The company said the number of domestic customer accounts remained unchanged; the rise was due to “higher UK residential energy consumption, compared to the exceptionally mild weather and unusually low levels of profitability in the first half last year”. Profits also rose in the company’s domestic services business, ending 14 per cent higher that in the period in 2011, at £125 million.
The company was less successful with its business customers in what Centrica said was a “particularly challenging” economic and competitive environment. Profits in that segment fell 27 per cent to £93 million although customer numbers fell by just three per cent.
With upstream activities, including gas storage where profits were down 8 per cent to £36 million, Centrica posted overall operating profit up 15 per cent to £1.4 billion, on revenues up 4 per cent to £12 billion.
The company said most of its profit in power generation (£147 million, up 49 per cent) was coming from its nuclear interests and it had had little success from its gas-fired stations. As a result the company will close one station at Kings Lynn and it has placed Peterborough and Roosecote under review.