SSE to push up energy bills by 6.7 per cent for MILLIONS of customers – adding £76 a year to bills
The energy giant says it is putting up prices because the cost of wholesale energy has also gone up
MILLIONS of SSE customers will see their energy bills go up by £76 a year after the firm announced it is hiking the cost of energy by an average of 6.7 per cent.
The changes come in to effect from July 11 and will see 2.36 million customers forking out an extra £1.50 a week for energy.
M&S Energy customers - who's energy is supplied by SSE - will also see their bills rise.
The firm will also be pulling its paperless billing discount which gave customers £6 off per fuel bill every year if they opted to get their bills online.
The energy giant says it made the "difficult" decision to raise prices because the wholesale cost has gone up.
The rise will affect dual fuel customers who will see the price of gas go up by 5.7 per cent and electricity go up by 7.7 per cent.
Customers who are on fixed-price tariffs, have a prepayment meter, or are on the vulnerable customer safeguard tariff will not be affected by the hikes.
Stephen Forbes, from SSE Energy Services, said: "We deeply regret having to raise prices and have worked hard to withstand the increasing costs that are largely outside our control by reducing our own internal costs.
"However, as we’ve seen with recent adjustments to Ofgem’s price caps, the cost of supplying energy is increasing and this ultimately impacts the prices we’re able to offer customers."
The firm will be writing to all affected customers.
How to switch suppliers and save £300
SWITCHING suppliers is the best way you can cut your energy bills. But recent research from MoneySuperMarket found that households are throwing away up to £300 a year by not bothering. Here's what you need to do.
1. Shop around - If you're on an expensive Standard Variable Tariff (SVT) deal you are throwing away up to £300 a year. Use a comparison site like MoneySuperMarket.com or EnergyHelpline.com to see what best deals are available to you.
The cheapest deals are usually found online and are fixed deals - meaning you'll pay a fixed amount usually for 12 months.
2. Switch - When you've found one, all you have to do is contact the new supplier.
It helps to have the following information to hand - which you can find on your bill - to give the new supplier:
- Your postcode
- Name of your existing supplier
- Name of your existing deal and how much you pay
- An up-to-date meter reading
It will then notify your current supplier and begin the switch.
It should take no longer than three weeks to complete the switch and your supply won't be interrupted in that time.
For more advice read our guide on how to switch.
It's not the only energy firm hiking prices. As of yesterday, 4.1million British Gas customers were hit with a rate rise which will see their bills rise by £60 a year.
And more than 960,000 households who get their energy from Scottish Power will see another £63 a year added on to their bills as of June 1.
It came on the same day that the National Grid, operator of the UK's gas pipeline network, issued a "gas deficit warning" as intense demand from households outstrips supply.
Energy expert at Claire Osborne said: "SSE may be the last of the ‘big six’ to increase its most expensive deal, but it certainly hasn't been shy about it - hiking prices by nearly £90.
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"This is more than all the other big energy suppliers, with the company blaming rising wholesale and policy costs.
"Nearly 2.4 million customers who are already paying over the odds on standard variable tariffs will now be paying even more.
"A whopping seven in ten SSE customers were on these eye-wateringly expensive tariffs at the last count, a higher proportion than any other ‘big six’ supplier."
The energy firm has recently come under fire after the competitions watchdog said that a planned merger between Npower and SSE could see Brits hit with higher bills.
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