Recognising the urgent need to make net zero a reality, Centrica has announced that it will accelerate its commitment to be net zero by 2045, five years ahead of its previous target and the UK deadline. The company has also announced a new commitment to helping its customers be net zero by 2050.

The reduction in Centrica's own emissions (scope 1 and 2) and those of its customers (scope 3) align with science-based targets and the actions required to limit warming to 1.5°C.

With the heating of homes and businesses being the single largest contributor to carbon emissions in the UK, Centrica is already taking action to support customers with a range of solutions and services to reduce their emissions. The company is set to launch a hybrid heat pump trial in the coming months with customers, an opportunity to prove the role hybrid heat pumps can play in decarbonising homes. A paid-for proposition for air source heat pumps is also being developed.

The company is also working with customers to accelerate electric vehicle adoption and has upskilled many of its Smart Energy Experts to fit EV charging points. Centrica's ambition is to install 23,000 EV charging points this year across its residential, small and large business customer base.

As part of its commitment to be a net zero business by 2045, the company has brought forward its commitment to electrifying its 12,000-strong fleet of vehicles from 2030 to 2025 and last week made the largest commercial battery electric vehicle order in the UK to date.

Centrica will share more details on plans to deliver against its new climate goals when it publishes a Climate Transition Plan later this year.

Scott Wheway, Chairman of Centrica, said: "Climate change is one of the biggest global challenges facing society today and the energy sector is at the forefront of the need to respond. Our new and accelerated climate goals, which are in line with science, underpin the clear role and responsibility Centrica has in supporting customers on their journey to be net zero, and in decarbonising the energy system and our business."

Centrica is committed to providing robust and transparent disclosure on climate change and aligning with best practice as it evolves. The company is A rated by the CDP for its action on climate change and is a signatory to the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).