British Gas Utilita Energy (November 2026)
Overview
Neither wins outright: British Gas has the cheaper tariff shown and fewer complaints to advice bodies, while Utilita has the higher Which? score and a Pay As You Go focus.
Neither supplier leads on every measure, so the better choice depends on what matters most to your household. British Gas has the lower annual estimate among the tariffs priced here: its Cap Tracker Mar2028 v1 costs £1,622 a year against £1,672 for Utilita's Smart Energy, although the tracker has a £50 exit fee. British Gas also had fewer complaints to Citizens Advice and the Energy Ombudsman for every 10,000 customers. Utilita has the higher Which? total score, at 68% against 59%, and more positive Trustpilot reviews overall, while its focus on Pay As You Go may suit prepayment households.
Neither supplier has a clear lead on everyday service. Citizens Advice scores them almost the same, at 2.61 for British Gas and 2.53 for Utilita, and Which? customers gave both suppliers 2 out of 5 for overall customer service.
About British Gas and Utilita Energy
Who are British Gas?
British Gas says it has been looking after Britain's homes for over 200 years. Today it is part of Centrica PLC and shares the group's values and plans for the future. Its about page says it powers over 8 million homes and businesses in Britain, which it describes as more than any other supplier.
The company says it is on a mission to make homes more sustainable. It aims to make life at home easier, greener and more affordable, from keeping things working to helping people move to newer low-carbon technology. It also backs sport through partnerships with Team GB, Paralympics GB, Scottish Rugby, Scottish Football and Women's Super League Football. It says it uses these to encourage greener living at home and to support the communities behind the athletes.
Products & services
Awards & recognition
Who are Utilita Energy?
Utilita has been offering household energy since 2003 and calls itself the home of Smart Pay As You Go. Its approach is built around prepayment, where customers add credit before they use energy rather than paying a bill afterwards. It describes itself as the UK's Pay As You Go specialists and says it designs its service around the day-to-day needs of prepayment households.
Utilita also keeps a visible presence away from screens and phone lines. It runs 12 high-street Energy Hubs offering face-to-face energy advice, and its name appears on arenas in Birmingham, Sheffield, Newcastle and Cardiff. It presents itself as a campaigner for fairer energy. It says only £4.24 of every £10 spent on household energy bills goes towards the energy itself, and that it is lobbying the government for a system that better protects households.
Products & services
Use our referral link, and we'll both get £50 credit once your switch is complete.
Existing customer? Find out how you can benefit too. T&Cs apply (only one switching offer per household)
Tariffs and pricing
Eligibility
Requires a smart meter
The lowest annual estimate shown for British Gas is its Cap Tracker Mar2028 v1, a tracker tariff at £1,622 a year, or about £135 a month. Utilita's Smart Energy is a variable tariff at £1,672 a year, or about £139 a month. Under our assumptions, that makes the British Gas tracker about £50 a year cheaper, which works out at around £4 a month.
The Cap Tracker's rates can still change during the deal. Its end date is listed as 31 March 2028, and it has a £50 exit fee if you leave early. Smart Energy, by contrast, has no exit fee and is listed as a smart meter tariff.
The price gap disappears if you want to avoid exit fees with British Gas. Its Standard Variable tariff costs £1,672 a year with no exit fee, which is effectively identical to Utilita's Smart Energy under our assumptions. Because the £50 yearly saving on the Cap Tracker is the same size as its exit fee, the tracker makes most sense for households who expect to stay.
The fixed deal priced here for British Gas is Fix and Fall Nov28 v1, a 24-month fixed deal at £2,066 a year with a £250 exit fee. That is £444 a year more than the Cap Tracker, and leaving early costs five times as much. There is no fixed tariff among the Utilita deals we have prices for.
| Metric | British Gas | Utilita Energy |
|---|---|---|
| Exit fee on cheapest tariff | £50 | £0 |
British Gas and Utilita Energy: tariff options
British Gas
Households who simply want gas and electricity can choose a price that moves, one that follows the price cap or a fixed price. The Standard Variable tariff can go up or down with the energy market, within Ofgem's price cap, and has no exit fee. The Cap Tracker follows the price cap, while Fix and Fall fixes prices for two years, with a price review after 12 months based on Ofgem's price cap. Both of these charge an exit fee if you leave early, so the Standard Variable tariff is the one to pick if you want to be free to leave.[1]
The smart tariffs need a smart electricity meter and give cheaper off-peak electricity, so they suit homes that can move heavy use into those hours. The choice depends on your equipment: EV Power for overnight car charging, Heat Power for heat pumps or electric heating, and Charge Power for home batteries.
If you generate your own electricity, the SEG tariff pays for what you export. EV drivers can also add Hive Power+ to a British Gas electricity tariff, but it needs a compatible EV charger and a smart meter in credit mode.
Utilita Energy
Utilita's Smart Pay As You Go tariffs are variable and have no daily standing charge. The Smart Energy estimate shown here is for monthly Direct Debit. Instead, the first part of each day's use costs a little more per unit and the rest is cheaper. If you use no energy on a given day, you pay nothing for that day, which can help homes that are often empty or use little energy. Smart Energy covers gas and electricity, with the first 2kWh of each fuel each day charged at the higher rate. Its prices are based on the Energy Price Cap, so they can change when the cap does. Utilita says it is its cheapest tariff shown for the large majority of customers.
Smart E7 is an electricity tariff for an Economy 7 meter. The first 1kWh each day costs a little more and later daytime use is cheaper. Anything used between midnight and 7am is charged at a much lower night rate, which suits homes with storage heaters, an electric car or appliances that can run overnight. Both tariffs need a smart meter, which Utilita can fit free of charge. Neither has an exit fee, so you can leave without a penalty.
Eligibility
Requires a smart meter
Customer reviews
British Gas has a Trustpilot rating of 4.4 from 360,671 reviews, and Utilita has 4.3 from 113,129 reviews, so both scores rest on a very high volume of reviews. The headline ratings are close, but the mix behind them differs: 73% of Utilita reviews are five-star, against 66% for British Gas.
At the other end of the scale, one-star reviews make up 20% of British Gas reviews and 15% of Utilita reviews, which is a sizeable unhappy group for both suppliers. Overall, 23% of British Gas reviews are negative against 17% for Utilita. Both suppliers reply to 99% of negative reviews, usually within 24 hours.
British Gas reviewers often praise its engineers for arriving on time, working efficiently and leaving homes tidy, and they value clear explanations of how boilers and other equipment work. Criticism centres on customer service and communication. Reviewers mention long phone waits, trouble reaching a helpful adviser, mixed messages from different advisers and appointments moved without proper notice.
Utilita reviewers often describe support staff as kind and patient, and say account problems were sorted out with reassuring help at stressful times. On the negative side, reviewers mention long phone waits and slow help with urgent problems, as well as delayed engineer visits, billing mistakes and communication problems when moving house.
Utilita has the higher Which? total score, at 68% against 59% for British Gas. In the Which? customer survey, both suppliers got 2 out of 5 for overall customer service and for value for money, so the gap comes mainly from the Which? supplier assessment. There, Utilita scored 10 out of 10 for smart meters, against 3 for British Gas, and 10 out of 10 for help for those who need it, against 8. British Gas scored 0 out of 5 for switching, against 2 for Utilita.
Mobile apps
Both apps have 1,000,000+ installs on Google Play, and their ratings are close. British Gas is rated 4.5 on the App Store from 16,000 ratings, against 4.4 from 27,000 ratings for Utilita. On Google Play both are rated 4.1, with Utilita's rating based on 61,592 ratings and British Gas's on 14,084. The balance of positive and negative Play Store ratings is almost the same for both.
Utilita says its My Utilita app lets Pay As You Go customers check their balance, top up in seconds and track where their energy is going. Customers can also put money aside for winter and get personalised energy-saving tips. These features fit Utilita's focus on prepayment, where keeping an eye on credit matters day to day.
British Gas's latest update on both platforms gave Pay As You Go customers a new layout with simpler top-ups from the Home screen. It also added in-app explanations when an annual Direct Debit review changes your monthly payments. Some iPhone users are unhappy with recent changes, reporting that usage information no longer shows as they expect and that bills or statements are hard to follow. One user also found the app slow to open.
Service and support
Average response: 5 sec (April to June 2026)
Replies: 99.7% within 2 days (April to June 2026)
Hours: Available
Average response: 37 sec (April to June 2026)
Hours: Available
Replies: Average 21 min (April to June 2026)
Citizens Advice scores the two suppliers almost the same for April to June 2026. British Gas scored 2.61 out of 5 and ranked 14th, while Utilita scored 2.53 and ranked 15th, so the small gap is not a clear service advantage either way. Both suppliers offer webchat.
For the same period, Utilita's average call centre wait time was 5 seconds, and webchat replies took 37 seconds on average. WhatsApp replies took about 20 minutes 52 seconds on average, and it answered 99.7% of emails within two days. We do not have current British Gas figures for these channels, so the two cannot be compared on contact speed.
Utilita also reports that 96.36% of its smart meters were working. For smart meters, 87.44% of its bills were based on actual readings rather than estimates, compared with 75.3% for traditional meters. Bills based on real readings are less likely to need correcting later, so Utilita homes without a smart meter may see more estimated bills. We do not have current British Gas figures on these measures.
| Billing and metering | British Gas — April to June 2026 | Utilita Energy — April to June 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Smart meters working correctly | Not reported | 96.36% |
| Bills based on readings — smart meters | Not reported | 87.44% |
| Bills based on readings — traditional meters | Not reported | 75.3% |
Complaints and performance
Complaint rates and how quickly they were resolved
In Q2 2026, British Gas reported 944 complaints per 100,000 customer accounts and Utilita Energy reported 946. Both figures cover the same quarter, so they can be compared directly, and they are almost the same. They count complaints, not people. One customer can complain more than once, so the rate does not tell you what share of customers made a complaint.
The bigger difference is in how quickly complaints were resolved in Q2 2026. Utilita Energy resolved 66% of complaints by the end of the next working day, compared with 42.5% for British Gas. Within eight weeks, Utilita Energy had resolved 93% and British Gas 85.5%. That means about 1 in 7 British Gas complaints took longer than eight weeks to close, compared with about 1 in 14 at Utilita Energy. These figures show how fast complaints were closed, not whether customers were happy with the outcome.
Complaints to Citizens Advice and the Energy Ombudsman
Citizens Advice figures for April to June 2026 show 68.8 complaints per 10,000 customers for British Gas and 95.7 for Utilita Energy. These are complaints people took to advice bodies and the Energy Ombudsman, not complaints made directly to the supplier. They use a different base from the supplier-reported figures, so the two sets of numbers cannot be set against each other. Both Citizens Advice figures cover the same period, so they can be compared. Relative to its size, Utilita Energy had more complaints reaching these outside bodies, even though it resolved its own complaints faster. Overall, the evidence gives a mixed picture rather than a clear winner on complaints.
Main complaint themes
The complaint themes below do not state which period they cover, so they should not be read as belonging to Q2 2026. Each percentage is that theme's share of the supplier's own complaints. The two suppliers group complaints under different labels, so the themes do not line up exactly. British Gas gave details of what it is doing for four of its five themes. Utilita Energy gave only theme names and shares, with no descriptions or responses.
British Gas and Utilita Energy: green energy
British Gas
British Gas publishes a fuel mix page that sets out where its electricity comes from, what effect it has on the environment and what the company is doing to be more sustainable. That page describes the power British Gas supplies overall, which is separate from anything promised about a particular tariff.
Much of its green message is about when you use electricity. British Gas says its smart time-of-use tariffs make clever use of cleaner energy and that using off-peak electricity is better for the environment, as well as cheaper. These tariffs need a smart electricity meter, which records when you use power so off-peak hours can be charged at the lower rate. A household gets the benefit by moving use into those hours, such as charging an EV overnight or running the dishwasher late.[1]
Homes that make their own power can join the Smart Export Guarantee tariff, which pays for spare electricity sent back to the grid. British Gas says all renewable systems are welcome, not just solar panels, and that its own electricity customers get its best export price.
British Gas says homes produce around 40% of the UK's carbon emissions. It offers heat pumps, insulation, solar panels, batteries and EV chargers as ways to cut a home's carbon footprint. These are separate purchases rather than part of an energy tariff.[2]
Outside household supply, its Energy for Tomorrow programme has used matched funding to help five local sports clubs install solar panels and upgrade their facilities. The company also says it is helping the UK reach zero carbon emissions by 2050. That is a wider company aim rather than a description of the electricity supplied on any tariff.
Utilita Energy
Utilita's main green offer for households is the chance to make your own electricity. Through Utilita Home, it sells and installs home solar packages using LONGi panels, listed at 490W each with efficiency of up to 24.5%, with a Sunsynk inverter included. Panels turn daylight rather than direct sunshine into electricity, so they keep working on cloudy days. The power they make runs your home directly, which cuts how much you take from the grid. Spare power can be stored in a home battery for the evening or overnight. If you install solar with battery storage through Utilita Home, you get two years' free access to Utilita Optimise. This automated system looks at your equipment, usage and the weather to decide when to charge and empty the battery.[3]
Utilita's headline claim of up to £1,275 a year in savings is a modelled figure for a large-usage home using about 5,700kWh a year. It combines up to £916 from a 16-panel system with a 5.32kWh battery and up to £359 from exporting spare power at an assumed 12p per kWh. Utilita also says panels with a battery can cut a household's carbon footprint by over 1.5 tonnes of CO₂e a year. Real results depend on your equipment, roof shading, location and energy use.
Packages can be paid for upfront or spread through Hometree Finance from £50 a month, subject to status. MCS-certified teams carry out installations, and Utilita Home is a member of the Renewable Energy Consumer Code. This code sets consumer protection standards for firms selling home renewable systems. Utilita's other green focus is helping customers use less energy. The My Utilita app shows where your energy goes and gives personalised saving tips. Utilita also publishes five seasonal tips that it says could save up to £749 a year.[4][5]
Our verdict
| If you care most about | Choose |
|---|---|
| The lowest annual estimate among priced tariffs | British Gas |
| The same Which? service rating and near-identical Citizens Advice scores | Either |
| A higher App Store rating | British Gas |
Neither wins outright: British Gas has the cheaper tariff shown and fewer complaints to advice bodies, while Utilita has the higher Which? score and a Pay As You Go focus.
Neither supplier comes out ahead on every measure. Utilita has the higher Which? total score, at 68% against 59%, helped by 10 out of 10 in the Which? supplier assessment for both smart meters and help for those who need it. Its Trustpilot reviews are also more positive overall, and reviewers often describe its staff as kind and patient.
British Gas had fewer complaints to Citizens Advice and the Energy Ombudsman in April to June 2026, at 68.8 per 10,000 customers against 95.7 for Utilita. Its reviewers also regularly praise its engineers for tidy, punctual work.
British Gas may suit households who want fewer complaints reaching outside bodies, or who also want boiler cover or servicing from the same company. Its cheapest tariff priced here has a £50 exit fee, so it makes most sense if you plan to stay. Utilita may suit households on Pay As You Go, or those who value strong smart meter support, because its app and service are built around prepayment. Which? customers gave both suppliers only 2 out of 5 for overall customer service, so neither stands out for everyday contact.
- Fewer complaints to Citizens Advice and the Energy Ombudsman: 68.8 per 10,000 customers vs 95.7
- Engineers often praised by reviewers for punctual, efficient and tidy work
- Cap Tracker Mar2028 v1 costs £1,622 a year, £50 less than Utilita's Smart Energy
- Slightly higher App Store rating: 4.5 vs 4.4
- 8 out of 10 for help for those who need it in the Which? supplier assessment
- Lower Which? total score: 59% vs 68%
- 20% of Trustpilot reviews are one-star, with complaints about phone waits and mixed communication
- 3 out of 10 for smart meters and 0 out of 5 for switching in the Which? supplier assessment
- Cap Tracker has a £50 exit fee, and the 24-month Fix and Fall deal has a £250 exit fee
- Higher Which? total score: 68% vs 59%
- 10 out of 10 for smart meters and for help for those who need it in the Which? supplier assessment
- 73% of Trustpilot reviews are five-star, with staff often described as kind and patient
- 5-second average call centre wait and 99.7% of emails answered within two days
- Smart Energy tariff has no exit fee
- More complaints to Citizens Advice and the Energy Ombudsman: 95.7 per 10,000 customers vs 68.8
- Reviewers mention phone waits, delayed engineer visits and billing mistakes
- Smart Energy costs £50 a year more than British Gas's Cap Tracker
- 75.3% of traditional meter bills based on actual readings, against 87.44% for smart meters
- No fixed tariff among the Utilita deals we have prices for
Use our referral link, and we'll both get £50 credit once your switch is complete.
Existing customer? Find out how you can benefit too. T&Cs apply (only one switching offer per household)
Frequently asked questions
Does the British Gas Cap Tracker have an exit fee?
Yes. The Cap Tracker Mar2028 v1 has a £50 exit fee if you leave early, and its end date is listed as 31 March 2028. Its rates can change. If you want to avoid an exit fee, the British Gas Standard Variable tariff costs £1,672 a year with no exit fee.
Is there a fixed-price deal from either supplier?
British Gas's Fix and Fall Nov28 v1 is a 24-month fixed deal at £2,066 a year, with a £250 exit fee. There is no fixed tariff among the Utilita deals we have prices for.
Does Utilita's Smart Energy tariff need a smart meter?
Yes. The Smart Energy tariff priced here is listed as a smart meter tariff, and it has no exit fee. Utilita scored 10 out of 10 for smart meters in the Which? supplier assessment. It reported that 96.36% of its smart meters were working in April to June 2026.
Can I top up a Utilita Pay As You Go meter from my phone?
Utilita says you can tap the Payments icon in the My Utilita app, choose the meter or meters to top up, and the credit reaches them in seconds. You can also top up through its website by signing in or paying as a guest.
How quickly does each supplier answer calls and emails?
In April to June 2026, Utilita's average call centre wait time was 5 seconds and it answered 99.7% of emails within two days. A current figure is not available for British Gas on either measure, so the two cannot be compared on contact speed.
How often are bills based on real meter readings?
For Utilita, 87.44% of bills for smart meters and 75.3% of bills for traditional meters were based on actual readings in April to June 2026. A current figure is not available for British Gas.
Which supplier had fewer complaints?
British Gas had 68.8 complaints per 10,000 customers made to Citizens Advice and the Energy Ombudsman in April to June 2026, against 95.7 for Utilita. These figures count complaints to those outside bodies, not complaints made directly to the supplier.
Can British Gas also look after my boiler?
British Gas offers HomeCare cover for boilers, plumbing, drains and electrics, as well as annual boiler services, repairs and new boiler installation. These are separate purchases from your energy tariff and are not included in the tariff prices shown here.
What changed this month
This month, Utilita Energy's iOS sampled negative reviews rose from 1 to 2, British Gas's iOS app days since last update fell from 29 to 5, and British Gas's play store days since last update fell from 30 to 6. There were 16 other data changes this month — see the full changelog below for details.
Data changes this month (24)
British Gas
- Trustpilot reviews357,334 → 360,671
- iOS app ratings count15,000 → 16,000
- iOS app days since last update29 → 5
- iOS sampled reviews avg stars1.67 → 1.33
- Play Store rating4.2234955 → 4.0832157
- Play Store ratings count13,984 → 14,084
- Play Store days since last update30 → 6
- Play Store positive ratings %81.6 → 77.7
- Play Store negative ratings %15.5 → 19.2
- Play Store neutral ratings %2.9 → 3.1
- Play Store net-positive %66.1 → 58.5
- Cheapest fixed tariff£1,950.21 → £2,066.49
Utilita Energy
- Trustpilot reviews112,728 → 113,129
- iOS app days since last update38 → 27
- iOS app updates in last 90 days2 → 3
- iOS sampled reviews avg stars3.33 → 2.33
- iOS sampled positive reviews2 → 1
- iOS sampled negative reviews1 → 2
- Play Store rating4.1152725 → 4.111904
- Play Store ratings count61,576 → 61,592
- Play Store days since last update16 → 27
- Play Store positive ratings %77.3 → 77.2
- Play Store negative ratings %19 → 19.1
- Play Store net-positive %58.3 → 58.1
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Written by
Rob Gibbs
Hi, I'm Rob, and I run Energy-Review.co.uk. I initially started this project in 2018 when I was looking to switch energy suppliers and found there wasn't a website that provided simple, data-backed reviews on all the suppliers available. Since then, I have spent a lot of time (too much, some may say!) looking at all publicly available data about each supplier and writing reviews using this information. These reviews are updated as regularly as possible, and any data is backed up by a source where necessary. I have also started writing guides on various energy-related topics, which hopefully you will find useful. If you find any issues, please use our contact form to let us know.