Whenever there is media coverage relating to energy price increase there is often a mention of the “Big Six”. The Big Six are the six main energy suppliers in the UK.
British Gas
Often the best known of the gas and electricity suppliers, British Gas was the largest supplier in the UK until it demerged in February 1997 to form two companies, Centrica PLC and BG Plc. To a residential or domestic customer they are still known as British Gas or Scottish Gas.
British Gas is well known for their part in working towards further strides in renewable energy for all. A proportion of the electricity that British Gas customers consume already comes from green sources, for example wind power and British Gas continue to invest in research and schemes relating to renewable energy.
Npower
NPower was previously known as Innogy Plc until it was bought out by RWE, a German company and was renamed RWE Npower Plc (Commonly referred to as Npower).
Npower owns numerous gas, coal and oil powered power stations across the UK as well as those powered by renewable sources. In addition to their main customer base, Npower are also the electricity suppliers for customers of the Utility Warehouse club.
EDF energy
EDF Energy Customers (commonly known as EDF Energy) is another of the Big Six gas and electricity suppliers with over 5.7 million customers throughout the UK. EDF Energy is of the EDF Group which is in the top three largest electricity suppliers in Europe. The combined company came into existence in 2002 after acquisition of three smaller companies, SWEB Energy Plc. London Electricity Plc and SEEBOARD Plc (Formally the South Eastern Electricity Board).
EDF Energy has grown very quickly to become one of the top six UK gas and electricity suppliers and has invested a considerable amount into continued development.
E.ON
E.ON Ag (E.ON) operates in over 30 countries and as the holding company of the world’s largest energy service provided that is investor led it serves over 26 million residential and commercial customers. Previously known in to UK as Powergen, EON came commonly used in 2006 after the companies merged.
E.ON has shown a commitment to investigating renewable energy sources and has invested heavily in this. E.ON also owns a portion of the Thames Arrays, a large wind farm under development off the Thames Estuary. In addition to their green credentials, E.ON has been a keen supporter of the sports, sponsoring several teams and events.
Scottish and Southern
Scottish and Southern Energy plc (Commonly known now as SSE plc) is a Scottish registered company and one of the top gas and electricity suppliers for the UK. Scottish Hydro-Electric (formerly known as the North of Scotland Hydro-Electric board before privatisation in the 1980’s) and Southern Electric were previously the Southern Electricity Board (Southern Electric).
SSE UK is currently the one out of the six gas and electricity suppliers that generates the largest amount of their energy from renewable sources.
Scottish Power
Scottish Power has over 5.2 million customers in the UK. After their Board approved a £11.6 billion takeover by the Spanish energy company Iberdrola which was completed in March 2007 it became Europe’s third largest utility company.
In recent years Scottish Power has gained a reputation for high levels of customer retention and product innovation. Their own metering company, SP Dataserve Ltd were the first to allow customers to text their meter readings in.
Who is best?
These are the top six out of all the UK gas and electricity suppliers and all have commendable properties. As to which is best depends on the individual customer. Comparing prices and services available is the only way to know which of the Big Six would work best for you.
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