British Gas buys smart home company AlertMe for £44m as Centrica bets on Internet of Things February 13, 2015 British Gas has just splashed some major cash on AlertMe, the smart home technology company behind its Hive service, which controls heating remotely at the touch of a smartphone screen. The Centrica-owned energy company will pay £44m to acquire AlertMe, the east London company which provides a platform for connected “smart” devices throughout the home, [...]
Centrica gives in as British Gas cuts bills by five per cent January 19, 2015 British Gas owner Centrica has become the latest energy company to cut its bills, slashing household gas prices by five per cent. In a statement today, the company said the cut will reduce average household energy bills by £37, benefitting 6.8 million customers. The price cut, which will take place from 27 February, "reflects the [...]
Centrica exec Colette Cohen takes top spot at The National College for onshore oil and gas January 18, 2015 The National College for onshore oil and gas has appointed Centrica’s Colette Cohen as its first chair. Cohen, who heads up Centrica’s UK oil and gas production business, will lead the college’s development board and help with business planning. She commented: “To build a successful shale gas industry it’s vital we attract young people to [...]
Mild winter and lower use hit Centrica outlook November 20, 2014 BRITISH Gas owner Centrica yesterday reduced its earnings forecast, as milder winter weather cut into its revenues. The firm said the average residential gas consumption for the first 10 months of the year was 21 per cent lower than in 2013, while the average electricity consumption was down seven per cent. It added that the [...]
Centrica shares fall on profit warning as winter gets off to a mild start November 20, 2014 We might be enjoying the milder-than-usual start to winter, but for Centrica it's been the source of lower-than-usual profits. The multinational utility company, which owns British Gas, admitted in a statement this morning that it had inaccurately read the meter on its earnings estimates issued earlier in the year, and that its profit estimates [...]
Last winter of discontent hits Centrica profits July 31, 2014 The temperature just wasn’t right for profits at British Gas owner Centrica last winter, as group profits were walloped by an extreme polar freeze in the US, contrasting with a mild UK winter. Operating profits at Centrica plummeted 40 per cent in the first half of 2014, down to £890m from £1.49bn over the same [...]
London Report: Lloyds and Centrica pull down FTSE but Shell prevents rout July 31, 2014 BRITAIN’S top equity index yesterday fell as Lloyds Bank pulled down financial stocks, while concerns about the impact on Europe from tensions between Russia and Ukraine also made traders wary. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed down by 0.6 per cent, or 43.33 points, at 6,730.11 points. Shares in Lloyds, which had risen for the [...]
British Gas profits down as Centrica hit by UK warmer weather and US polar vortex July 31, 2014 Pre-tax profits at British Gas owner Centrica fell 40 per cent in the first half of the year as British Gas felt the effects of warmer weather in the UK. British Gas operating profit dropped 26 per cent as gas consumption fell 24 per cent and electricity use dropped nine per cent. Customer numbers at the [...]
Iain Conn named new boss of Centrica July 29, 2014 Iain Conn has been appointed chief executive of Centrica, the company that owns British Gas. He will take up the position at start of next year, after current chief executive Sam Laidlaw retires from the board. Conn is currently the head of refining and marketing at BP, and has been appointed by Centrica [...]
BP’s Iain Conn in talks to take Centrica top job July 24, 2014 CENTRICA finally confirmed yesterday that it was in talks with BP’s Iain Conn over the possibility of him taking over the top role from Sam Laidlaw. Oil major BP announced yesterday afternoon that Conn was stepping down by the end of the year after almost three decades at the company, prompting a statement from the [...]