British gas to raise prices while providing some
options to save
As was widely expected after the Scottish & Southern energy company announced that they would be increasing their prices by 9% staring from the first of December, British Gas announced that they have no option but to follow suit although less drastically. They will instead be raising both their gas and electricity tariffs by an average of seven percent, effective from the tenth of December. Analysts have estimated that this increase will equate to an increase of £1.50 weekly on the average UK family's fuel bill.
A spokesman for British Gas hastened to explain that the increase was unavoidable due to the recent dramatic increase in wholesale price of energy supply had risen by 25% since the spring.
Analysts now predict that the remaining UK energy will soon follow suit with price hikes to begin in December and at various percentage increases.
When making their announcement BG did promise that the company's more financially burdened customers such as old age pensioners or families in the lower income bracket will be exempt from paying the increase as part of the "Essentials" package. These people will not be eligible to pay the increased rates until 1 April 2011.
In addition British Gas has created a "window of opportunity" that will customers to pre pay and dodge any price increases that may be in the pipeline. They can do so by opting for an online tariff that will allow them to pre-pay for gas and/or electricity for up to a year, at the current rate.
This gesture is proving popular among consumers who have the facility to pre-pay some if not all of their energy bills for the coming twelve months. With bank rates still at their lowest in history, saving seven percent on their energy costs for a year might appeal to some people.
While not everyone will be able to take advantage of BG's gesture, by offering it they are again showing that they have the best interests of their customer in mind.
| |
^Top | |
 |
© 2012 | An Affiliate of British Gas |  RSS |  |
|
