UK energy company E.ON blamed “milder weather” for a drop in sales of nearly half a billion pounds this year compared to 2013.

Sales from January to September were £5,378 million, which is £498 million lower than the same period last year. Profits fell by £78 million to £158 million.

That could have been lower if E.ON’s North Sea oil and gas activities hadn’t contributed to a £39 million increase in profits.

Announcing the company’s results so far, CEO Tony Cocker touched on the ongoing “difficult market conditions” for its fossil fleet but said his firm will continue to invest in power plants, from the new biomass plant at Blackburn Meadows and Humber Gateway offshore wind farm, to existing plants.

The appetite to reduce electricity use among consumers is strong, going on the number of people who have visited the supplier’s Saving Energy Toolkit site online. Dr Cocker said it has clocked 750,000 residential customers so far.

A similar toolkit for SMEs was launched recently by the firm.