SSE Reviews & Tariffs

SSE Electricity, Gas & Dual Fuel Tariffs

The tariffs below are based on a specific postcode, and usage based on a 3 bedroom semi-detached family home with gas central heating and gas water heating. For a more specific tariff, you can enter your own details on SSE’s Get a Quote page.

SSE’s tariffs are less simple to read than some of their competitors, so it’s important you read all the text – there’s important info in there.

SSE 1 Year Fixed

• Gas – £652.44 annually, 3.63p per kWh, 14.80p per day standing charge.
• Electricity – £978.46 annually, 13.49p per kWh, 14.80p per day standing charge.
• Estimated monthly cost – £155.31.
• Total annual cost – £1863.66.
• Fixed for 12 months from starting the tariff.
• £40 annual discount per fuel if you pay by Direct Debit.
• £6 annual discount per fuel if you choose paperless billing.
• Exit fees – £25 per fuel if you leave 49 days before the end of your tariff.

Fix 2020

• Gas – £742.64 annually, 4.17p per kWh, 14.80p per day standing charge.
• Electricity – £1121.02 annually, 15.57p per kWh, 14.80p per day standing charge.
• Estimated monthly cost – £135.91.
• Total annual cost – £1630.90.
• Fixed for 3 years from starting the tariff.
• Up to £92 annual discount per fuel if you pay by Direct Debit and choose paperless billing.
• Exit fees – £25 per fuel if you leave 49 days before the end of the 3 years.
• Not available for Pay As You Go customers.

Fix & Shop (Currys PC World)

• Gas – £744.37 annually, 4.17p per kWh, 14.80p per day standing charge.
• Electricity – £1121.74 annually, 15.57p per kWh, 14.80p per day standing charge.
• Estimated monthly cost – £155.51.
• Total annual cost – £1866.11.
• £25 Currys PC World gift card per fuel.
• Fixed for 2 years from starting the tariff.
• Up to £92 annual discount per fuel if you pay by Direct Debit and choose paperless billing.
• Exit fees – £25 per fuel if you leave in the first 12 months.
• Not available for Pay As You Go customers.

Fix & Shop (Love2shop)

• Gas – £744.37 annually, 4.17p per kWh, 14.80p per day standing charge.
• Electricity – £1121.74 annually, 15.57p per kWh, 14.80p per day standing charge.
• Estimated monthly cost – £155.51.
• Total annual cost – £1866.11.
• £25 Love2shop gift card per fuel.
• Fixed for 2 years from starting the tariff.
• Up to £92 annual discount per fuel if you pay by Direct Debit and choose paperless billing.
• Exit fees – £25 per fuel if you leave in the first 12 months.
• Not available for pay-as-you-go customers.

Standard

• Gas – £744.37 annually, 4.17p per kWh, 14.80p per day standing charge.
• Electricity – £1121.74 annually, 15.57p per kWh, 14.80p per day standing charge.
• Estimated monthly cost – £155.51.
• Total annual cost – £1866.11.
• Variable rate depending on energy you use.
• £6 annual discount if you choose paperless billing.
• No exit fee.

Note the tariffs listed above were correct at the time of writing (7 November 2017), although as noted, prices will vary by post code and subject to change at any time. 

SSE Business Energy

SSE provide sustainable business energy for everyone from sole traders to large corporations. For specific details and tariff prices you need to contact them directly, but their dedicatedbusiness energy site puts a lot of emphasis on renewable energy and lowering carbon emissions.

Their portfolio is the broadest in the UK when it comes to renewable energy sources, so they can provide electricity “backed by Ofgem‘s Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin scheme”, which can help businesses reach zero carbon emissions.

The government has committed to reducing carbon emissions by 80% by 2050. We look more closely at the actual breakdown in the SSE Fuel Mix section.

SSE have put together testimonials from various businesses, including a small architects and Britain’s largest logistics company. Unfortunately, the majority of SSE’s reviews don’t come from business owners, so you might struggle to find an independent perspective.

For more see: 2018 SSE Business Electricity & Gas Tariffs & Rates

SSE Background

Officially formed in 1998 when Scottish Hydro Electric and Southern Electric merged, SSE’s history goes back to 1943, when they contributed to the Hydro Electric Development Act. This brought power to the Scottish highlands, plus a surge in employment opportunities. Scotland had 56 hydroelectric dams by the 1960s.

Now, SSE are “the largest generator of renewable energy”, and produce their own energy as well as supplying it. They’ve invested more than £4bn into onshore and offshore renewable energy since 2007, and their TV campaigns have reinforced a focus on energy usage consciousness.

As well as electricity and gas, you can have your phone and broadband connection provided by SSE. There’s a greater incentive for existing energy customers, who’ll receive a £5 a month discount. The prices of unlimited, fibre, and fibre plus packages include line rental, Pay As You Go calls, and are fixed for 3 years.

Like the other ‘Big Six’ energy companies, SSE is known for being a more expensive supplier and is widely publicised when prices are increased. Their most recent increase was a considerable 14.9% in March 2017, making their price hike slightly cheaper than Npower’s 15%.

The remaining ‘Big Six’ increased their prices around the same time, excluding British Gas, who kept their prices frozen until August 2017.

Other SSE Companies

SSE also operates several subsidiary companies which include:

• SSE Airtricity

SSE Smart Meter

Smart meters send your readings automatically, make it easier to monitor your usage and set energy efficiency targets for your home. SSE – or whichever energy provider you’re with – won’t need to estimate your bills, because they’ll receive accurate readings from your smart meter automatically every half an hour for gas, and every 10 seconds for electricity.

The UK’s second-largest energy company is in the process of installing smart meters for as many customers as possible by 2020. Some of their tariffs, including Fix & Shop, specify that you’ll be registering your interest in a smart meter when you sign up.

Depending on the type of meter you have, there might be a bit of a wait to get a smart meter, and that’s not just with SSE, that’s common amongst all ‘The Big Six’. If you can get one installed right now, you just need to choose a day and time, and an SSE engineer will set it up for you.

Other SSE Meters

The ‘How to read your meter’ section of the SSE website includes a handy guide to reading electricity, gas, dial, Pay As You Go, and two-rate meters. If you can’t read your own meter, it will take SSE 5 days to come out and do a reading for you.

If you don’t have a smart meter yet, it’s a good idea to submit meter readings regularly to keep your bill as accurate as possible. You can submit them easily to SSE using your online account.

SSE Bills

From the main menu of the SSE site, you can see a really detailed breakdown of every page of your bill and what it all means.

Page one includes your personal details, account balance, and if you could pay less with a different tariff. Page two breaks down all your payments, charges and when you’re tariff is due to end. Page three details a summary of how much energy you’ve used, a pie chart which breaks down the total amount, and your Tariff Comparison Rate. The final page contains emergency contact details and the details you’d need to make a complaint.

SSE Warm Home Discount

SSE was part of the 2017/18 Warm Home Discount scheme, which gives vulnerable people £140 towards their energy bills. They are also allowing people to register their interest in the scheme for 2018/19 on their website.

SSE App

Customers in England, Scotland and Wales can’t manage their account using an app, but customers in Northern Ireland can use the SSE Airtricity app for e-billing, submitting meter readings, and managing personal details. If you’re not in Northern Ireland, you’ll have to make do with managing your account online.

iPhone users aren’t overly impressed with the Airtriciy app. 11 users have reviewed it, giving it an average score of 1.3 out of 5. 689 Android users are slightly happier, but still only give it 2.7 out of 5, with many citing problems with logging in and having their details recognised.

Switching To SSE

The process of switching to SSE usually takes about three weeks. Once you’ve chosen a tariff, SSE will contact your existing provider to make the switch, but individual circumstances can affect how long the process takes from start to finish.

You might need to pay your existing supplier an exit fee, so always check the overall costs before you decide to make a switch. An exit fee might mean it’s not as cheap a switch as you first though.

Moving Home With SSE

If you’re moving house and want to switch to or stay with SSE, you can let them know as soon as you find out your moving date. They state that they’ll set up a new account for you, but they don’t give any indication of how long that can take.

If you’re moving house and moving to a different supplier in your new home, you need to let SSE know 10 days before your moving out date. If you don’t do this, you might find you’ve got some extra charges to pay.

As tariffs vary from region to region, and depending on what kind of home you live in and how your boiler functions, you might find the prices go up or down if you move to a different area.

SSE Fuel Mix

SSE don’t clearly report their fuel mix on their website, you have to hunt for it in their regulatory information, and they’ve only disclosed their electricity fuel mix.

29% of SSE’s electricity is from renewable sources, 35% from natural gas, 25% from coal, 7% from nuclear, and 4% from ‘Other’. Their use of coal is above the national average (17%), but so is their use of renewable energy (24%).

For business energy customers, the electricity fuel mix is a bit different. 56% is from natural gas, 27% renewable, 9% coal, 5% nuclear, and 3% ‘Other’.

In comparison, EDF use 64% nuclear, Npower use 66% natural gas, and Scottish Power use nearly equal parts natural gas (36%) and coal (34%).

SSE Feed-in Tariff

SSE is a mandatory Feed-in Tariff (FIT) licensee. This means you can receive your FIT payments from them (as long as your system is MCS certified) if you are an SSE customer or your current energy supplier is not a FIT licensee. You can learn more on their website.

SSE In the News

SSE and npower in talks to create giant UK energy supplier
7 Nov 2017, The Guardian.

Both energy companies have announced they’re in talks to combine their 13 million customers, turning ‘The Big Six’ into ‘The Big Five’.

SSE mulls ditching the domestic energy market
5 Nov 2017, City A.M.

After the government has proposed price caps on ‘rip off’ energy tariffs, SSE are reportedly considering selling customer accounts and leaving the domestic energy market.

Energy firms accused of scare tactics as they now claim customers must get smart meters because their old ones may be ‘unsafe’
22 Oct 2017, This is Money.

SSE have been criticised for sending ‘Keep your home safe’ letters to 7.7 million customers who don’t yet have smart meters. The energy company have been described as “underhand” in their efforts to get customers to upgrade.

SSE Complaints

SSE score slightly higher on average compared to their largest competitor, British Gas, but it’s still not a pretty picture.

On Trustpilot, 77% of SSE’s reviews are ‘Bad’, and just 12% are ‘Excellent’. The verdict on Which? is fairly average, and Review Centre is less than complimentary, showing 37 1 star ratings.

According to SSE’s Annual Complaints Report 2017, they received 509,987 complaints in 2016/2017, with 25.7% left unresolved.

Contact Phone Numbers & Email

Phone: 0345 026 2658 (No opening times available)
Email: Online form on the SSE website.

SSE Address

Inveralmond House, 200 Dunkeld Road, Perth, PH1 3AQ.

Website: https://sse.co.uk

SSE Summary

The UK’s second-largest energy supplier can be expensive for many, but they generates their own energy sources, including higher than average quantities of renewable.

SSE’s future is slightly uncertain, however, with reports that they might be merging with Npower, or even leaving the domestic energy market altogether, to avoid the impending government imposed tariff caps. Those considering switching might want to hold on and see what those new tariffs could look like.

Pros:

• Fuel mix relies less on nuclear and coal than other energy sources.
• Insurance and boiler breakdown cover in case things go wrong.
• Lots of information and guidance on the website so you can easily manage your account and understand your bill.

Cons:

• The reviews are overwhelmingly poor, with customers complaining about customer service and trouble switching.
• If you’re interested in renewable energy, the business packages offer a better fuel mix than domestic tariffs.
• There’s no app available for the majority of customers.