Business Gas & Electricity from SSE
Scottish & Southern Energy is a UK owned, British plc, who are currently trading on the FTSE 100, t.
They offer a range of different business electricity and gas tariffs to suit businesses of most sizes.
The SSE Checklist
Security
- Are their prices fully fixed? Yes, SSE offer both fully fixed and contracts that allow pass through of costs
- Do they include metering and transportation costs in the price? Yes
- Do they include FIT and RO and CFD in the price? FIT is not included
- What is their back billing policy? Limited to one year
- Do they require a letter of authority? Yes
- Does the contract lapse on change of tenancy? Yes
Transparency
- Is your contract end date on the invoice? Yes
- Is your termination date on the invoice? Yes
- When will your renewal letter arrive? 60 days before end date
- When do you need to terminate?At least 30 days before end date
- Do they require termination letter by recorded delivery? Yes
- Will they rollover your contract? Yes if your current contract started before April 2014
- How high are the out of contract rates? 17.84p/kWh electricity and 4.27p/kWh gas
Convenience
- Do they mandate Direct Debit payment terms? No
- What are their Direct Debit terms? Variable, Monthly or Quarterly
- Do they offer Cash / Cheque payment terms? Yes
- Do they support reduced rate VAT declaration? Yes
- Do they bill monthly or quarterly? Monthly or Quarterly dependent on meter type
- Do they provide online billing? No
Services
- Do they install smart meters as part of the supply contract? Yes
- Do they support existing smart meters with full functionality? Yes at a cost
- Do they provide New Connection & Upgrade Services? Yes for existing customers
- Do they support IGT meters? Yes but requires bespoke price
- Do they support all electricity profiles including half hourly? Yes
- Do they support related and aggregated meters? Yes
Environmental
- Do they offer green and renewable products? No
- What is their Fuel Mix? 28% Gas, 2% Nuclear, 44% Coal, 24% Renewable
Other things about SSE
The Perth, Cardiff and Basingstoke based business:- Offers Fixed and Flexible priced contracts;
- Offers deals between one and four years;
- Will only take on customers with a minimum annual consumption of 500kWh;
- Limits their exposure to risk by continually credit assessing their customer portfolio;
- Offers bespoke contract terms for high risk credit customers, or those with a lack of financial transparency;
- Has limited their maximum Back billing period to 12 months;
- Has a very strong customer service reputation having been voted top for customer service for 6 years;
- Provides a dedicated account manager;
- Provides an ‘SSE Business Centre’ website where customers are able to view their bills & submit meter readings;
- Will support customers’ existing Smart Meters
Security
Click on the following link to access SSE’s latest contract terms for business energy customers: SSE operates a policy of fully fixing all elements of their fixed contracts; this includes all third party charges. This is a market leading position and means that when you agree a contract with SSE you are safe in the knowledge that the price will remain at the level agreed throughout the contract. SSE also offer contracts where all elements of the SSE price can be passed through. This means that when you agree a contract with SSE the price can change through the contract term to reflect additional costs. SSE’s contracts however do not contain FIT regardless of the contract option. This is charged on top of the agreed contract rates. SSE fully fixed:Commodity: Inclusive, Fixed Transportation: Inclusive, Fixed Metering: Inclusive, Fixed FIT: Excluded, Variable (Electricity only) RO: Included, Fixed (Electricity only) CFD: Included, Fixed (Electricity only)
SSE pass through:Commodity: Inclusive, Variable Transportation: Inclusive, Variable Metering: Inclusive, Variable FIT: Excluded, Variable (Electricity only) RO: Included, Variable (Electricity only) CFD: Included, Variable (Electricity only)
SSE also reserves the right to amend the terms of the contract in exceptional circumstances. These include:- Where the customer fails to fulfil their obligations under the contract.
- Where gas customers fail to use the stated consumption under the terms of the contract.
Back billing and SSE
SSE is signed up to the Energy UK Back Billing standards and limits back billing for micro businesses to one year. SSE will extend this to all SMEs from April 2014. This is a market leading position. Many suppliers have voluntarily limited their back billing rights to two years and in some cases a single year. However equally a number of suppliers are not signed up to the Energy UK Back Billing standards and therefore, under the Limitations Act, are able to back bill their customers for anything up to 6 years. SSE are therefore positioned alongside the clear leaders in this area. To find out more visit our Guide to Back billing.SSE and Letters of Authority
In order to act on your behalf in securing your business a great energy deal SSE require us to have a signed Letter of Authority from yourselves. The fastest way to authorise us to work on your energy supply arrangements is to use our eSign service to agree our Evergreen Letter of Authority.Change of Tenancy and SSE
Moving into a premise is known as a Change of Tenancy in the business energy market. It has also been termed a Change of Occupier or is known by its acronyms CoT and COO. However it is referred to, the opportunities it opens up are the same. This is great news for deal seekers. Whilst the existing supplier is obliged to continue to provide energy to the new occupier, the occupier is not obliged to take out an extended contract with that supplier. Indeed a Change of Tenancy customer has total freedom of movement and is free to accept a contract with a supplier of their choice There are however of course a number of rules and requirements. Firstly, as the new occupier, if you use energy you will need to pay for it, regardless of your contractual status. Secondly, you will need to identify as quickly as possible the identity of the existing supplier Thirdly, you will need to field calls from sales organisations and the existing supplier themselves offering you contracts of varying lengths to continue or to begin to supply the premises. As a result as a new occupier you will need to agree a new contract either with the existing supplier or with a new supplier of your choice. Not only that but you will need to inform the existing supplier as quickly as possible that you are the new tenant to prevent you being held liable for charges incurred by the previous occupier should they not have ended their agreement satisfactory. It can prove a real headache knowing whom to trust – whether it’s the old tenant, the landlord the current supplier, the pushy salesman ringing, knocking and emailing, the prospective new suppliers. That’s where Business Juice comes in, by working on your behalf, identifying your existing supply arrangements, reporting your change of tenancy, ensuring you are not held liable for costs not incurred before your occupation and benchmarking contracts for your selection we can help you save time, money and a whole lot of stress. The fastest way to authorise us to work on your energy supply arrangements is to use our eSign service to agree our Evergreen Letter of Authority. We’ll take care of all correspondence, handle all the loose ends and enable you to focus on establishing your business in its new premise. And what’s more once your contract is in place we’ll manage your supplier relationship from beginning to end, all part of the Business Juice service.Business Juice Top Tip Always ensure that you take opening meter readings on the day, or as close as possible to the day, that you move into the premises to ensure that you only pay for the energy that you use.
Where to find your contract end date on your SSE bill
Your SSE Invoice places the contract end date on the first page of the invoice, this is the summary page and the date is located at the bottom. In addition the date by which termination is required to ensure freedom of movement at contract end it also presented in this section. Not all suppliers do this. If in doubt feel free to fax us your bill on 0845 387 5701 or send it to hello@businessjuice.co.uk and we will help locate the information for you.When to expect your SSE renewal letter
SSE sends their renewal letter to customers around 60 days in advance of the contract end date. This will contain SSE‘s proposal for your rates for the coming period. It may provide a variety of options or a single price. It will however not be the most competitive price available in the market as the renewal letter is designed for customers who don’t use an energy broker and as such are priced at a higher level than can be obtained in the market.Business Juice Top Tip Every Business Juice client receives a unique key facts statement detailing all there is to know about their energy contract including all the important dates relative to your deal. Sign up today and take control with Business Juice.
Terminating with SSE
You are required by SSE to provide written notice at least 30 days before your contract ends of your intent to terminate your contract at the end of its fixed period.Business Juice Top Tip Terminating your contract is key to gaining freedom of movement and having access to the best deals for your next business energy contract. It pays to always be aware of your termination obligations so as to ensure that you act as soon as conditions allow in order to help you get the best out of the business energy market. Or better still sign up for our evergreen letter of authority and we will terminate on your behalf well ahead of time and provide you with a range of market leading options at the right time to suit your business.
Rollover contracts and SSE”
SSE stopped selling auto-rollover contracts from 1st April 2014. Any contract sold before this point and still running will be subject to an auto-rollover clause. For those customers if you fail to terminate your existing contract more than 30 days ahead of your contract end date you will be rolled over for a fixed term of 12 months. By using Business Juice you can avoid the costly mistake of falling into the rollover trap and paying premium rates for 12 months. For contracts sold after 1st April 2014, when as an SSE customer, your contract comes to an end, even if you have not contacted SSE or have not accepted their renewal offers you will simply be placed on their ‘”Variable Price Plan”. The “Variable Price Plan” will be more expensive than a “Fixed Price Plan” but it will allow you to leave within 30 days of giving notice. Of course it makes sense not to get to this point in the first place and so contracting well in advance is always recommended as even a short term stay on a “Variable Price Plan” will be significantly more expensive than other options. At least however you can be safe in the knowledge that if you do make a mistake and fail to contract properly the cost of your error can be minimised. However by using Business Juice you can avoid the potentially costly mistake of being exposed to variable rates. To find out more about rollovers visit our Guide to Rollover Contracts.Terminating but remaining on supply with SSE
If you have provided termination notice to SSE and expressed your intent for freedom of movement at contract end but you fail to leave SSE’s supply you will be placed on SSE’s out of contract rates. Don’t be caught out! By using Business Juice to manage your energy contracts we will terminate and manage your new contract seamlessly to ensure you avoid penalty rates.SSE and Out of Contract Rates
An SSE customer with a standard meter would be required to pay up to 16.00p/kWh for each unit of electricity used whilst out of contract and a standing charge of 46.00p/day. For gas customers this would be 4.27p/kWh and 360.00p/day. Even one week exposed to this level of charges mounts up, that’s why clients taking our contract life management service makes sense: removing your exposure risk and letting you focus on your business confident in the knowledge that your energy contracts are in safe hands. To find out more visit our Guide to Out of Contract RatesConvenience
SSE operate a policy of billing their customers on a monthly basis for their larger electricity customers and on a quarterly basis for their gas and electricity profile 1 – 4 customers. SSE do not currently offer their customers online billing. This means SSE customers will continue to receive paper invoices. For Gas and Profile 01 to 04 electricity customers SSE operate a Quarterly, Variable Direct Debit meaning the amount you pay directly relates to the volume of energy you consume each quarter. For Profile 05 to 08 electricity customers, SSE operate a Monthly, Variable Direct Debit meaning the amount you pay directly relates to the volume of energy you consume each month. SSE also offer cash/cheque payment terms however this can carry up to a 2% surcharge. To find out more visit our Guide to Supplier Payment Terms.How to claim the reduced VAT rate for your SSE bill
- Click here for SSE’s VAT declaration certificate.
- To find out if your business is eligible for paying the reduced rate of VAT on your business energy bill visit our Guide to VAT Declaration.
Services
SSE & Smart Meters
In line with the mandated rollout of smart meters SSE installs meters for Profile 05-08 electricity customers and gas customers consuming more than 732,000 kWh per annum. SSE also installs smart meters as part of their contract terms for Profile 03-04 customers and gas customers consuming less than 732,000 kWh per annum. In addition SSE will inherit smart meters of any type and will continue to operate the meter with its full smart functionality. For this service SSE will charge their gas customers £16 per quarter and Profile 03-04 customers £18.60 per quarter. For more information on Suppliers’ policies on smart metering visit our Guide to Suppliers & Smart Meters.SSE & New Connections and Upgrade services
SSE currently only offer new connections and upgrade services to their existing customers. If this doesn’t suit your requirements, to find out which suppliers meet your connections needs call us on 0800 051 5770. Go one step better and by appointing Business Juice to manage your energy contracts you can take advantage of our management fee free new connections and upgrades offer.SSE & IGT Meters
SSE support meters supplied via IGT networks (Independent Gas Transporter). If your gas supply is delivered via an IGT network then unlike some suppliers SSE can offer you a gas supply contract. However the meter will require a bespoke priced gas supply contract.SSE & Supporting Meter Types
SSE support all meter types including Half Hourly (HH), Maximum Demand (MD), Seasonal Time of Day (STOD) and standard profile meters as well as ‘related’ and ‘aggregated’ meters. This means whatever metering system you have, including those supplied via an IGT network, SSE can support it.Environmental
SSE do not currently provide renewable or green energy products within their portfolio however they do offer smart metering solutions to help your business use less energy. For the reporting period 2013/14, SSE’s Fuel Mix was:- Coal: 44%
- Gas: 28%
- Nuclear: 2%
- Renewable: 24%
- Other sources: 2%
- And produced CO2 of 525g/kWh and High Level Radioactive Waste of 0.00014659g/kWh
- Coal: 34.0%
- Gas: 25.6%
- Nuclear: 21.6%
- Renewable: 16.7%
- Other sources: 2.1%
Business Juice Top Tip By selecting a supplier with a fuel mix that suits your business’ environmental credentials you can gain access to a renewable solution without paying premium green prices. By using Business Juice we can match up your needs with appropriate the fuel mix and enable your business to take support renewable initiatives.