HOORAY for British Gas. No really, let's cheer them to the rafters!

They're a sterling example of how a business can really thrive in struggling Britain.

As we all know, money is tight and getting tighter, jobs are scarce and every penny is counted.

So fair play to British Gas for ignoring any issue like that and reporting whopping profits.

That’s what businesses are there to do – and that’s what they’ve done.

They should also be congratulated in putting up gas prices in November – just ahead of when it gets cold too.

Talk about maximising your window of opportunity.

This fantastic strategy saw the firm's profits rise by 11% for their residential arm to a wallet warming £606m for the last year.

But, and here’s the rub, the margins the firm makes on customers went down.

Boss of Centrica, which owns British Gas, Sam Laidlaw, said the firm made less money per household than the year before. Despite recent price hikes, they only made about £50 per household customer a year.

Well frankly that’s not enough. Not nearly enough.

Let’s say your bill with British Gas was £500 at the end of 2010 with £300 for gas and £200 for electric. Well as a nice Christmas present the firm put up both by seven percent in December then. Ho ho ho!

In August 2011, some nine months later, the top brass at British Gas popped up prices by 18% and 16% for gas and electric respectively.

That gas price rise was the second highest out of the ‘Big Six’ which is made up of British Gas, Scottish Power, SSE, NPower, Eon and EDF.

The electrical charge increase was higher than any other competitor by five percent.

Which was the amount they cut electric bills by in January – after coining it in for almost six months.

Interesting Eon cut electric prices by six percent a month later – despite them upping it by only 11% at the time.

I was also glad to see British Gas wasn’t one of those companies which had the temerity to try and give a little back or attract new customers by cutting gas prices in early 2012.

Then we come to the price rise in November last year of six percent.

Unfortunately, British Gas missed an opportunity to turn the screw far enough and their price rise was the lowest with EDF putting both their fuels up by 10.8%.

A trick missed by the big bosses I’m afraid.

All those figures mean that the £300 you paid for your gas in late 2010 was £401 by late 2012. Your electric bill went up by a quarter to about £250.

Not too shabby British Gas.

I’d also like to congratulate the ‘high-ups’ at Centrica who are in line for a multi-million pound shares bonanza too.

These hard working execs have met performance targets and are set to be showered in bonus payments.

I’d also like to say well done to the brain that came up with the wheeze which means the bonus shares won’t be paid until after the end of the current tax year.

A couple of days means that the bonus will only attract the new top rate of tax at 45% rather than the 50% payable in the current tax year.

It’s great to know that there are still companies in Britain who will do what companies are supposed to do before all this horrible recession rubbish started eh?

Oh and if you see Sid, tell him.