Southern Electric Is Now SSE Energy
Southern Electric was merged with SSE back in 1998 and is no longer operating as an energy supplier. This guide is to help former customers find the right login and contact information as well as answer any questions.
Southern Electric is no longer active Southern Electric is no longer an active company since it merged with SSE back in 1998. If you are looking for contact information, you should visit our Scottish and Southern Energy guides to find out more.
What Happened to Southern Electric?
Southern Electric first began as the Southern Electricity Board in 1948 as part of the nationalisation of the UK electricity industry. In 1990, the board's assets passed to Southern Electric plc.
Southern Electric plc's story was similar to many other public limited companies during the energy privatisation introduced by Margaret Thatcher's government in 1989.
Like many of the utility companies that emerged after 1990, Southern Electric was formed from its area electricity board, Southern Electricity Board. Less than a decade later in 1998, Southern Electric was merged with Scottish Hydro-Electric plc to form what is now known as Scottish and Southern Energy or SSE.
Is SSE Southern Electric?
For a while after it was acquired by SSE Energy Services, Southern Electric continued trading under the same name as a brand of SSE Southern Electric. However, the name was completely dropped for the full SSE branding later on.
SSE itself was acquired by OVO Energy back in September 2019 and has been fully integrated into the OVO family of services.
What Happened to Southern Electric Customers?
If you were a Southern Electric customer who hasn’t switched since the merger, it might be a shock that they had been merged. However, in all senses, the transfer from Southern Electric to SSE Southern Electric was only a change of name and not supplier, so you are likely not to have noticed any changes in your service.
Customers who were previously supplied by Southern Electric will have been automatically switched over to an SSE energy tariff following the acquisition. However, due to Southern Electric still being a constituent part of SSE plc, your billing information may not have changed.
If you have not switched since then, it's likely that you will have been switched over to a standard variable tariff with SSE. It is worth noting that this tariff is markedly more expensive than many other energy tariffs on the market.
Southern Electric Customer Service
Since Southern Electric existed before review sites, it’s difficult to get an idea of how good the Southern Electric customer service was. However, Trustpilot has rated SSE with an overall 4.3 out of 5 stars, with at least 83% of reviews rating the company as either “Excellent” or “Good”.
To find out more, check out our SSE Reviews guide.
What Is the Southern Electric Contact Number?
Since Southern Electric doesn’t exist anymore, their contact details have changed to the SSE contact information. Even though SSE is now OVO, they are still taking the same calls as usual. Here’s a table with a list of main SSE contact numbers:
Department | SSE Contact Number | SSE Opening Hours |
---|---|---|
General Enquiries | 0345 070 7373 | Mon-Fri 8am to 6pm
Sat 8am to 2pm |
Complaints | 0345 070 7373 | Mon-Fri 8am to 6pm
Sat 8am to 2pm |
Meter Readings | 0345 070 7371 | 24/7 |
To view the full SSE contact information, check out our SSE Contact guide.
What If I Have a Southern Electric Power Cut?
If you have a power cut and your supplier is SSE, you must call the power cut number 105 to report the outage. This number is the same for all energy suppliers and will put you in contact with your Distribution Network Operator (DNO).
What If I Have a Southern Electric Gas Emergency? If you have a gas emergency, you must call the gas emergency number on 0800 111 999, available 24/7.
Southern Electric Email Address
SSE uses contact forms to reduce the volume of emails they receive from customers. The contact forms allow them to filter the information to the correct department more easily. SSE will respond to you with a particular email after you have made your enquiry.
Southern Electric Login
Southern Electric when it was originally around between 1990 to 1998 didn’t have a dedicated online login. If you have a Southern Electric account, all of your information will have moved onto an SSE online account that you can use to access your information.
You can still register for an SSE account by going to the SSE homepage. From the homepage, you’ll need to click the “My account” button in the top right corner. You’ll then be taken to a new window where you should click the “Register Now” button at the bottom. You will then be asked to enter the following information:
- SSE Account Number (on top of your bill)
- Your last name
- Your postcode
You will then be able to manage your SSE account all online. If you need more help, check out our SSE Login guide.
Southern Electric Meter Reading
You can give your regular Southern Electric meter readings to SSE without any problem. You can either give it over the phone on 0345 070 7371 or you can submit your Southern Electric meter reading online.
Southern Electric Smart Meter
It is unlikely that you would have had a smart meter installed by Southern Electric when they were originally around, however you may have had one installed by SSE. SSE has installed both SMETS1 and SMETS2 smart meters and these will begin integrating with OVO’s smart meter system to allow for a smooth transition.
Southern Electric Top Up
If you are a prepayment customer, it is possible you still might be using your old Southern Electric electricity key and gas card. These will continue to work to top up your prepayment meter, but you might want to consider getting fresh keys and cards just in case.
If you have an SSE smart meter, you can top up your meter via the MySSE app for both iPhone and Android.
Is the Southern Electric Warm Home Discount Available?
The Warm Home Discount was actually introduced in 2011 and many years after Southern Electric was rebranded as SSE. SSE, as one of the larger suppliers in the UK, has always offered the Warm Home Discount to its customers. If you are in the Core Group, you will automatically receive the discount. If you are in the Broader Group, you will have to apply for the SSE Warm Home Discount every year.
Southern Electric Power Distribution
There is a confusion between the SSE, which is the energy supplier to domestic and business customers, and the DNO Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN). The SSEN is a separate company that manages the electricity network that transmits your electricity to your property. If you are a customer of SSE, you will only deal them and not SSEN.