British Gas online customers can now see if they are using more or less energy than their neighbours or someone living in a similar household, thanks to our new energy comparison service.

This latest development makes it even easier for customers to understand and manage their energy use. If a customer's consumption is higher than average, the service suggests appropriate ways to reduce their energy use – and, therefore, their bills! This function is the first of its kind in the industry.

Tim Copper, digital director, explained: “Understanding where all of the energy you use goes can be difficult. Many people want to cut their energy use, but simply don't know where to start.

“It's often a daunting task so people fail to take even the most basic steps. That's where our new comparison service comes in. It cuts through the confusion and makes it easy to see how you can reduce your energy use and control your bills. It's a powerful addition to our EnergySmart™ toolkit.

“Since we launched EnergySmart™ a year ago, we've helped hundreds of thousands of people save energy and remove estimated bills. We're committed to helping customers keep their energy bills down by reducing consumption – it's better for the environment and it's better for their pockets. Customers really appreciate what we are doing for them,” added Tim.

One customer commented: “As soon as my EnergySmart™ account was set up the monitor quickly highlighted just how much energy my lights were using in real time. I soon changed all the light bulbs in my flat with energy saving equivalents, which is making a positive difference to my electricity bill.”

Visit British Gas to find out more about EnergySmart™