Centrica has made a good start to the year, with the colder than normal winter increasing British Gas customers' energy consumption and cheaper prices attracting new users.
The company said average gas consumption in the first three months of the year was 7% higher and electricity 2% higher than the same time in 2009. This offset energy efficiency measures which reduced underlying average consumption, but a 7% price cut meant it attracted 200,000 new customers over the period, taking the total to 15.9m. With its upstream and power generation businesses also performing in line, the company said the outlook for the year remained positive.
