About SSE energy
SSE, along with its regional brands (SSE Atlantic, SSE Scottish Hydro, SSE Southern Electric and SSE SWALEC) is now part of the OVO family and, as part of the big six, is one of the UK's largest gas and electricity suppliers.
Along with a range of SSE tariffs the supplier offers its exclusive Reward programme, which gives registered customers the opportunity to purchase tickets to its arenas 48 hours in advance of general sale. Eligible SSE arenas are located in Belfast, Wembley and Glasgow.
The supplier is part of the Energy Switch Guarantee, which promises that customers’ switches will be completed within 21 days. With SSE tariffs, customers can manage their energy account online, with the ability to view their bills, make payments and submit meter readings to receive a balance instantly.
SSE energy prices and tariffs
As one of the UK’s biggest energy suppliers, SSE tariffs have always spanned a wide range of competitive fixed rate and variable energy deals at various price points available for customers to sign up to. Customers can also have a smart meter installed free of charge so they can better monitor their energy usage.
For a fuller level of coverage, some of SSE’s energy tariffs enable customers to sign up to broadband along with their energy, as well as securing heating breakdown cover.
Additionally, if customers opt to pay by Direct Debit or standing order, they’ll receive a discount of £40 per fuel per year as opposed to paying via different methods.
You can take a look at all the SSE energy tariffs currently available through Uswitch below.
| Supplier | Plan name | Tariff type | Price |
|---|
This information is updated hourly with energy plans which are available to switch to through Uswitch. To appear in this table, plans must be available in at least 7 of the 14 regions.
How SSE prices have changed in 2021
All energy suppliers operating in the UK, including SSE, are subject to Ofgem's energy price cap. This cap sets the maximum rates suppliers can charge on their standard variable or default tariffs.
In August 2021, Ofgem's price cap level was increased to £1,277 per year, its highest ever point. SSE therefore increased the price of its standard variable tariff to £1,276 to come into effect on 1 October 2021.
The table below shows recent changes to SSE prices, alongside changes by the rest of the big six energy suppliers:
| Supplier | Price change 1 | Date effective | Price change 2 | Date effective | Price change 3 | Date effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EDF Energy | -7% | 1 Oct 2020 | +9% | 1 Apr 2021 | +12% | 1 Oct 2021 |
| E.ON | -1% | -7% | 1 Oct 2020 | +9% | 1 Apr 2021 | +12% |
| British Gas | -7% | 1 Oct 2020 | +9% | 1 Apr 2021 | +12% | 1 Oct 2021 |
| ScottishPower | -7% | 1 Oct 2020 | +9% | 1 Apr 2021 | +12% | 1 Oct 2021 |
| SSE | -7% | 1 Oct 2020 | +9% | 1 Apr 2021 | +12% | 1 Oct 2021 |
| npower | -1% | 1 Apr 2020 | -7% | 1 Oct 2020 | +9% | 1 Apr 2021 |
Based on a medium energy user on a standard dual fuel tariff, paying on receipt of bill, with bill sizes averaged across all regions.
Previous changes to SSE prices
In February 2021, Ofgem announced it would be increasing the level of the price cap to £1,138 per year. In reaction to this, suppliers including SSE raised the price of their standard variable tariffs by 9% - meaning customers on these tariffs will see an average price rise of £96 when the change comes into effect on 1 April 2021.
In September 2020, SSE was the last of the big six energy providers to announce a price drop for standard variable tariffs in line with a reduction in the energy price cap. From October 2020, SSE customers on standard variable tariffs saw an average 7% price reduction, equivalent to a price drop of around £83.
In February 2020, SSE prices dropped by £17 for standard variable tariff customers. This was once again in line with the new energy price cap level, which had been revised by Ofgem. This represented a 1% decrease, effective from 1 April 2020.
In August 2019, SSE reduced the price of its standard variable tariff by £77, again in reaction to a drop in Ofgem's price cap. This 6% average price reduction came into effect on 1 October 2019.
In February 2019, however, SSE had joined the rest of the big six energy suppliers in raising its prices from 1 April 2019 in line with the raising of the energy price cap.
In May 2018, SSE prices rose by 7.9% (total percent increase based on 6.7% average price rise and removal of the £6 per fuel, per year paperless billing discount), effective 11 July 2018.
You can read more about the history of how SSE prices have changed in our guide.
SSE gas and electricity
Customers can choose between dual fuel, gas-only or electricity-only SSE energy tariffs depending on their circumstances and requirements. Different SSE tariffs will be more suitable for customers living in certain areas - there’s no one-size-fits-all tariff that everyone should opt for.
SSE and OVO Group
In January 2020, SSE was acquired by OVO. OVO is a collection of companies driving progress to net zero carbon living through harnessing clean, affordable energy for everyone. Across the group, OVO serves nearly 5 million customers with intelligent energy technology solutions to decarbonise homes.
Founded in 2009 by Stephen Fitzpatrick, OVO redesigned the energy experience to be fairer, greener and simpler for all. Today, OVO is on a mission through its sustainability strategy, Plan Zero, to tackle the most important issue of our time — the climate crisis. Plan Zero set out the OVO group's commitments to halve customers' total lifestyle carbon emissions and eliminate their household emissions by 2030.
SSE and its subsidiaries
SSE has a number of subsidiaries that operate in different parts of the UK. Below is a rough guide to which subsidiaries operate where.
| Subsidiary | Region |
|---|---|
| SSE Southern Electric | London, Eastern, South-West and South-East |
| SSE & SSE Atlantic | Midlands, East Midlands, Yorkshire, North-West and North |
| SSE SWALEC | South Wales, North Wales |
| SSE Scottish Hydro | Northern Scotland |
What else does SSE offer?
Is SSE going bust?
The energy market is challenging and unpredictable at the moment and there is a certain level of risk to some suppliers - find out why in our energy market Q&A guide.
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