The Big Difference

With over 21,000 colleagues, Centrica is committed to energising a greener, fairer future. Through brands like British Gas and Hive, we operate across the entire energy value chain, maintaining a strong community presence throughout Britain.

 The Big Difference is our colleague-powered charitable and volunteering programme. With offices in major UK cities and engineers in every community, our colleagues are passionate about what happens on their doorstep. Instead of a single national charity partner, The Big Difference takes a local approach, inspiring colleagues to support causes they care deeply about. Allowing colleagues to apply for matched funding, have ownership over which local charities receive donations and their volunteering time, is a key part of our People & Planet Plan. Our goal is to donate 100,000 volunteering days by 2030. 

In 2024, 6,925 colleagues donated 10,683 volunteering days - +371% increase since launching in 2022. We supported 800 local causes, providing much-needed support to smaller organisations during the cost-of-living crisis. Among these, 178 were grassroots sports clubs/teams, to which we provided kits and equipment.

In total, The Big Difference donated £2.2m to local charities, sports clubs and national volunteering partners, reinforcing our long-term commitment to support causes that matter to our people.