British Gas plans to offer FREE electricity to customers

BRITISH Gas, having just warned of winter price hikes, is now planning to offer free electricity on Saturdays.

British Gas says the plans are in place to reduce demand on weekdays

The energy firm wants to cut demand on weekdays and has plans in place to offer the free power deal to their customers from the middle of next year.

A spokesman for Centrica said: "Our North American business offers a product for those customers in Texas who have a smart meter.

"We are looking to see whether we can introduce it into the UK for customers with a smart meter.

"Once we have trialled it, if it works then we could potentially offer it as a product for customers from the middle of next year."

One million homes in the UK and businesses already have smart meters installed, which automatically send readings to British Gas.

Centrica hopes the scheme will encourage households to use electrical appliances at the weekend, when industrial demand is lower.

“Once we have trialled it, if it works then we could potentially offer it as a product for customers from the middle of next year”

Centrica spokesman

However, the news is offset by hints that bills are set to rise AGAIN, despite the company profiting from the freezing cold winter and spring.

Earnings increased to £356 million during the first half of 2013, after raising tariffs by 6% at the end of last year.

Operating profits at Centrica were up 9% from £1.45 billion to £1.58 billion, but they would have been higher if they weren't held back by a new duty to pay for green measures in customers' homes.

And Centrica warned that the scheme, which has landed it with a £1.4 billion bill, would "inevitably impact on customer bills ultimately" and that it was facing "upward pressure on costs."

Finance director Nick Luff said: "We will keep prices as low as we can for as long as we can.

"If prices do have to go up, we will delay it for as long as possible."

He defended the £11 million increase in profits for British Gas, saying it represented just 70p per customer.