British Gas to freeze UK energy prices this winter

LONDON, Dec (Shanghai: 600875.SS - news) 1 (Reuters) - Centrica (Frankfurt: A0DK6K - news) owned British Gas, Britain's biggest energy supplier, has frozen its standard energy prices this winter, it said on Wednesday, putting more pressure on rival companies to do the same.

British wholesale gas and electricity prices have risen about 30 and 40 percent respectively since June, along with a rebound in other commodities such as coal, leading to speculation that some electricity suppliers could raise prices.

British Gas, which has around 6 million customers, said the price of its standard variable energy tariff would remain unchanged through this winter.

It is also launching a product allowing customers to fix their energy bills until March 2019.

The move follows price freeze pledges made last month by rival firm SSE (LSE: SSE.L - news) , and independent supplier Good Energy (LSE: GOOD.L - news) (GOODG.L,).

It also ramps up pressure on the remaining "big six" firms Iberdrola (Amsterdam: ID6.AS - news) 's Scottish Power, RWE (IOB: 0FUZ.IL - news) 's npower, E.ON and EDF Energy, to do the same.

Energy bills have doubled in Britain over the past decade to about 1,200 pounds ($1,640) a year, and the government has said it could intervene in the market if it believes prices are too high. (Reporting By Susanna Twidale; Editing by Susan Fenton)