A British Gas customer in Sale was mistakenly paid over £38,000 in May 2026, instead of the £300 feed-in tariff payment they were due for energy exported from their solar panels. The customer, identified as DT, received an email stating a payment of £38,611.59 was due, which was then paid the following day.
The substantial sum remained in the customer's account for more than seven weeks. Despite DT's repeated attempts to contact British Gas, the company reportedly had no clear procedure for reclaiming the erroneous payment. The funds were eventually removed from the account a week ago, but DT was initially unable to confirm with British Gas if the money had been received.
British Gas has since offered £500 in compensation for the inconvenience. The company also paid the correct £300 feed-in tariff, although it was initially underestimated by £2, requiring further contact from the customer.