British Gas to Take Over Nabuh Energy Customers After Buyout

All 36,000 customers of Nabuh Energy will be transferred to British Gas after the energy giant acquired the small supplier.

The handover will take place on 27 April, with gas and electricity supplies continuing uninterrupted and credit balances protected. British Gas will honour all of Nabuh’s existing tariffs, so your rates won’t change, at least in the short-term.

If you’re not happy with the transfer to British Gas you can switch to another supplier without facing exit fees.

All 70 employees of Nabuh Energy will also be transferred to British Gas.

Nabuh Energy was founded in 2017 in Sheffield and claimed to be an “energy company with a big heart.” However, it has been rapped for its poor customer service, regularly ranking last or nearly last of 40-odd suppliers in Citizens Advice’s quarterly energy company league tables. 

It also fell afoul of Ofgem. In both 2019 and 2020, the regulator threatened Nabuh with the possible revocation of its supply licence after it failed to make timely payments into the Renewables Obligation (RO) fund.

British Gas’s acquisition of the struggling supplier is part of an expansion plan for the energy market stalwart, which has haemorrhaged accounts in recent years. British Gas purchased Robin Hood Energy, Nottingham City Council’s not-for-profit supplier, in September, adding 85,000 domestic customers to its rolls.

In February, British Gas Evolve, a new digital-facing, affordable brand from British Gas parent Centrica, became the supplier of last resort for 53,000 customers stranded when Simplicity Energy went bust.

Chris O'Shea, chief executive of Centrica, said: "We are delighted to welcome both Nabuh Energy’s customers and our new colleagues. This deal is part of our strategy to focus on and invest in our core markets and follows the acquisition of Robin Hood Energy’s customer base last year and more recently Simplicity Energy.

"This is a really exciting time for British Gas as we seek to return the business to growth and put customers at the heart of everything we do, by offering a competitive and innovative service."

Despite the recent acquisitions, British Gas customers numbers were still down 2% last year, part of a wider trend that has seen customers ditch Big Six suppliers for cheaper alternatives.

But as the fates of Nabuh, Robin Hood and Simplicity Energy show, some small suppliers can’t weather the choppy waters of the energy market and their customers may be hoovered up by the giants in the end. More than 20 small and mid-sized suppliers have crashed out of the market over the last three years.