A television advert by British Gas has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority due to misleading claims that the heating and electricity is generated through zero carbon technology.
British Gas is the UK’s largest supplier of energy. It has a 55% share of the gas market and 23% of electricity, with around eleven million gas accounts and six million electric. In addition, the company has a large plumbing and heating customer service arm with many plumbers and heating engineers covering the UK.
The TV advert for green heating and energy from British Gas shows a blue gas flame falling into a cartoon CO2, crashing the “O”, with the narrator claiming that the company’s CO2 emissions for electricity are the lowest among the large energy providers. Fourteen viewers complained that the company cannot claim “zero carbon” because it produced CO2 as a by-product of the energy generation process.
The advertising watchdog has subsequently warned British Gas not to repeat the advert in its current form.
As most UK household have gas boilers, British Gas is the largest domestic plumbing and central heating installation and service company in the country. The company employs around 5,500 Corgi registered plumbers and heating engineers, around 500 electrical engineers and around 1,000 plumbers specialising in Dyno-Rod drain work.
British Gas has developed the service side of the business to also provide kitchen appliance care. Their plumbers and engineer will be able to help whenever there are problems with kitchen appliances, such as the washing machine, the freezers etc. As with gas boilers where it is recommended to conduct annual boiler check to ensure the boiler operates well and there are no risks of carbon monoxide leaks, the company recommends annual inspection of other appliances to spot any upcoming problems or breakdowns.