British Gas half-year earnings at its household supply arm have fallen as it took a £50 million hit from slumping energy demand due to warmer weather.
The Centrica-owned group reported underlying earnings of £133 million for the six months to June 30, down from £156 million the previous year.
Warmer-than-normal weather, as well as lower energy prices, knocked the result at the supply business as households turned down their central heating thermostats.
The energy giant said the division took a £50 million hit from what it described as "unseasonably warm weather conditions across the UK and Europe, with April being the third warmest on record".
But it said it halted the number of customers leaving British Gas, with a 1% rise in households supplied to 7.5 million as at the end of last month.
The broader Centrica business felt the impact across its operations, with underlying earnings nearly halving to £549 million from £1.04 billion a year earlier.
On a reported basis, Centrica swung to an operating loss of £69 million, from £1.68 billion earnings a year ago.
Transformation plans
Chris O'Shea, Centrica's group chief executive, acknowledged the challenging conditions but highlighted progress in key areas.
"I'm pleased with the progress we've made in some areas during the first half despite a challenging backdrop," he said.
O'Shea emphasised that there was "still much more to do across the group" as the company accelerates efforts to become "a leaner, more agile organisation".
The transformation includes deploying artificial technology to drive customer retention and support commercial growth, alongside simplifying operations by cutting overheads, the group says.
The results come after Centrica announced it was investing £1.3 billion for a 15% stake in the new Sizewell C nuclear power plant in Suffolk.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
