“Serious question marks” over whether British Gas price rises are justified, says Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice has responded to British Gas’s announcement that the supplier is raising prices for customers on a standard variable tariff by 5.5% - an average of £60.

Victoria MacGregor, Director of Energy at Citizens Advice, said:

“There are serious question marks over whether these price rises are genuinely justified.

“British Gas recycles Ofgem’s reasoning for recently increasing the prepayment meter price cap, saying that wholesale and policy cost increases are to blame for today’s price hikes. But today’s announcement will see affected customers paying on average between £47 and £72 per year more than the prepayment meter cap - even though it’s cheaper to serve customers who pay by cheque or direct debit.  

“Today’s price rise re-emphasises the need for the Government to act quickly and bring in its cap on poor value default tariffs.”

Notes to editors

  1. Citizens Advice has a statutory role as the consumer advocate for energy consumers across the UK.

  2. The Citizens Advice service comprises a network of local Citizens Advice, all of which are independent charities, the Citizens Advice consumer service and national charity Citizens Advice. Together we help people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers. For more see the Citizens Advice website .

  3. The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.

  4. To get advice online or find your local Citizens Advice in England and Wales, visit citizensadvice.org.uk

  5. You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 or 03454 04 05 05 for Welsh language speakers.

  6. Local Citizens Advice in England and Wales advised 2.5 million clients on 6.2 million problems in 2014/15. For full service statistics see our publication  Advice trends .

  7. Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 21,000 trained volunteers, working at over 2,500 service outlets across England and Wales.