firm hopes could facilitate the significant criticism it has faced from consumers and political leaders over its climbing earnings.
This past year the chancellor pledged to compel energy companies to provide every client the cheapest possible price rather than place them onto regular tariffs, however it later appeared this can lead to one in five clients really spending more.
Business Gas Prices are going up.
Laidlaw said cheaper weekend tariffs would help the environment: "In addition to being good for customers, they [free electricity times] are good for carbon reduction by lowering peak power generation that's disproportionately higher in carbon dioxide emissions."
Earlier, Centrica's chief financial officer, Nick Luff, had refused to eliminate a further price increase, as he warned that British Gas is under pressure from the price of government energysaving schemes and volatile prices in the wholesale gas marketplace.
"What I can-do is ensure you that we'll keep our costs as low as we can," he said. "It is really in our interests to possess competitive prices - we need to bring clients - and when prices really need to increase we will delay that for so long so possible."
Centrica, which increased costs by 6% last November, reported a 9% increase in gains to GBP1.58bn for the first 6 months of the full year. for its whole company spanning energy generation and supply. He added that while team earnings were up 9% to GBP1.58bn, earnings within the residential arm of British Gas increased just 3% to GBP356m from GBP345m.
British Gas prompted widespread criticism with last year's cost increase, which added GBP80 annually for the typical double-fuel customer's statement. The business, electricity prices which serves 10m families, assured in-may it could use its gains to keep costs down, but has refused to place a date to the whole period of the cost assurance.
Consumer groups urged British Gas to freeze electricity bills for the remainder of the full year.
Tom Lyon, at uSwitch.com, said: "The fact that British Gas has absorbed increasing prices to date this season is going to be of cold comfort to customers who might be fearing the worst - notably with rumors of cost rises. Earnings are up from this past year, therefore we'd encourage British Gas to help quell clients' anxieties and commit to a price freeze for the remainder of the full year."
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