Depending on your meter type, you will be billed monthly or bi-monthly.

If you have an interval quarter hourly meter (QH meter) you will be billed monthly and we cannot change this billing cycle due to the meter type.

If you wish to change your billing cycle just contact our dedicated Business Energy Team.  

If you have an SSE Airtricity online account you can login and view and download PDF copies of previous bills. If you don’t have an online account, you can register here.   

If you have an online account you can login and view the amount of your last bill and any transactions since that bill was issued. If you don’t have an online account you can register here. 

Alternatively, you can contact our Business Energy Team to request the balance on your account. You will need your account number or MPRN which is located on the top of your bill. 

Maximum Import Capacity (MIC) is the maximum electricity demand level that can be catered for by your connection to our network. MIC is stated in kilovolt-amps, but this value is, in most cases, similar to the number of kilowatts that may be catered for by the connection.

We offer connections that provide for many different levels of electricity usage. When applying for a new connection, you need to specify the maximum electricity demand level you require and this level is then written into the Connection Agreement as the MIC.  

The Public Service Obligation Levy (PSO Levy) is charged to all electricity customers, regardless of their supplier and is used to support renewable electricity generation. The PSO Levy is mandated by government policy and the amount payable by each electricity customer, through their bills, is calculated and certified annually by the energy regulator; the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU).

The amount of PSO you pay for your business premises is based on your Maximum Import Capacity (MIC).

The PSO levy rates for businesses from 1st of October 2020 to 30th September 2021 are:

• PSO where MIC < 30kVA = €21.41 per month (increased from €10.35)
• PSO where MIC => 30kVA = €2.78 per kVA per month (increased from €1.22)

The Capacity Charge applies to large businesses with a Low Voltage Maximum Demand meter.

The charge relates to each unit of electricity used during the hours of 17:00-19:00 Monday to Friday during the Winter months: (1st November – End of February, inclusive)

It is designed to reflect the high cost of producing electricity during these hours - as there is the most demand on the electricity network at these times.

The formula used to calculate your capacity charge is: The MIC x Capacity Charge Rate x Number of Days in the billing period = the capacity charge for that billing period.

There are a number of reasons why your bill may be higher than expected. Here are the most common reasons for a higher bill:

• Estimated readings – was your last bill based on an estimated reading? You can check this by reviewing the back of your latest invoice and see if there was (E) beside the previous reading this would indicate that your last bill was estimated. It may have been too low, and this bill is simply ‘catching up’.
• A change in operating hours? – If you have changed your operating hours, this could cause a spike in your recent bill. Even 1 hour extra per day can add 15% to your bills.
• Seasonal Changes? – Are you comparing your winter bill to a summer bill? It is quite common to get a higher bill in winter when heating and lighting are used for longer periods.
• New equipment? – Additional electrical equipment such as electric heating, air conditioning or lighting usually means more electricity is being used which can generate bigger bills.

Notification of Gas Pass-Through Charges Change 2020/21

As indicated in your gas supply contract, the gas charge within your tariff reflects your risk management approach e.g. fixed gas price, for the contract duration. You can also see this in the pricing proposal, SSE Airtricity gas supply contract provided for regulated Pass-Through charges and how these charges would be treated under the contract.

What are Pass-Through Charges?

Pass-Through charges are relevant third-party costs, charges, taxes, duties, levies, tariffs or any government-imposed charges, which relate to the supply and distribution of electricity to a building including, but not limited to, Distribution Use of Systems (DUoS) and Transmission Use of Systems (TUoS) charges and VAT.
Pass-Through charges are used to pay for common services for all gas consumers and these charges are subject to approval from the Regulator. The changes in these charges apply to all suppliers equally.
The Distribution and Transmission Transportation Pass-Through charges for the 2020/2021 period will be applied to your bill from 01 October 2020 and the effect of these changes on your current contract prices are set out below.

Gas Networks Ireland (“GNI”) Distribution Tariffs for Gas Year 2020/2021

· Capacity Charges Have Increased circa 5.4% compared to the 2019/20 charges.
· Commodity Charges Have Increased circa 4.84% compared to the 2019/20 charges.

Gas Networks Ireland Transmission Tariffs for Gas Year 2020/2021

· The transmission capacity charge for UK gas has increased from €699.003 to €722.444 per peak day MWh (3.35 % increase on Oct 19 charge).
· The transmission commodity charge has increased from €0.319 to €0.350 per MWh (9.72 % increase on Oct 19 charge).

UK Gas Transmission Transportation Charges 2020/2021

· The revised level of the Non-Transmission Services (“NTS”) exit commodity charge is 0.0128 p/kWh, a decrease of 63% compared to the Oct 2019 charge (0.0348 p/kWh) – a decrease of 0.0220 p/kWh.
· The revised level of the NTS exit capacity charge for Moffat Interconnector is 0.0198 p/peak day kWh, which is an increase compared to the current charge of 0.0017 p/peak day kWh.

The Gas Networks Ireland (GNI) Distribution and Transmission transportation charges are regulated and approved by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (“CRU”). The UK National Transmission System (NTS) Charge is published by National Grid and approved by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem).

The changes in Distribution and Transmission Transportation Pass-Through charges vary, the exact change in your bill will depend on your tariff type and consumption pattern. All the new charges will be applied to your bills for consumption from 01 October 2020.

If you would like a copy of the document, have any questions about your new tariffs or any other aspect of your service from SSE Airtricity, we’re here to help. Contact our Corporate Accounts Team on 1850 92 77 75* for Large Business Customers and 1850 81 21 44* for small, medium and enterprise customers

*Calls charged at Lo Call rate. Rates from mobiles and landlines may vary. Please check with your operator.

Commercial Electricity Contract Customers: Notification of Pass-Through Charges Change

The unit price (i.e. the kilowatt hour (kWh) rate) SSE Airtricity charge you in your electricity supply contract includes both the SSE Airtricity energy charge and regulated pass-through charges. Our SSE Airtricity energy charge will follow the agreed contractual risk management strategy which means a fixed energy price, for the duration outlined in your contract. It also means pass-through cost will only change with approval by the Regulator, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (“CRU”).
The pass-through charges charged by ESB Networks, Eirgrid and the Single Energy Market Operator (SEMO) for the 2020 - 2021 period have now been approved by the regulator, and the changes to your contract prices are detailed below.
The changes will be applied to your existing prices for consumption from 1 October 2020.
There will also be an increase in PSO levy for 2020/21 which has now been confirmed by the CRU. This will lead to an increase in charges for all customers. The new PSO levy rates can be found in the What are the PSO levy rates for business customers? section above. 

What are Pass-Through Charges?

Pass-through charges are the charges that all electricity suppliers must pay other organisations in the Integrated Single Electricity Market (ISEM) when supplying electricity to customers, like those that we receive for the use of the ESB Networks and Eirgrid’s systems. Usually, ESB Networks and Eirgrid set these charges, subject to regulatory approval (i.e. the CRU), on an annual basis.
Pass-through charges (which are described in the attached Glossary) include:
• Transmission Use of Systems (TUoS);
• Distribution Use of Systems (DUoS);
• Market Operator Charges;
• Imperfection Charges;
• Supplier Capacity Charges;
• Electricity Tax;
• MIC charges*;
• Standing Charge*;
• Low Power Factor surcharge*;
• PSO levy*; and
• VAT*;
• The Integrated Single Electricity Market (I-SEM);
* - these are shown as separate charges to your kWh tariffs on your bill

How will the changes in pass-through charges impact my premises?
The level of pass-through charges applicable to your premises and the change in these charges from 1 October 2020 depends on the DUoS Group or “DG” number. All supply points connected to the electricity network have a DUoS Group. The DUoS Group is assigned by ESB Networks to the premises based on the network connection characteristics and metering configuration.
Dependent on the DUoS Group for the premise(s), the overall adjustment to your current rates from their current level can be seen in the table below.
How do I Identify my “DG” number?
The DUoS Group your site belongs to can be located at the top right-hand corner of your bill.
This is identified by the code:

• DG1 & DG2
• DG3 & DG4
• DG 5
• DG 6
• DG 7
• DG8
• DG9
• TCon 

Once you have this information you can see the relevant changes in the pass -through charges for your premises listed below.

DUoS Group (DG1 and DG2)

DUoS Group 5 (DG5) 

Profile 6 - General Purpose Nightsaver

The total net increase in the kWh rate for day is 0.71 c/kWh and decrease in night is 0.01c/kWh

Profile 5 - General Purpose (24H Metered)

The total net increase in the 24Hr kWh rate for is 0.58 c/KWh and decrease in night is 0.03c/kWh

DUoS Group 6 (DG6). MIC Less than 526kVA  

Low Voltage Max Demand (LVMD)

The total net increase in the kWh rate for day for LVMD NQH is 0.41 c/kWh and decrease in night is 0.05c/kWh- For LVMD QH -Day rate increase is 0.37 c/kwh and decrease for night is 0.09 c/kwh

DUoS Group 6 (DG6). MIC Greater than 526kVA

Low Voltage Max Demand (LVMD)

The total net increase in the kWh rate for LVMD NQH/ day is 0.37 c/kWh and decrease in NQH night is 0.05 c/kWh; LVMD QH net increase day is 0.33C/Kwh and decrease in QH night is 0.09c/Kwh

DUoS Group 7 (DG7). MIC Less than 526kVA

Medium Voltage

The total net increase in the kWh rate for day is 0.12 c/kWh and decrease in night is 0.11 c/KWh

DUoS Group 7 (DG7). MIC Greater than 526kVA

Medium Voltage

The total net increase in the kWh rate for day is 0.08c/kWh and decrease for night is 0.11 c/kWh.

DUoS Group 8 (DG8) MIC Greater than 526kVA

38kV looped

The total net increase in the kWh rate for day is 0.04c/kWh and decrease for night is 0.12c/kWh.

DUoS Group 9 (DG9) MIC Greater than 526kVA

38kV tailed

The total net increase in the kWh rate for day is 0.04c/kWh and decrease for night is 0.12c/Kwh

110KV (TCon). MIC Greater than 526kVA

The total net increase in the kWh rate for day is 0.03c/kWh and decrease for night is 0.11c/kWh

Unmetered

24hr Profile 10

Dusk to Dawn Profile 11

Dusk to Midnight

Glossary of Terms

Pass-through costs

Pass-through charges are the costs that all electricity suppliers must pay other entities in the Electricity Market when supplying electricity to customers such as those incurred for the use of the ESB Networks distribution and transmission systems.

Transmission Use of System (TUoS)

These are the costs all electricity suppliers pay Eirgrid to transport electricity from the generating station through the transmission grid to the distribution system (or to the customer’s site for the small number of customers connected to the transmission system). The transmission system is the high voltage system for the bulk movement of electricity. The charge, which is set by Eirgrid, is called the Transmission Use of System (TUoS) tariff and is regulated by the CRU.

Distribution Use of System (DUoS)

These are the costs all electricity suppliers pay ESB Networks to transport electricity through the distribution system to a customer’s site. The distribution system is the local part of the network that serves the customer. The charge which is set by ESB networks is called the Distribution Use of System (DUoS) tariff and is regulated by the CRU.

The Integrated Single Electricity Market (I-SEM)

The Integrated Single Electricity Market (I-SEM) is the wholesale market for Ireland and Northern Ireland. The previous market arrangements have been replaced since 1st October 2018 by multiple markets or auctions, each spanning different trading time frames, with separate (although related) clearing and settlement mechanisms, covering both energy and non-energy commodities.

System Market Operator (SMO) – Market Operator Charge

This covers the cost of the development and operation of the Integrated Single Electricity Market (I-SEM). The cost is shared across all electricity suppliers and generators on the island of Ireland. It is a flat charge per unit on loss adjusted consumption. The charge, which is set by SEMO, is called the Market Operator Charge and is regulated by both The Utility Regulator in Northern Ireland and the CRU in Republic of Ireland.

Imperfection Charge (IC)

Actual dispatch on the all-island transmission network differs from the optimal dispatch derived for the market schedule. This is because constraints are introduced due to network bottlenecks (including the North South Interconnector) and due to the need for the system operator to maintain reserve for operational security. The wholesale energy “system marginal price” calculated in the market is the lowest possible price that the electricity required on the island of Ireland could theoretically be generated at (if there are no constraints). It ignores the limitations of the transmission network and is calculated with perfect foresight. As generators are obliged to sell into the I-SEM, they are guaranteed not to operate at a loss (variable costs only). The imperfections tariff covers the gap between the market price and the cost of dispatching generation in real time into a market where constraints in practice do exist. The charge, which is set by SEMO, is called the Imperfection Charge and is regulated by both the CRU and the Utility Regulator (NI).

Supplier Capacity Charge (SCC)

This charge covers the capacity cost of the generators in the I-SEM. It is published by SEM Committee and approved by both CRU and Utility Regulator (NI).

Other charges

Maximum Import Capacity (MIC) charge or Capacity Charge

MIC is measured in kiloVolt Amperes (kVA). It is the level of electrical capacity, which represents the maximum load you are contracted to import from the electricity network for use in your premises. Significant penalty charges normally apply if you exceed this level.

Standing Charge

Daily standing charges are a combination of the fixed charges associated with providing electricity and gas network services and a share of the supply costs in servicing your account.

Electricity Tax

Government imposed tax on electricity supply.

Low Power Factor Surcharge

The low power factor surcharge applies to all ‘Wattless Energy ‘(kilovolt amperes hours (kVArh)) recorded in any billing period if the metered kVArh is more than one third of the metered kWh in any billing period. The charge is only applicable to the kVArh in excess of one third of the kWh.

If you wish to change your personal details on your bill, please contact our Business Energy Team. Please have your account number, account name and MPRN available, which are located at the top of your bill. 

If you closed your account but are still receiving SSE Airtricity invoices, please contact our Business Energy Team. Please have your account number, account name and MPRN available for the team to investigate your query. 

Value Added Tax (VAT) is charged at 13.5% for all Business Energy customers. If you are VAT exempt, please contact the Business Energy Team with the VAT exemption certificate.