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Who are the "big six" energy companies? 27 March 2014Last updated at 13:48 ET Half a dozen major energy companies have come to dominate the market in the UK, supplying about 95% of all household gas and electricity.

Who are the "big six" energy companies?

But who are they? Known as the "big six", their activities leave only a tiny proportion of the market to be served by a clutch of smaller suppliers. The big six are: British Gas Size and ownership: British Gas is the UK's largest domestic energy supplier. Chris Weston is managing director of British Gas It is part of the British-owned Centrica Group, a huge company also involved in gas and oil exploration and production. Centrica employs 33,000 people in Britain. Latest price announcements: British Gas raised its prices for its dual-fuel customers by 9.2% in November. Average household dual-fuel bills were estimated to rise by £123 to £1,444 a year as a result. It then reduced dual fuel prices by 3.2% on 1 January owing to the government's reduction of green levies. Profits: £571m for domestic supply in 2013.

Npower E.On. Gold – investing. Cheaper oil: Winners and losers. Cheer for motorists as fuel prices hit five-year low. Buy a house under a mile away and save £1million. The average price drops by £280,000 moving from Vauxhall to Stockwell on the Victoria line, while house values plummet another £480,208 when moving from Stockwell to Brixton, the data revealed.

Buy a house under a mile away and save £1million

At the other end of the Victoria line, prospective homeowners can save £390,465 by looking around the Highbury and Islington area rather than King’s Cross. A home in Wembley Park is £600,000 more expensive than one in Finchley Road, as the distance between the two stations spans tube zones 2 to 4. “Savvy buyers looking for the next tube hotspot should consider where new gaps could appear along the network, such as the Northern line extension to Nine Elms and Battersea in South London,” said Russell Quirk, the founder of eMoov. “Over the next few years these locations and their surrounding areas will see a dramatic rise in house prices and demand as they open the new service.”

Why won’t oil producers cut supply to boost the price? Slump in oil prices drives green energy takeup in top exporting nations. The oil price slump below $30 barrel is spurring some of the world’s biggest oil exporters to curb domestic consumption of fossil fuels and invest in wind and solar power, according to government officials meeting in Abu Dhabi.

Slump in oil prices drives green energy takeup in top exporting nations

A month after the historic climate agreement in Paris, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and other oil exporters are in the midst of overhauling domestic energy policies and seeking alternatives to oil and gas for electricity. The main motive is not reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but cutting back on domestic energy demand that is taking up a rising share of production. Oil exporters would rather sell their fossil fuels abroad than burn them at home, government officials attending meetings of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) said. “It is just common sense in my opinion,” said Saad Salem Al Jandel, a research scientist at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research and a delegate to the Irena meeting.

Why is China economic growth slowing? The statistics behind UK steel job losses. The National Health Service (NHS) Explained. Recent Resources on Market Failure (Jan 2016) Evaluation Skills for AS Microeconomics Exams. Analysis Skills for AS Micro Exams. Why won’t oil producers cut supply to boost the price?