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Frequently asked questions
UK Government support for businesses
What support does the UK Government offer businesses?
The UK Government have announced the below schemes to support businesses with the cost of energy. The Government has defined the eligibility criteria which can change at any time. Read more about the Government support schemes and which businesses qualify.
Energy Bills Discount Scheme
Alternate Fuel Payment
Energy Bill Relief Scheme
Qualifying Financially Disadvantaged Customer Discount
British Gas business support fund
What is the British Gas business support fund?
We’ve set up a new support fund targeted at small business customers who are struggling with energy costs. Our £15 million fund will provide energy support to small businesses such as pubs, cafes, restaurants and hairdressers and other small businesses in retail, education, manufacturing, and charities with existing energy debt.
Plus is a fixed price energy service from British Gas created for your half-hourly energy supply needs. Plus costs less because we enable you to manage your energy online. You can contact our UK webchat team or your energy broker if you need assistance.
Who can use Plus?
Any business with a half-hourly electricity meter.
How do I sign up for Plus?
After you’ve told your broker or energy consultant you want to go ahead with a Plus energy contract, they’ll let us know. We’ll email you to register your online account. This will allow you to view your contract and bills and manage your online account.
Good news is you have a half hourly meter so we won’t need an opening meter reading on the day you join us.
Managing your energy account
How do I contact British Gas?
Plus makes it easy to manage your energy online. If you’d prefer to talk to someone, our UK webchat team is available. You can also speak to your energy broker.
What are the opening hours of webchat?
Our UK-based webchat team is open Monday to Friday 9.30am – 4.30pm. We are closed on bank holidays.
How do I manage my Plus account online?
You’ll need to log in to see your electricity bills or account details. We’ll send you an email when your bill is ready.
For you to register for your online account, we’ll send you an email with a unique link. You’ll need to choose your password and follow the on-screen instructions to set up your account.
When you’re registered, you’ll be able to manage your business energy by logging in to your online account with your email address and password.
What should I do if I’m experiencing issues with webchat?
If you are experiencing issues loading webchat try the following steps to correct the issue:
Check you have javascript enabled by clicking this link www.whatismybrowser.com or www.enable-javascript.com - the webpage will tell you whether javascript is enabled or not. Also check that you don't have any tools or settings blocking cookies on sites you visit. You must have cookies and javascript enabled to use our website.
Check you don’t have any extensions on your browser which may block content e.g. Adblock Plus, Disconnect, NoScript, Privacy Badger or uBlock Origin
On your desktop or laptop try completing a hard refresh by loading our webpage then click Ctrl + F5 simultaneously; the page will refresh, this may resolve any caching issues.
Try accessing webchat from another device or browser i.e. another laptop, tablet or mobile.
What should I do if I have received an email that looks like a scam?
If you think you’ve been sent a scam email it could be a phishing scam. Phishing scams are used by criminals to steal personal information. To do this, they send emails claiming to be from a genuine company. Sometimes, they even ‘spoof’ email addresses so that the message seems to be from our systems.
If you think you’ve been sent a scam email from British Gas Plus, please send it to us at phishing@centrica.com so we can investigate.
Common scam emails contain attachments you’re not expecting, links you’re asked to click on, or offer you something of value like a refund. They often don’t refer to you by name.
What can I do to protect myself against scam emails?
Don't click on attachments and links you're not expecting
Disable the use of ‘macros’ in Microsoft Office documents
Always make sure your software is up-to-date
Always run an up-to-date virus checker
How do I spot genuine emails from British Gas Plus?
They will only provide links to the British Gas Plus website.
They will address you by name, not ‘Dear customer’.
If you’re not sure the email is genuine, then go directly to www.britishgasplus.co.uk in your browser to log in to your account instead of clicking on the link.
What should I do if I'm having issues downloading a bill or document?
If you are experiencing issues trying to download a bill or document, it may be that you need to update the browser version you are using - some older browsers aren't supported. If this doesn't resolve the issue, please try accessing your account from another browser or device.
How do I make a complaint?
If you want to make a complaint, we want to sort things out for you quickly. Take a look at our complaints handling process about the steps we’ll take to resolve your complaint.
Half hourly meters
What is a Half hourly meter?
A half-hourly electricity meter is a special type of metering system which utilises an automatic meter reading technology to provide a more accurate electricity reading.
The system relies on a fixed line which sends updated meter reads to the energy supplier every half hour.
How do I know if I’ve got a Half hourly meter?
Your broker should have informed you at the time of sale if you have a Half Hourly meter or not.
The easiest way to check is on your bill. Next to your S number if the first 2 boxes has 00 written on there, it’s a half hourly meter.
Why is my bill estimated when I have a Half Hourly meter?
There may be multiple reasons why this happens:
The sim card may need changing
Our meter reader may not be able to connect to the meter
If you contact webchat, they can check this for you and bring it up in the bi weekly meeting they have with the Meter Reader and Meter Operator.
Why does your meter reader come every week to read my meter?
If we can’t connect to your meter right away, we do send someone round every week to ensure we can download your data.
This would mean, while we fix your meter eventually, at least your bills will be accurate based on what we download on your meter.
Why can’t I provide a meter reading for my Half hourly meter?
When you join BG PLUS, your data from your meter starts at 0. Half an hour later your meter provide us with the amount you have used and continues to do this every half hour. We get sent the data from your meter once a month.
Additional Charges
What is an Availability charge?
Capacity charges are for reserved energy. It is charged by the Distribution Network Operator (DNO) for reserving capacity on the electricity network for your business demands. The Capacity charge is measured in KVA and is also known as the Availability Charge.
What is a KVA?
The amount of capacity reserved on the power network for your use at a point in time (Authorised Supply Capacity) is measured in KVA - basically having the privilege of having power saved for you during peak hours.
Who sets my KVA amount?
Your DNO (distribution network operator). It is so important to have a relationship with your DNO to ensure your KVA amount is correct to your usage. If there is a dramatic increase or decrease to your consumption, they need to be notified to ensure your KVA is correct for you.
Why have I been charged an excess capacity charge?
If you go over your KVA amount, the DNO charges an excess capacity charge. It is so important to build a relationship with your DNO to ensure your KVA value is correct for your consumption.
I'm a microbusiness, what are my maximum rates?
Single rate
For British Gas Plus customers renewing onto a new Fixed Price Energy plan for single rate electricity.
Fixed Rate Term
Standing Charge p/day
Unit Rate p/kWh
Availability Charge p/day
Estimated Contract £1
1 year prices
74754.10
29.17
14.61
£287,199
2 year prices
70789.63
28.59
14.61
£544,889
3 year prices
69928.22
29.31
14.61
£808,960
Two Rate - Day & Night
For British Gas Plus customers renewing onto a new Fixed Price Energy plan for 2 Rate electricity.
Fixed Rate Term
Standing Charge p/day
Day Unit Rate p/kWh
Night Unit Rate p/kWh
Availability Charge p/day
Estimated Contract £1
1 year prices
74754.10
30.65
22.34
14.61
£286,703
2 year prices
70789.63
30.18
21.36
14.61
£543,854
3 year prices
69928.22
30.97
21.72
14.61
£807,321
1. The estimated contract cost is based on microbusiness with an annual energy use of 49,000 kWh for electricity. All prices exclude VAT, CCL and any other applicable charges. All prices displayed are current as of October 2024 and can change at any time.
Other information
Who should I contact if I have no gas or electricity?
If you have an energy emergency, you don’t need to contact us on webchat. You should contact your network operator – find out more about energy emergencies.
Who can I contact outside of opening hours?
If you have an energy emergency, please contact your network operator – find out more about gas and electrical emergencies.
For other queries, please contact us on webchat during our opening hours so we can help you. You can also contact your broker during their opening hours about your account.
Based on Ofgem guidelines, you are a micro business if you…
Use no more than 100,000 kWh of electricity per year OR
Use no more than 293,000 kWh of gas per year OR
Employ less than 10 employees (or their full time equivalent) and have an annual turnover or balance sheet of no greater than £2 million
The consumption threshold applies to each fuel being supplied.
Am I a small business?
Based on Ofgem guidelines, you are a small business if you…
Use no more than 200,000 kWh of electricity per year OR
Use no more than 500,000 kWh of gas per year OR
Employ less than 50 employees (or their full-time equivalent) and an annual turnover of at most £6.5 million or a balance sheet of no greater than £5 million
The consumption threshold applies to each fuel being supplied.
How can I reduce the energy I use in my business?
There are a number of simple things you can do to increase the energy efficiency of your premise and reduce your bills such as:
Turn off your lights and non-essential equipment when your premise isn’t occupied
Invest in timed switches to automatically switch lights or appliances off at the end of the day
Use the energy saving features of your office equipment
Install efficient lighting with movement sensors and daylight detectors to make sure lights are only on when they are needed
Invest in energy efficient equipment. Older appliances typically use more energy than modern models
Create a ‘green team’ who are responsible for putting energy efficient measures and staff awareness campaigns into practice
What support information do you have on Coronavirus (COVID-19)?
If you are having difficulty paying your bills please visit our financial support page.
Where do I find my meter details?
You can find all your meter details on your energy bill using the information below.
Electricity – Meter Point Administration Number
A meter point administration number or MPAN is used to identify individual electric supply points.
You can find this reference on your energy bill under ‘Electricity charges’ where you’ll also be able to find your meter serial number.
The MPAN is usually a 21-digit number starting with the letter ‘S’.
Gas – Meter Point Reference Number
A meter point reference number or MPRN is used to identify individual gas supply points.
You can find this reference on your energy bill under ‘Details of charges’ where you’ll also be able to find your meter serial number.
The MPRN is usually made up of numbers rather than letters.
Meter serial number
A meter serial number, also known as a meter ID or MSN, helps us identify your meter so we can charge you correctly for your energy use.
You can find this reference on your energy bills under the MPRN or MPAN reference, see the above information on how to find the MPRN and MPAN. You can also check on your meter near the barcode. The meter serial number will be a mix of letters and numbers.
If the meter serial number on your meter doesn’t match what is on your bill please contact us and we’ll amend this for you.
If you still can’t find your meter details, you can speak to your property manager or landlord as well as your electricity or gas distributors. You can find your energy distributor by visiting energynetworks.org/customers/find-my-network-operator
Emergencies
What should I do if I have an electrical emergency?
If you've got an electrical emergency or you lose power, you'll need to contact your electricity network operator. You can find their details on our emergencies page.
What should I do if I have a gas emergency?
If you've got a gas emergency you'll need to contact the National Gas Emergency Service immediately. You can find their details on our emergencies page.
