SSE has announced that its domestic electricity and gas rates will be going from April 2, with rates increasing by 8.75% to 13.5% across different types of tariffs.

The increase in variable household electricity and gas rates is due to external factors such as network charges and wholesale energy costs, according to SSE.

The greatest increase will be seen in day time rates for customers on smart plans, which are going up by 13.75%, while those same smart plans will see night time rates go up by 10.75% and peak evening rates increase by 8.75%.

Older 24hr and Day/Night plans will see their rates increased by 12.75% across the board, which SSE said will see the annual bill of customers on a variable 24hr plan increase by 10.5%.

Rates for gas will be going up by 10.5% from next month, which would represent an 8.4% increase on the average bill.  No change will be made to standing charges for either electricity or gas customers, and fixed rate customers will not be affected by this.

This will result in an additional €0.47 per day on the average electricity bill and €0.31 per day on the average gas bill. Dual fuel household bills will increase by 9.5% on average, equivalent to around €0.78 per day.

This increase in prices comes after multiple energy companies have announced price cuts in recent months, with energy costs falling slightly from their peak in March 2022 but still remaining the highest in Europe last year.

Stephen Gallagher, Managing Director of SSE Airtricity, said that the company has worked to shield customers from the full impact of volatile energy costs in recent years, and that raising their prices is a last resort.

“We’re proud to have led the market in customer support measures throughout the cost of living and energy crises, including the largest customer support package in the market and the foregoing of company profits in 2023 in favour of prioritising customer measures. We have reduced electricity tariffs by 31% and gas by 28% since October 2022.”

“We know this news will be disappointing for customers. Network charges increased by around 20% in October 2024 and wholesale costs are 18% higher compared to this time last year. While we shielded customers from the impact of increased networks and other costs for six months, including the winter months, such regulatory charges are outside of our control, and we can no longer absorb these costs.

“As always, we encourage any customer who is concerned about their energy costs to please contact us, and we will work with you to find a solution together.”