"Is my energy company British owned?"
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It’s important to know who owns your energy company.
While some customers are only concerned about price – and we’ve got nothing against saving money on energy bills – many also choose their supplier based on other factors. Many of our users have expressed an interest in knowing which energy companies are British owned and which are not. This guide will explain just that. 
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British Gas
It should come as no surprise that British Gas is, er, British owned. The country’s biggest supplier is owned by Centrica, based in Windsor, England. You can’t get more British than that. British Gas is also responsible for running Sainsbury’s Energy. EDF EDF stands for Électricité de France. So clearly it is as French as smelly cheese, wine and baguettes. EDF is part of the French company EDF Group, founded across the channel in 1946. It has increased its presence in the UK through acquiring a number of British energy companies, including London Electricity, SWEB, Seeboard and British Energy. ARE YOU BEING RIPPED OFF BY YOUR ENERGY PROVIDER? |
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E.ON
Following a merger of two other German companies, VEBA and VIAG, the German-owned E.ON was created. They first entered the UK market 15 odd years ago with the purchase of Powergen under a different name. The now famous name E.ON was only introduced to the UK market in 2007. Npower Like E.ON, Npower is German owned. It is a subsidiary of the RWE Group, an incorporation of the largest energy suppliers in Germany. Npower has bought several formally British owned suppliers such as Independent Energy and Midlands Electricity. Scottish Power Don’t let the name fool you. There isn’t much Scottish about Scottish Power anymore. Once upon a time the company was Scottish, being formed out of the South of Scotland Electricity Board. However, since 2006 Scottish Power has been owned by Iberdrola, a Spanish company. SSE SSE, on the other hand, is still Scottish owned. After all, it did used to be called Scottish and Southern Energy. It still has its headquarter in Perth, Scotland and runs a number of other brands such as SSE Atlantic, SSE Southern Electric, SSE SWALEC and SSE Scottish Hyrdo. So, SSE is still British owned. Well, unless, of course, a certain political party north of Hadrian’s Wall gets its way. |
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Smaller suppliers
There are also a whole host of smaller suppliers now on the market – many of them also British owned. Octopus Energy, for instance, is a relatively new, small and British-owned supplier. There’s many interesting, new, smaller energy suppliers around now, based in regions up and down the country. You’ve got Bristol Energy, Zog Energy from Ipswitch, and Tonik Energy from Birmingham, amongst others. Check out our comprehensive list of energy company reviews to familiarise yourself with other small suppliers which are, for the most part, British owned. What should I do if I want to change my energy supplier? All it takes to change suppliers is whack your details in our online price comparison tool. You’ll be given a list of available tariffs. Use this guide to check if they are or are not British owned, whichever way you are inclined. Also check them out using our reviews – customer service and the like is still important. |
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