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SSE customers to see £70 annual bill hike from April

Paloma Kubiak
Written By:
Paloma Kubiak
Posted:
Updated:
13/03/2017

SSE is to increase standard energy prices by an average of 15%, adding more than £70 to a typical dual fuel customer’s annual bill.

The UK’s second largest energy supplier has announced standard electricity prices will go up by an average of 14.9%.

This means customers on a typical dual fuel tariff will see bills rise by an average of 6.9%, adding around £1.40 a week, or £73.25 to an annual energy bill.

The price rise, which comes into force from 28 April, is expected to impact around 2.8 million customers on SSE’s standard tariff.

It will not affect those on a fixed tariff or those on a ‘pay as you go’ meter.

SSE blamed the rise in the cost of supplying energy.

Stephen Murray, energy expert at MoneySuperMarket, said it was a predictable move as SSE is the last of the ‘Big Six’ (E.ON, Npower, Scottish Power and EDF) to announce price increases, excluding British Gas, which has frozen prices until August.

“The majority of the UK’s bill-payers are on standard variable tariffs, which are £229 more expensive than the cheapest deals available. However, in line with market uplift, even these cheaper tariffs are getting more expensive. In March 2016, the best fixed deal was £751 but in March 2017 it is 11% more expensive, at £834.”

Ed Molyneux, head of research for consumer collective TheBigDeal.com, said: “The fact that 91% of SSE’s customers – four million families – will be hit by this price rise is astonishing, something must be done to protect customers on the very worst deals as it’s clear SSE have no interest in doing so.”

Will Morris, managing director for retail at SSE, said: “We deeply regret having to raise electricity prices. This is the first increase since 2013 and we’ve worked hard to keep them down for as long as possible by cutting our own costs, putting in place a winter price freeze and holding gas prices, but we have seen significant increases in electricity costs which are outside our control. Without an increase we would have been supplying electricity to domestic customers at a loss.”