Our story: Get to know British Gas
Here at British Gas, we have a sustainable vision for the future and a shared sense of purpose today to reach these targets – all backed by 200 years of history.
When British Gas began life back in 1812, it was the world’s first public utility company. Since then, our mission has been to look after Britain’s homes.
And for over 200 years, we have been doing just that, serving both homes and businesses as well as continually finding new ways to make life better. Improving lives through innovation is at the heart of British Gas. How? Well, we’ve introduced repair and protection services to keep Britain’s homes running smoothly. And we’re harnessing the power of smart technology to save energy and lower bills as well as helping to electrify Britain’s roads and driveways.
And it’s all powered by our army of expert engineers. They are at the heart of our workforce and are here to help 365 days a year. This is the team that will do everything that they can to try and fix priority heating issues within vulnerable communities through the harshest of winters, as well as servicing millions of boilers annually.
They’re here to help with all sorts of domestic jobs too, from unblocking drains to repairing dishwashers and sorting your plumbing and electrics. And they can help you to make your home greener too, by installing Electric Vehicle chargers and next generation Heat Pumps to help you to cut down on the energy you use – which is good for the planet as well as your pocket.
About our brands
You may think of us primarily as an energy provider, powering up your home with gas and electricity. But there’s much more to us than that. Today, we have four leading brands:
1. British Gas
Britain’s leading supplier of energy, delivering to 7 million homes and over 400,000 businesses, and offering services to keep homes running smoothly.
2. Hive
From thermostats to lights and cameras, the Hive ecosystem of smart home products connects devices to make life easier in amazing ways.
3. Dyno-Rod
The drainage and plumbing experts who offer a 24-hour emergency response service across the UK.
About our people
From our expert engineers in the field to our friendly call centre staff and office-based colleagues, we want everyone to feel like they can be who they are at work. We are all at our best when we feel included and comfortable and we strive to create a respectful and flexible environment to support this.
We want our people to reflect the societies in which we work and the customers we serve. Employing such a diverse range of talent helps us to think differently and support our customers in the best ways possible.
About our purpose
At the heart of everything we do, our purpose is to help our customers to live more
- Simply
- Sustainably
- Affordably
Our People and Planet Plan sets out how we’ll do it:
1. Our people plan
We’re striving to be a better business that does the right thing by our colleagues, customers, and local communities. And we want to lead the way to a kinder, greener, and more sustainable future for us all.
That means:
- Creating green jobs for the next generation with skills that will last them a lifetime
- Supporting the green innovations, start-ups and community projects that will help the UK get to Net Zero
- Committing our time, money, and expertise to help with social issues like food and fuel poverty
- Being a great place to work that’s open and inclusive for all – with a team that better reflects the diverse communities we serve.
2. Our planet plan
More than 40% of all UK emissions come from our own homes. So there’s no better place to start tackling the climate emergency. It’s where we can make the biggest difference, and we need to make it easier for our customers to make greener choices in their daily lives.
Our future
Life’s changed quite a bit since our beginnings in 1812. And we’re changing too. Today, British Gas is much more than just a utilities provider. We’re making progress on our journey to becoming a home services company.
And tomorrow? We must be at the forefront of climate action, changing how we operate, and helping others to be greener too. We’re uniquely and brilliantly placed to help make real progress on helping the nation to become more sustainable, and to deliver on our purpose.
That’s why supporting customers on their route to net zero is at the very heart of our future. From green energy tariffs and Hive smart thermostats, to EV chargers and heat pumps, we’re already helping thousands of customers to be a little bit greener, every single day.