Continuing to operate through coronavirus restrictions

Our number one priority is to keep serving you safely through the pandemic, so we’re fully set up for working from home and our phone lines are up and running. We’re continuing to adapt to the regularly changing situation. The following summary is designed to help you manage your energy supply needs.

Keep an eye on your contract

We know that sorting out your energy tariff might not be at the forefront of your mind, but renewing your contract before it expires means that you’ll avoid paying out of contract rates which are likely to be higher than our contract prices. If you don’t receive a renewal notice – because your site is shut or you are working from home, for example – you can look for your contract end date on a previous bill.

Our sales team is ready to help you – please get in touch with your account manager or email direct.sales.cardiff@sse.com, call 0800 389 4466 or visit https://www.sseenergysolutions.co.uk/quote (online quoting is available for micro business and small and medium enterprise customers only).

Change of billing address?

Please make sure your billing address is up to date so you receive important post from us. You can do this here – under Category, select SME billing query on the dropdown menu, then Billing address amendments – or for our larger corporate customers, via your account manager. Please tell us whether the change of billing address is temporary or permanent.

Bill payment

Each business is unique and faces different challenges. If you’re struggling to pay your bills, we’ll take this into account on a case by case basis.

To talk this through, you can give our collections team a call on 0345 073 7999. Our phone lines are open but may be busy at times in the event of lockdown so please bear with us.

Please let us know if your business is not operational right now, or you’re not working at your normal premises – and keep us up to date with changes to your circumstances.

Meter readings aid accurate bills

Covid-19 has significantly impacted our ability to collect meter readings. We are currently scheduling meter readings on a month by month basis, factoring in businesses open for trading and government guidelines. We’re prioritising our meter readers to visit sites where no read has been obtained for 12 months or more.

We’re accepting requests for meter read visits, but extended lead times are likely. Your meter may not need reading urgently; for example, if your last bill was based on an actual read.

You can also submit your own meter readings:

• Online here or at our Business Energy Centre
• Via meterline on 0345 071 9894
• By calling the meter reader directly, if they’ve left you a card or message
• Via email to b2b.meter.readings@sse.com – you’ll need to include the meter point number (MPAN/MPRN) and your account number otherwise we cannot record it

If you’re unsure which figures to give us, you can take a photo and send it to us.

Meter work is subject to local variations

We’re installing smart meters, with full safety precautions, subject to regional restrictions. Smart meters are designed to transmit readings to us automatically, removing the need to take manual readings and ending any need for bills to be based on estimates. You can find out more here.

We understand that you want metering work completed as soon as possible. We’re working closely with service providers to maximise capacity, and we’ll always attempt to book the first available slot for you. Some of our third party metering providers will be subject to a staggered return to work following lockdown as they get back up to capacity. All metering engineers need to comply with Covid-19 safety protocols, which means we can complete fewer jobs in a day. Obtaining an appointment could take longer, and lead times are likely to be affected across the energy industry and the UK.

National and local lockdowns are affecting coverage and may prevent bookings being progressed. Engineers can visit businesses closed due to lockdown if there’s site access. Some of our service providers also have limited geographic coverage – and there’s limited coverage in Scotland for all work types.

Staying up to date

The situation is likely to remain rapidly changing in the months ahead. We’ll keep you updated here and you can check our full Covid-19 FAQ for the latest information.