British Gas and SSE cut energy bills Ian Peters, Managing Director for Energy at British Gas, said: "We want to keep prices as low as possible for our customers. Household budgets are stretched, and we are doing everything we can to help our customers keep their bills down. The company, owned by Centrica, said it had not reduced gas prices for its 10m gas customers because of the challenge posed by the fact it served so many people. It said: "British Gas serves half the homes in Britain. We have to buy energy in advance to protect our customers against any sharp spikes in prices - like we saw last winter. While there have been some short-term falls in the cost of gas, the longer term trend continues to be upward. SSE's gas price cut will come into effect on March 26, savings its 3.5m customers around £28 a year, the company said. The company, which also operates as Scottish Hydro and Southern Electric, made no reduction to electricity prices, which it increased by 11pc in September. The Big Six suppliers have come under mounting pressure from the government and consumer groups to reduce bills as gas wholesale prices have fallen since August, with smaller suppliers Co-Operative Energy and Ovo both cutting prices. Britain's biggest energy companies have been attempting to improve their reputations in the face of sustained criticism and this week's developments illustrate the scramble among the six to be seen to be leading the way. It is understood that, for British Gas's price cut to come into effect immediately, it would have had to have been scheduled for some time and could not have been rushed out purely in reaction to EDF Energy's announcement on Wednesday. Rumours that British Gas would cut prices emerged last week and while EDF Energy made much of it being the first major supplier to announce cuts this year, its savings will not come into effect until February 7. SSE said it had extended its commitment to cap domestic energy prices, until October, and from next week would publish an online breakdown of the costs that make up household bills. The remaining three largest suppliers, Scottish Power, npower and E.ON, faced renewed calls to cut their prices. Adam Scorer, Director of Policy and External Affairs at Consumer Focus, said: "Consumers will be pleased that British Gas has announced a price cut so hot on the heels of EDF Energy's reductions. With two of the Big Six announcing price cuts in as many days the heat is now on for others to follow suit and help ease the pressure of high energy bills for their customers. It's good to see cuts being made to both gas and electricity prices, even if by different firms. While companies will respond differently depending on where they think wholesale prices are heading, wholesale gas and electricity prices have been falling over the last year this narrowing of costs must be reflected in consumer prices. The widening gap between wholesale and retail prices has become the fault line for consumer confidence. Companies want to regain the trust of their customers. Narrowing this gap is a necessary part of achieving this. The other four major suppliers should act now if they want to be seen as committed to an effective competitive market. Compare gas and electricity prices and cut your bills. Switch >>