Moving forward

One of the ways that British Gas is aiming to help everyone combat climate change is through the creation of British Gas New Energy, a division of the company which brings together all our green products and services under one roof. And there's a wide range of initiatives that we're already taking, such as our efforts to encourage alternative energy use in the home. Through a new partnership between British Gas and certain local authorities, customers buying solar panels in some areas of the UK are able to earn a discount of up to £500 on their council tax - and we're looking at ways this scheme can be extended to more local authorities. But taking the initiative doesn't just mean changing the products we offer to you – it means making sure we're energy efficient too. For example, British Gas engineers make over nine million visits to your homes every year. So we're looking at ways to improve the fuel efficiency of our fleet of vans, which could dramatically cut the amount of energy we use. We're also heavily promoting the simple things we can all do, from recycling to just making sure lights are turned off!

My view is that people must understand the dangers of climate change so that they can see the need for action. And getting that message across starts with British Gas' own employees. If our employees are helping to combat climate change themselves then they can speak from experience when talking to you, the customer. We have to lead by example – both as individuals, and as a company.

We're already making a start, by training 500 of our engineers in assessing homes for Energy Performance Certificates. This will ensure that our engineers can always give the best advice about energy saving to you, now and in the future.