Wednesday, 16 October 2013
Sky News Update: Sky+HD Box Enhancements
Sky news update: Sky is planning to enhance the looks and performance of the Sky+HD box. These updates will bring new features to the box.
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Sheilas' Wheels news update: Tips for Insuring Female Drivers
Sheilas’ Wheels news update: Third party websites offer women some tips for lowering their car insurance following the levelling out of costs between genders.
Following the outrage that ensued when it was clarified by insurance companies that women were given better insure rates and when lots of insurers, such as Sheilas’ Wheels, entered the market offering insurance exclusively for female drivers, prices generally started to be questioned. The difference between males and females when it came to insurance policies was huge, women got a much better deal and many insurance companies picked up on this and began targeting just females.
This prompted an outcry and ultimately a fair price policy being introduced that disallowed insurers to cater for just one gender or to offer better rates of insurance based on the gender of the customer. It has been noted that saving money on car insurance has never been more important to women.
Unfortunately, as with any insurance group it is the younger demographic who suffer. Women between the ages of 17 and 25 looking to insure their cars are expected to be hit the hardest with the premiums predicted to shoot up 24%, on average.
It has been proven that this is not unjustifiably so though as statistics indicate that for example, an 18 year old is three times more likely to be involved in a road collision than a 48 year old. One way around this is to quite simply add a secondary driver to the policy who has more on-road experience. Provided the youngest driver is named as the main driver, this is just a helpful tip for a slight reduction in charges.
It sounds easier and simpler than you think but driving carefully will lower any premium. This doesn’t mean slower necessarily – although young drivers with a speeding offence could see their premiums rise by as much as 22% - but it means being more aware of your surroundings and where other cars are. The peripheral vision that driving takes is astonishing and you have to be able multi-task; being aware of your surroundings is just one of those tasks.
Finally you can invest in making your vehicle a little more secure, features such as parking the vehicle on a driveway or better still in a garage, as well as installing security devices will all help the insurance company feel more secure about insuring your vehicle. As everyone knows from the adverts all over the television, comparing companies will allow you to find the best deal possible – remember although this is about finding ways to reduce your insurance premium, it is also important to get the insurer who is most efficient and value for money for you personally.
Sheilas' Wheels can provide other tips such as these as well as providing insurance quotes, contact their customer services team using the following contact information: http://www.customerservicescontact.co.uk/sheilas-wheels-customer-service/
Following the outrage that ensued when it was clarified by insurance companies that women were given better insure rates and when lots of insurers, such as Sheilas’ Wheels, entered the market offering insurance exclusively for female drivers, prices generally started to be questioned. The difference between males and females when it came to insurance policies was huge, women got a much better deal and many insurance companies picked up on this and began targeting just females.
This prompted an outcry and ultimately a fair price policy being introduced that disallowed insurers to cater for just one gender or to offer better rates of insurance based on the gender of the customer. It has been noted that saving money on car insurance has never been more important to women.
Unfortunately, as with any insurance group it is the younger demographic who suffer. Women between the ages of 17 and 25 looking to insure their cars are expected to be hit the hardest with the premiums predicted to shoot up 24%, on average.
It has been proven that this is not unjustifiably so though as statistics indicate that for example, an 18 year old is three times more likely to be involved in a road collision than a 48 year old. One way around this is to quite simply add a secondary driver to the policy who has more on-road experience. Provided the youngest driver is named as the main driver, this is just a helpful tip for a slight reduction in charges.
It sounds easier and simpler than you think but driving carefully will lower any premium. This doesn’t mean slower necessarily – although young drivers with a speeding offence could see their premiums rise by as much as 22% - but it means being more aware of your surroundings and where other cars are. The peripheral vision that driving takes is astonishing and you have to be able multi-task; being aware of your surroundings is just one of those tasks.
Finally you can invest in making your vehicle a little more secure, features such as parking the vehicle on a driveway or better still in a garage, as well as installing security devices will all help the insurance company feel more secure about insuring your vehicle. As everyone knows from the adverts all over the television, comparing companies will allow you to find the best deal possible – remember although this is about finding ways to reduce your insurance premium, it is also important to get the insurer who is most efficient and value for money for you personally.
Sheilas' Wheels can provide other tips such as these as well as providing insurance quotes, contact their customer services team using the following contact information: http://www.customerservicescontact.co.uk/sheilas-wheels-customer-service/
Sunday, 6 October 2013
Swiftcover News Update: A Report on Buying Car Insurance Using a Credit Card
Swiftcover news update: There is evidence to suggest that
buying car insurance using a credit card can be more financially beneficial for
the customer.
“If it isn’t fuel tax or road tax, paying through the nose for car insurance is another reason why driving is getting more and more expensive. But while the insurance companies have us over that compulsory insurance barrel, it seems they are also taking advantage of us in other ways too with massive charges for monthly instalments and for cancelling a policy.
Payment by instalments is a welcome option for many people, who would otherwise be faced with the alternative of finding a big wodge of cash all in one lump. This is even more true for those whose car insurance falls due for renewal between now and January when many are saving (or paying) for Christmas.However, the rates that some insurance companies charge mean that you would be better off paying for your car insurance with a credit card, where the average APR is around 18% ; even better if you can find a 0% on purchases card.
Our friends over at Which! researched the APRs charged on monthly instalments and found that, although a couple of insurers, namely AgeUK and the NFU charged nothing or a nominal (0% and 2.75% respectively) fee for paying monthly, most insurers were indeed making hay while the sun shined. And the rates varied wildly. The next lowest fees were levied by Hastings at 14.9% and Co-operative Insurance at 18.5%, followed by Mercedes-Benz Insurance, Admiral and Elephant all on 18.6%.
At the other end of the scale, the insurers making sure they got their money’s worth were Kwik-Fit Insurance on an eye-watering 52.32% (looks like it’s not just car repairs they rip you off with), Endsleigh on 39.7%, Allianz on 34.8%, Zurich on 33% and AXA and Swiftcover both on 32.4%.
However, Which! also looked at other fees levied on the policy, including cancellation fees. Cancellation fees are levied if the insurance is cancelled part-way through an insurance year and seems to be just another way of extracting additional money from people- especially galling for those who might give up a car to save/recoup money. Again, the level of cancellation fee varies wildly, from £0 (AgeUK, NFU, Allianz and Volvo) up to £70 (Natwest and RBS).
Overall, Which! have compiled an index of the best and worst insurers for instalment interest and all cancellation and other policy charges, which can be seen in its full glory here. Top of the shop are AgeUK, NFU and Volvo with scores of 100 or 92 out of 100. Dragging up the rear are AA (51/100), Fifty Plus (49/100) and Hastings (a pitiful 36/100).
So next time you are weighing up your lowest premium and maximum cashback calculations, make sure you factor in these costs as well. Or get yourself that cheaper credit card.”
This article was originally published at www.bitterwallet.com.
More information on Swiftcover and their insurance services, click here.
“If it isn’t fuel tax or road tax, paying through the nose for car insurance is another reason why driving is getting more and more expensive. But while the insurance companies have us over that compulsory insurance barrel, it seems they are also taking advantage of us in other ways too with massive charges for monthly instalments and for cancelling a policy.
Payment by instalments is a welcome option for many people, who would otherwise be faced with the alternative of finding a big wodge of cash all in one lump. This is even more true for those whose car insurance falls due for renewal between now and January when many are saving (or paying) for Christmas.However, the rates that some insurance companies charge mean that you would be better off paying for your car insurance with a credit card, where the average APR is around 18% ; even better if you can find a 0% on purchases card.
Our friends over at Which! researched the APRs charged on monthly instalments and found that, although a couple of insurers, namely AgeUK and the NFU charged nothing or a nominal (0% and 2.75% respectively) fee for paying monthly, most insurers were indeed making hay while the sun shined. And the rates varied wildly. The next lowest fees were levied by Hastings at 14.9% and Co-operative Insurance at 18.5%, followed by Mercedes-Benz Insurance, Admiral and Elephant all on 18.6%.
At the other end of the scale, the insurers making sure they got their money’s worth were Kwik-Fit Insurance on an eye-watering 52.32% (looks like it’s not just car repairs they rip you off with), Endsleigh on 39.7%, Allianz on 34.8%, Zurich on 33% and AXA and Swiftcover both on 32.4%.
However, Which! also looked at other fees levied on the policy, including cancellation fees. Cancellation fees are levied if the insurance is cancelled part-way through an insurance year and seems to be just another way of extracting additional money from people- especially galling for those who might give up a car to save/recoup money. Again, the level of cancellation fee varies wildly, from £0 (AgeUK, NFU, Allianz and Volvo) up to £70 (Natwest and RBS).
Overall, Which! have compiled an index of the best and worst insurers for instalment interest and all cancellation and other policy charges, which can be seen in its full glory here. Top of the shop are AgeUK, NFU and Volvo with scores of 100 or 92 out of 100. Dragging up the rear are AA (51/100), Fifty Plus (49/100) and Hastings (a pitiful 36/100).
So next time you are weighing up your lowest premium and maximum cashback calculations, make sure you factor in these costs as well. Or get yourself that cheaper credit card.”
This article was originally published at www.bitterwallet.com.
More information on Swiftcover and their insurance services, click here.
Thursday, 29 August 2013
NPower News Update: Restructured Marketing Team
NPower Restructuring
NPower news update: NPower is restructuring its marketing
team to incorporate the role of data and digital in hope to improve customer
service and trust.
RWE NPower is one of the biggest energy suppliers in Europe. They are currently moving the 120 members of the marketing team to a location within the West Midlands. Here the team will grow to include more digital roles, insights and analytics. They also aim to broaden the skill set of the marketing team beyond traditional commercial marketing techniques by employing a new group of marketers. NPower is trying to rebuild their communication tactics to widen the roles of the public relation team and improve the communication with their bill payers through social networks. There are plans for more frequent and improved quality forums online throughout the year along with other planned events. These will be hosted to try and find potential gaps in the market for NPower to exploit and create new products and services. The company claims to be restructuring their business, at the heart of this process is digital. In the past they have be well known for their focus tactical campaigns, where special offers, low prices and high standards have been the main selling point. However they’re now aiming to produce easy to use content online and within their bills.
News for NPower Customer Services
NPower are set to release a new billing scheme which was announced earlier this month. The new scheme works for two different sets of people skimmers and checkers. It offers all the information the bill payer needs at the top for the skimmers and an in depth analysis further down the page for checkers. This new announcement of rearranging marketing to make life hassle free works well in promoting their new billing method. The new marketing will also show off the new tariff line up which has been reduced from seven to four. Both new initiatives that are being promoted are designed to reduce hassle and make NPower the number one customer service provider by 2015. The reduction in tariffs is mainly down to the new government program which prevents energy companies from offering more than four tariffs and requires for customers to be automatically moved to the cheapest, which can be altered at the customer’s discretion. The major six energy firms have already made the switch. For NPower it helps to improve customer satisfaction and moves them closer to achieving their goal of being number one of customer service within the coming year. To call the NPower customer service department, click on the link. For all other news updates and recent articles, visit the News Feed.Wednesday, 14 August 2013
NPower News Update: Last Day of Power Station
NPower News Update: 13th August 2013 marks the last day of
electricity generation at the Tilbury B Power station ending 46 years of successful
operations.
The closure of the Tilbury B Station also marks the end of a
combined total of 57 years of electricity generation on the Tilbury Site. The
Tilbury B Power Station has played a vital role in the UK electricity
production throughout the years since its opening in 1967. When opened the
power station started as a 1,467MW coal-fired power plant. The station quickly
established links with members of the community and throughout its life has
contributed millions of pounds to the UK ’s economy. From the power plants
first day till now it has produced a huge total of 168.8TWh to power, homes,
businesses, street lights and much more around the UK . The amount of power produced
could keep just over 3 Billion light bulbs on for over a year. Tilbury B Power Station
was forecast to close under the EU’s ‘Large Combustion Plant Detective’ (LCPD),
giving the station only 20,000 hours of operation from 1 January 2008. In 2011
Tilbury commenced generation on 100% sustainable biomass, which as the time was
a world first, for the remainder of the 20,000 hours allowed by the LCPD. This
feat was even more impressive as the Station had spent the last 40 years
running on coal alone. The permitted hours will run out on the 13th August 2013
at 12pm.
In 2010 the decision was made by the RWE to switch from coal
to 100% biomass. The station after much consideration switched to wood biomass.
Since this switch was made the Tilbury B Power Station has produced more than
10% of the UK ’s
total renewable energy making a significant contribution to providing low cost,
low carbon energy. This was achieved by using the plants 750MW capacity for
green energy. There was a second phase to this project; to provide the plant
with another 10-12 years of life. To achieve this, the plant must be closed
under the legislation of the LCPD and under go full redevelopment to convert
the whole station to run on biomass to meet new and increasing high
environmental standards. If everything went as planned for this second stage
the plant would have been up and running again in roughly two years time.
Unfortunately the Department for Energy and Climate Change has deemed this
project ineligible and therefore the project cannot proceed. The Tilbury site
itself remains an excellent power source for the UK and promises more to come in ways
of power and biomass use in the near future.
For more information on NPower and regular updates please visit our website at http://www.customerservicescontact.co.uk/npower-phone-number/. News stories can also be found at http://www.customerservicescontact.co.uk/news
Thursday, 1 August 2013
British Gas to Offer 'Free Electricity Saturdays'
In a radical move to reduce the strain on the national power grid through the week, British Gas have announced that they will be offering free electricity on Saturdays. Centrica, British Gas’ parent company, have already trialled this scheme in America could please everyone by cutting carbon emissions as well as benefitting the poorest families.
“He also said large businesses should be paid to ration their electricity usage on weekdays as a cheaper solution to a looming energy crunch than building new power plants that would only run ‘for a few hours a year’.
The 'free electricity Saturdays’ plan would require customers to have 'smart meters’, which send automatic usage readings back to the company. British Gas has installed 1m smart meters in UK homes and businesses to date.
Mr Laidlaw faced questions from analysts over whether the tariff would be seen as irresponsible by encouraging higher usage at a time when ministers are attempting to cut carbon emissions. ‘We will think very carefully about how we launch it [in the UK],’ he said.
However he insisted it would not necessarily lead to a rise in consumption, rather encouraging consumers to shift the timing of electricity-intensive activities. This could reduce the need to fire up extra power plants to meet demand on weekdays and reduce carbon emissions overall, he said.
Centrica's US business Direct Energy already offers the tariff to customers in the north-east US and is rolling out the tariff in Texas.
It hopes ‘ultimately’ to be able to offer it in the UK. ‘We are some distance away from getting all the systems in place,’ he told the Telegraph. ‘We want to see how well it works in Texas.’
The tariff could be launched mid-2014, Centrica said.
In the US customers enjoying ‘free’ electricity on Saturdays also face higher charges the rest of the time. However, Mr Laidlaw said consumers stood to benefit and it tended to be ‘low income high consuming families that take advantage of this, which is socially progressive not regressive’.
Mr Laidlaw was speaking as Centrica revealed a 9pc rise in half-year adjusted operating profits, to £1.58bn, as increased earnings from British Gas and gas storage and production offset falling profits from power plants.
[…]
Mr Laidlaw echoed recent warnings over possible power shortages as old plants close, saying there was a risk ‘if there are further plant closures without new investment’. However, he said ‘we should recognise that the risk is probably for a few hours a year’.
‘If there are ways in which we can work on demand response then... that can be a much more cost effective way of solving the security of supply situation than building a lot of plant that’s only going to run for a few hours a year,’ he said.
In June ministers courted controversy by backing a National Grid to pay large businesses to switch off between 4pm and 8pm on weeknights.
But Mr Laidlaw said the plan was sensible and the Hess energy supply business in America, which Centrica agreed to buy in a $1bn deal on Tuesday, already operated a similar scheme where customers who wish to ‘receive an additional incentive not to take power at certain times of the day’.
However, he criticised a parallel National Grid plan to pay companies to keep running power plants they would otherwise mothball. Mr Laidlaw said ministers should instead bring forward the introduction of a new system of capacity auctions that are not due to start making payments until 2018. ‘Having two forms of capacity mechanism, one for the short term and one for the long term, is a very complex way of doing it and may result in unintended consequences,’ he warned.
Mr Laidlaw said all Centrica’s potential UK power plant investments were on hold ‘waiting on subsidies’. A proposed £2bn offshore wind farm that it had hoped to take an investment decision this year was now caught up in a policy backlog awaiting confirmation of subsidies until the end of the year, and EU state aid clearance.
Mr Laidlaw said it would be ‘prudent’ for ministers to offer subsidies to encourage more gas storage, such as Centrica’s planned £1.4bn Baird project, as an ‘insurance policy’ to prevent the kinds of spikes seen in the March cold spell when storage levels fell ‘uncomfortably low’.
‘The risk is that if you have a situation where you are struggling for security of supply, you have to pay the highest price in the world to bring LNG to the UK. That could mean very significant additional costs on customer bills,’ he said.”
This article was originally sourced from The Telegraph.
If you are interested in any of the services British Gas offer, contact their customer services department using the number listed on the following link http://www.customerservicescontact.co.uk/british-gas-telephone-number/. You can find more information on customer services on our Ezine page.
“He also said large businesses should be paid to ration their electricity usage on weekdays as a cheaper solution to a looming energy crunch than building new power plants that would only run ‘for a few hours a year’.
The 'free electricity Saturdays’ plan would require customers to have 'smart meters’, which send automatic usage readings back to the company. British Gas has installed 1m smart meters in UK homes and businesses to date.
Mr Laidlaw faced questions from analysts over whether the tariff would be seen as irresponsible by encouraging higher usage at a time when ministers are attempting to cut carbon emissions. ‘We will think very carefully about how we launch it [in the UK],’ he said.
However he insisted it would not necessarily lead to a rise in consumption, rather encouraging consumers to shift the timing of electricity-intensive activities. This could reduce the need to fire up extra power plants to meet demand on weekdays and reduce carbon emissions overall, he said.
Centrica's US business Direct Energy already offers the tariff to customers in the north-east US and is rolling out the tariff in Texas.
It hopes ‘ultimately’ to be able to offer it in the UK. ‘We are some distance away from getting all the systems in place,’ he told the Telegraph. ‘We want to see how well it works in Texas.’
The tariff could be launched mid-2014, Centrica said.
In the US customers enjoying ‘free’ electricity on Saturdays also face higher charges the rest of the time. However, Mr Laidlaw said consumers stood to benefit and it tended to be ‘low income high consuming families that take advantage of this, which is socially progressive not regressive’.
Mr Laidlaw was speaking as Centrica revealed a 9pc rise in half-year adjusted operating profits, to £1.58bn, as increased earnings from British Gas and gas storage and production offset falling profits from power plants.
[…]
Mr Laidlaw echoed recent warnings over possible power shortages as old plants close, saying there was a risk ‘if there are further plant closures without new investment’. However, he said ‘we should recognise that the risk is probably for a few hours a year’.
‘If there are ways in which we can work on demand response then... that can be a much more cost effective way of solving the security of supply situation than building a lot of plant that’s only going to run for a few hours a year,’ he said.
In June ministers courted controversy by backing a National Grid to pay large businesses to switch off between 4pm and 8pm on weeknights.
But Mr Laidlaw said the plan was sensible and the Hess energy supply business in America, which Centrica agreed to buy in a $1bn deal on Tuesday, already operated a similar scheme where customers who wish to ‘receive an additional incentive not to take power at certain times of the day’.
However, he criticised a parallel National Grid plan to pay companies to keep running power plants they would otherwise mothball. Mr Laidlaw said ministers should instead bring forward the introduction of a new system of capacity auctions that are not due to start making payments until 2018. ‘Having two forms of capacity mechanism, one for the short term and one for the long term, is a very complex way of doing it and may result in unintended consequences,’ he warned.
Mr Laidlaw said all Centrica’s potential UK power plant investments were on hold ‘waiting on subsidies’. A proposed £2bn offshore wind farm that it had hoped to take an investment decision this year was now caught up in a policy backlog awaiting confirmation of subsidies until the end of the year, and EU state aid clearance.
Mr Laidlaw said it would be ‘prudent’ for ministers to offer subsidies to encourage more gas storage, such as Centrica’s planned £1.4bn Baird project, as an ‘insurance policy’ to prevent the kinds of spikes seen in the March cold spell when storage levels fell ‘uncomfortably low’.
‘The risk is that if you have a situation where you are struggling for security of supply, you have to pay the highest price in the world to bring LNG to the UK. That could mean very significant additional costs on customer bills,’ he said.”
This article was originally sourced from The Telegraph.
If you are interested in any of the services British Gas offer, contact their customer services department using the number listed on the following link http://www.customerservicescontact.co.uk/british-gas-telephone-number/. You can find more information on customer services on our Ezine page.
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
British Gas Urged to Leave Prices Still
Utilities company British Gas are being pushed towards firming up their energy bills for the coming winter. Centrica, the company’s owner, reported a rise in profits last year but will not be making plans in either direction any time soon.
“Centrica's chief financial officer Nick Luff would not rule out a price rise as he warned that British Gas is under pressure from environmental levies and volatile prices on the wholesale gas market.
"What I can do is assure you that we will keep our prices as low as we can. It is in our interests to have competitive prices, we want to attract new customers, and if prices do have to go up we will delay that for as long as possible."
Centrica - which hiked prices by 6% last November - reported a 9% increase in profits to £1.58bn for the first six months of the year for its entire business spanning power generation and supply. Profits in the residential arm of British Gas rose 3% to £356m from £345m, as the company reported that gas consumption was 13% higher per customer during the cold weather.
British Gas prompted widespread criticism with last year's price increase, which added £80 a year to the average dual-fuel customer's bill. The company, which serves 10m households, promised in May it would use its profits to keep prices down, but has refused to put a date on the duration of this price pledge.
Consumer groups urged British Gas to freeze energy bills for the rest of the year. Tom Lyon at uSwitch.com, said: "The fact that British Gas has absorbed increasing costs so far this year will be of cold comfort to consumers who may be fearing the worst – especially with rumours of price rises. Profits are up from last year, so we would urge British Gas to help quell customer's fears and go one step further from its May pledge and commit to a price freeze for the rest of the year."
"People are already starting to worry about next winter and the cost of their energy bills and high energy prices have a big impact on consumers. Last winter, almost seven in 10 (69%) households went without heating at some point to keep their energy costs down."
Centrica blamed "volatile" prices on the wholesale gas market and "environmental costs" for adding to price pressures on the business.
Wholesale gas prices accounted for 48% (£568) of the average annual gas and electricity bill of £1,188 for Centrica's customers in 2012.
Prices in the wholesale gas market were 10% higher than this time last year, said energy trader Gary Hornby at Inenco. "If there is another cold winter and we have another supply situation that we did last time there is a good chance that prices will unfortunately go up," he said. "If we have a mild winter it could go the other way."
Richard Hall, head of energy regulation at Consumer Futures, warned that the big energy companies were not giving consumers the full story about their costs. Large energy suppliers had a tendency to "cherry-pick" dates to make the case that high wholesale gas prices were pushing up prices. "It doesn't appear there is so much pressure on the wholesale market that it can justifiably be used as threat of justifying price rises." Although gas prices hit record highs in March, these on-the-day spikes were dampened out by later price falls, he added.
Centrica's profit report comes after an influential committee of MPs said it was not surprising that customers mistrusted energy companies because they had failed to be transparent about the reasons for energy price rises, in an energy market that was not as competitive as it could be.
Luff dismissed the charge of cherry-picking data: "Despite what you hear about the industry we could not be more transparent ... If by some way gas prices were running at half the price we were saying we would suddenly make a lot more profit.’”
If you are a new or existing British Gas customer and are interested in finding out more about the products and services they offer, contact them directly using the British Gas contact number. You can also remain up to date with all British Gas news via the following link http://www.customerservicescontact.co.uk/news/british-gas-news-update-price-scandal/.
This article was originally sourced from The Guardian.
“Centrica's chief financial officer Nick Luff would not rule out a price rise as he warned that British Gas is under pressure from environmental levies and volatile prices on the wholesale gas market.
"What I can do is assure you that we will keep our prices as low as we can. It is in our interests to have competitive prices, we want to attract new customers, and if prices do have to go up we will delay that for as long as possible."
Centrica - which hiked prices by 6% last November - reported a 9% increase in profits to £1.58bn for the first six months of the year for its entire business spanning power generation and supply. Profits in the residential arm of British Gas rose 3% to £356m from £345m, as the company reported that gas consumption was 13% higher per customer during the cold weather.
British Gas prompted widespread criticism with last year's price increase, which added £80 a year to the average dual-fuel customer's bill. The company, which serves 10m households, promised in May it would use its profits to keep prices down, but has refused to put a date on the duration of this price pledge.
Consumer groups urged British Gas to freeze energy bills for the rest of the year. Tom Lyon at uSwitch.com, said: "The fact that British Gas has absorbed increasing costs so far this year will be of cold comfort to consumers who may be fearing the worst – especially with rumours of price rises. Profits are up from last year, so we would urge British Gas to help quell customer's fears and go one step further from its May pledge and commit to a price freeze for the rest of the year."
"People are already starting to worry about next winter and the cost of their energy bills and high energy prices have a big impact on consumers. Last winter, almost seven in 10 (69%) households went without heating at some point to keep their energy costs down."
Centrica blamed "volatile" prices on the wholesale gas market and "environmental costs" for adding to price pressures on the business.
Wholesale gas prices accounted for 48% (£568) of the average annual gas and electricity bill of £1,188 for Centrica's customers in 2012.
Prices in the wholesale gas market were 10% higher than this time last year, said energy trader Gary Hornby at Inenco. "If there is another cold winter and we have another supply situation that we did last time there is a good chance that prices will unfortunately go up," he said. "If we have a mild winter it could go the other way."
Richard Hall, head of energy regulation at Consumer Futures, warned that the big energy companies were not giving consumers the full story about their costs. Large energy suppliers had a tendency to "cherry-pick" dates to make the case that high wholesale gas prices were pushing up prices. "It doesn't appear there is so much pressure on the wholesale market that it can justifiably be used as threat of justifying price rises." Although gas prices hit record highs in March, these on-the-day spikes were dampened out by later price falls, he added.
Centrica's profit report comes after an influential committee of MPs said it was not surprising that customers mistrusted energy companies because they had failed to be transparent about the reasons for energy price rises, in an energy market that was not as competitive as it could be.
Luff dismissed the charge of cherry-picking data: "Despite what you hear about the industry we could not be more transparent ... If by some way gas prices were running at half the price we were saying we would suddenly make a lot more profit.’”
If you are a new or existing British Gas customer and are interested in finding out more about the products and services they offer, contact them directly using the British Gas contact number. You can also remain up to date with all British Gas news via the following link http://www.customerservicescontact.co.uk/news/british-gas-news-update-price-scandal/.
This article was originally sourced from The Guardian.
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