Part of the OVO Energy family, Scottish and South Energy (SSE) supplies millions of homes and businesses throughout the UK with gas and electricity.
SSE is based in Perth, Scotland and was first launched in 1998. Since then, the brand has established itself as one of the UK’s leading Big Six energy suppliers.
A Guide to SSE
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SSE strives to ensure that their domestic customers are kept comfortable, and their commercial clients are kept up and running.
The supplier provides a range of different energy tariffs to the various needs of over 3.2 million customers nationwide.
Tariffs include fixed-price energy deals and variable-rate contracts. SSE also offers energy bundle deals where they combine energy deals with other services such as broadband and heating cover.
Additionally, the supplier offers customers smart meters, online account management and energy saving advice to help them lower their bills and enhance their energy efficiency.
In January 2020, SSE was acquired by OVO Energy, one of the UK’s leading energy suppliers. Customers can still sign up to SSE energy tariffs, however, all of SSE’s energy services will gradually be moved over to OVO Energy.
SSE Energy Prices and Tariffs
SSE seek to meet the gas and electricity needs of both households and businesses. They therefore offer a range of different tariffs.
SSE customers also get access to SSE rewards, an exclusive benefit service which provides early access to tickets to various entertainment events.
Domestic Energy Contracts
SSE offer a number of energy contract choices to domestic customers. Here’s a few of their most popular tariffs:
SSE Fix and Control v3 tariff – Average Monthly Cost: £102.95
- Fixed energy rates for 2 years
- Includes smart home package with Google Nest Thermostat E and Nest Hub (2nd Gen)
- 100% renewable electricity
- £75 early exit fee
1 Year Fix Online only – Average Monthly Cost: £98.10
- Fixed energy rates for 12 months
- Smart meter included
- No early exit fee
Standard Tariff – Average Monthly Cost: £93.49
- Variable rates – prices may fluctuate
- No early exit fee
Please note, the prices provided above are based on the average energy consumption of a 3-bedroom property with 3 occupants. You could get access to cheaper deals when you compare energy prices online.
Business Energy Tariffs
SSE also provides businesses with a range of tariff options to choose from. These include:
Single Rate – 12 Months
Unit Rate: 14.854 p/kWh
Standing Charge: 53.754 p/day
- Fixed energy rates for 12 months
- Direct debit discount
Single Rate – 24 Months
Unit Rate: 14.525 p/kWh
Standing Charge: 57.365 p/day
- Fixed energy rates for 2 years
- Direct debit discount
Single Rate – 36 Months
Unit rate: 14.431 p/kWh
Standing charge: 58.879 p/day
- Fixed energy rates for 3 years
- Direct debit discount
Please note, the energy prices detailed above are based on a business with an average energy consumption of 30,000 kWh per year.
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.
SSE is in the process of installing smart meters for as many customers as possible. 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 large energy suppliers. 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.
Ownership
SSE is owned by OVO Energy. OVO is another popular energy company based in Bristol, England. The company aims to provide homeowners with greener, cheaper energy, and uses 100% renewable power.
Alistair Phillips-Davies is the CEO of SSE and Stephen Fitzpatrick is the CEO of OVO Energy.
Location
SSE’s head office is located at Inveralmond House, 200 Dunkeld Road, Perth PH1 3GH. Customers can send documents via post to this address.
The company’s customer service team can be contacted on 0345 070 7373. They are available from Monday to Friday, between the hours of 8am-8pm; and on Saturdays from 8am-6pm.
Business customers can get in touch with SSE customer services on 0345 725 2526; from Monday – Friday between the hours of 8am-5:30pm.
They can also be contacted via email on [email protected]sse.com.
Green Performance
SSE state that their goal is to become a leading energy company in a net zero world. Sustainability is one of their core values. In 2020, the company closed its final remaining coal power station. They continue to invest in and utilise low carbon solutions such as onshore and offshore wind and hydro power.
SSE has set four business goals for 2030 which are aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
These goals include:
- Cut carbon intensity by 60%
- Treble renewable energy output
- Help accommodate 10m electric vehicles
- Champion Fair Tax and a real Living Wage
To give you further insight into SSE’s fuel performance, here’s a breakdown of their fuel mix:
- Coal – 0.0%
- Natural Gas – 48.1%
- Nuclear – 0.0%
- Renewable – 51.9%
- Other – 0.0%
Awards
SSE has won a number of awards for their services. In 2021, they won USwitch awards for the following categories:
- Best Customer Service
- Best Meter Reading Services
- Best Smart Meter Experience
They have also won a number of other USwitch awards over the years. This includes Best Online Experience Winner 2020 (Large Supplier), Supplier of the Year (Large Supplier) 2019 and USwitch Most Likely to be Recommended (Large Supplier) 2019.
Cancellation Policy
Domestic energy customers simply need to inform SSE of their plans to leave in order to cancel their contract. Please note, unless you terminate your energy contract within its 14-day cooling off period, or within 49 days prior to its contract end date, you are likely to be charged an early exit fee.
You can find information regarding your contract end date on your latest bill or by logging into your online SSE account. Customers on a variable rate tariff are free to leave at any point and will not be charged an exit fee.
If you’re a business customer and you’d like to terminate your commercial energy contract, you must provide SSE with 30 days’ notice. If you fail to renew your energy contract before its end date, you are likely to be placed on an out-of-contract rate tariff, which is often more expensive.
To take the hassle out of cancelling your energy contract yourself, why not use an energy comparison service? You can access the latest deals available on the market and have your supplier switch managed by a professional.