• Internet Accessibility
• Good Web Design
• About this Project
• Centrica
• Nomensa
• Freedom Scientific
• GW Micro

About Centrica

Centrica's vision is to be a leading supplier of essential services in our chosen markets.

We aim to take care of the essentials for millions of people. We do this by offering simple solutions for everyday service needs ranging from energy supply, telecoms, roadside recovery and financial services. In Great Britain we do this through four consumer brands, the AA, British Gas, Goldfish and One.Tel, known and trusted by millions of customers.

In North America we are the market leader in the unregulated sector of energy supply through our subsidiary in Canada, Direct Energy, and in the USA through our Energy America business.

Web accessibility

We recognise that many Internet users with disabilities find web sites difficult or even impossible to use simply because of the way they are designed. Across the Centrica group we are working hard to provide services and products that are helpful to all our customers. This applies to our web sites, too.

We are aware of the types of adaptive technology used by people with disabilities and are currently working on redesigning our sites to ensure compatibility with as many of these systems as possible.

Centrica has developed, in collaboration with the Employer's Forum on Disability (EFD) and AbilityNet, its own web site accessibility guidelines based on internationally recognised standards (W3C). We are working hard to ensure that all our business web sites are fully accessible to these standards in the near future

Centrica is committed to equal access to services for disabled customers

We are committed to ensuring that all our customers receive the best possible service. We also recognise that some of our customers have particular needs, which we take into account when dealing with them.

The Disability Discrimination Act sets out a number of requirements for companies. We are committed to meeting, and where possible, exceeding these commitments.

Centrica is a gold card member of the Employer's Forum on Disability (EFD). Our Chief Executive, Sir Roy Gardner , chairs the EFD, which provides guidance and information on disability issues to its member companies. The EFD is the only national employer's organisation concerned exclusively with the training and employment of disabled employees.

A Customer Diversity Department has been established at Centrica to ensure disability issues are considered during all strategic decision making, in both customer service and employee initiatives. Disability champions have been established to discuss, share and implement best practices throughout all our businesses.

Several parts of the Centrica Group have established service registers to identify and manage the specific needs of individual customers. British Gas has around 800,000 customers on their Home Energy Care Register; the AA currently has 17,000 customers on its register.

Centrica is committed to supporting local communities

Our UK Charity of the Year initiative enables employees across the group to raise funds for a charity chosen by employees. From April 2001 until July 2002, our partner was the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and employees raised more than £475,000 to fund vital research and treatment for the UK's most common life-threatening inherited disease.

We hope for similar success with our new chosen charity, the Meningitis Trust. Between its launch in September 2002 and January 2002, employees raised more than £1,750,000.

The AA Accessible Hotel of the Year Awards highlight the importance of ensuring equal access for disabled people to hotels and guest accommodation, in the lead up to the next phase of the Disability Discrimination Act in 2004. During 2002, AA hotel inspectors assessed 60 hotels and guest houses selected from the results of a detailed questionnaire returned from more than 300 of the AA's 8,000-strong list. The awards will be repeated in 2003 to make more establishments aware of the need for improved accessibility.

The British Gas "here to HELP" initiative was launched in 2002 to help tackle household poverty in some of the most deprived communities in Britain. 500,000 homes will be supported in urban, suburban and rural areas over the next three years, through a network of local authorities, housing associations and charity organisations. Households are offered energy efficiency support and advice along with other services delivered by our charity partners.