Standards of Performance

Ofgem, the UK energy regulator, sets standards to make sure suppliers like British Gas provide a set standard of performance to microbusiness customers. If we don’t meet these standards, we’ll pay compensation.

In this article

When do the Standards of Performance apply?

If you're a micro business we may have to compensate you if we:

  • Don’t book an appointment to install a smart meter within 12 weeks of you asking for one
  • Miss or arrive late at a booked appointment
  • Give you less than one day’s notice to re-book
  • Don't offer a four-hour appointment slot
  • Don't send an engineer who has the skills and experience to carry out the work planned
  • Don’t complete a smart meter installation due to a fault within our control
  • Don’t investigate if you report a problem with your smart meter and offer an update within 5 working days
  • If we don’t fix problems with your smart meter not working in smart mode for more than 90 days, if it’s within our control to do so

Booked appointments could be any of the following: 

  • When we or our agents need access to your business site
  • When you ask us, as your business gas or electricity supplier, to come to your business site for us to carry out work
  • Smart meter installations and pre-installation appointments
  • When you report a problem with your smart meter

What to do when Standards of Performance have not been met

If you're a micro business and owed compensation, you don't need to do anything as we'll automatically make a compensation payment to you.

Compensation

We'll credit your business energy account with £40 within 10 working days of that failure. We'll send you a letter to confirm we've credited your account.

If we miss the 10 working days timescale, we'll compensate you with another £40.

When Standards of Performance DON'T apply

  • If you cancel the booked appointment
  • If we rearrange or cancel a booked appointment with more than one working days’ notice
  • If something beyond our control stops us from attending, such as severe weather conditions. If this happens, we'll contact you as soon as we can to reschedule your appointment
  • If we're looking into a genuine dispute, such as a failed installation.
  • If the booked appointment was about something other than your business gas or electricity supply, such as energy efficiency measures
  • If we believe an appointment is not needed
  • If an offence has been committed under the Gas or Electricity Act as outlined in Standards of Performance regulations

If you're still unhappy for any reason, please visit our complaints page.

Find out more about Guaranteed Standards of Performance

Read about the Guaranteed Standards of Performance on our residential website.

See the Ofgem website for the latest on the Guaranteed Standards of Performance (GSOP).
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