British Gas

The British Gas Energy Trust, a charity funded by British Gas, has today (1 July) reopened applications for grants of up to £1,500 to help people clear debts owed to their energy provider – and you don't have to be a British Gas customer to benefit. But funds are limited, so it's best to apply as soon as possible. Here's what you need to know.

Hundreds of people say they've been wrongly sent letters by a debt collector on behalf of energy firms including British Gas and E.on, asking for payment of unpaid bills. But DON'T ignore these letters even if you don't owe the cash – we'll take you through step-by-step help on what to do if you get one. 

At least 30% of British Gas, Octopus Energy and Shell Energy customers who were in credit and on price-capped tariffs told the UK's biggest consumer website, MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE), that they've seen their direct debits double – even though the price cap rise is half that, at 54%. Across all firms, 25% of customers in this situation reported direct debits doubling or more.

British Gas has admitted that millions of smart meter customers have been unable to use the energy giant's app or website to check their gas and electricity usage since February due to a "glitch". The failure has meant people have been unable to track how much they are spending at a time when energy bills have spiked.

British Gas has doubled the amount of emergency credit available to customers on their gas and electricity prepayment meters from £5 to £10 in the wake of the recent spike in energy prices, although the energy giant previously had one of the lowest limits. 

Sainsbury's has today relaunched its energy offering, after partnering with big six firm Npower.

Hundreds of Together Energy customers have been sent their final bills containing an incorrect early-contract termination fee of £40, MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) can reveal. Check your statement now to see if you’ve been wrongly charged.

Over two million households have been switched to a new energy supplier they didn't choose in the past year after their previous provider went bust. But very few caught by this 'safety net' – especially those moved to British Gas – reported having a good transfer experience, with many left waiting months for credit refunds as well as being "left in the dark" about the transfer process. 

British Gas customers should ignore emails they have received from the UK's biggest energy supplier encouraging them to switch to fixed-price deals as it could make them £100s a year worse off. There are no fixed deals right now cheaper than providers' default tariffs, which are currently based on energy regulator Ofgem's price cap. 

British Gas has paid £1.48 million in compensation after it failed to tell 100,000s of prepayment customers it was switching top-up providers.