How we use cookies

A cookie is a piece of text that is stored on your computer by your web browser. We use cookies to monitor how people use our site. This helps us to understand how our customers and potential customers use our website so we can develop and improve the design, layout and function of the sites. This means that when you go back to that website, it can give you tailored options based on the information it has stored about your last visit.

More detailed information on cookies can be found at www.allaboutcookies.org.

British Gas and our third party partners may set the following types of cookies when you visit www.britishgas.co.uk (the "Website"):

• Session cookies: Used to ensure that you are recognised when you move from page to page within the Website and that any information that you have entered is remembered. This minimises the need to authenticate or reprocess each new area of the Website that you visit.
• Logging into your account: To save time when you log in to your online account, there's the option to remember your email address for next time. This means that when you next come to access your account, your email address will automatically appear in the 'Log in' box. We do this by saving a cookie - a small text file that helps store important information - to your computer. All you've got to do is check the box in the log in area if you'd like to remember your email address and uncheck it if you'd like to erase those details. If you're using a shared computer we recommend that you don't save your email address.
• Using our EnergySavers Report: The energy savers report is a series of questions around your energy usage to produce a tailored report with recommendations on how you can make changes to cut your energy usage. When completing the form, we will give you the opportunity to save your details and complete the form at another date. Cookies are used to store your email address, contact name and first name if requested.
• DoubleClick cookies: DoubleClick is our online advertising supplier, who may set cookies on your hard drive to track the performance of the advertisements or banners placed on our website and other websites . The DoubleClick cookies also enable us to tailor our online advertising specifically to the products and services you are interested in and the area you live in.
• TradeDoubler tags: TradeDoubler is our affiliate partner, who may set cookies on your hard drive to measure the performance of our affiliate partners.
• Webtrends and SiteCatalyst tags: These are used to track and present information to us about how you behave on our Website, we can then gather and analyse the information from all our users so we can see how to improve your Website experience.
• Omniture cookies: Omniture is our website optimisation supplier that enables us to test various components of our Website so to further improve your overall website experience. It tailors our website to present images or messages that are relevant to you based on your past browsing behaviour and other information, such as products or services you have with us. It uses page tags to collect and store information about your browsing behaviour and sets cookies on your hard drive to recognise you when you return to our site. It does not capture or store any information that can personally identify you and we do not use any of the information collected when showing you advertising on other websites.
• OMG tags: OMG is our affiliate partner, who may set cookies on your hard drive to measure the performance of our affiliate partners.

If you do not want us to use cookies in your browser, you can remove cookies from your computer's hard drive, or set your browser to block cookies or to send a warning notice before a cookie is stored on your computer. However, please note that you may not be able to use many of the services on our website or other websites without cookies.

You can find information on disabling cookies at www.allaboutcookies.org.

We are aware of the EU Directive 2009/136/EC which came into force in the UK on 26th May 2011. We are currently reviewing our privacy policies and website practices and considering how best to implement the changes that are required to the way that we use cookies on the Website as a result of this new law.

If you have any questions about our use of cookies, please feel free to contact us on talktous@britishgas.co.uk.