SSE Airtricity Review Ireland 2026
SSE Airtricity is the supplier people switch to when they finally leave Electric Ireland or Bord Gáis: big enough to feel safe, green enough to feel good, and discounted enough to look cheap. Each of those three pitches holds — up to a point. The 30% year-1 discounts are real and published. The green badge is real too, but it is certificate matching, not a different grid. And the safety of a big brand did not stop standard electricity rates rising twice in 2025. Judge it claim by claim and it lands as a solid, middle-of-the-market switch — not the bargain the discount percentage suggests.
SSE Airtricity review: key takeaways
- ✓The pitch: 30% off electricity for a year. The evidence: a €1,492 urban year-1 bill at CRU typical usage (SSE’s own figure, checked 28 Aug 2026) — decent, but the discount is measured against SSE’s own standard rate, which rose twice in 2025.
- ✓The year-2 cliff is about €518: once the discount lapses, the same urban house at standard rates costs roughly €2,010 by our sums — unit rate 41.13c/kWh, standing charge and PSO included.
- ✓The fixed-rate plan is the quiet star: €1,294.70 urban EAB with units and standing charge locked for 12 months — but the exit fee doubles to €100 per fuel.
- ✓The green claim tests as certificate matching: SSE discloses 100% renewable in the CRU/SEM fuel-mix report via Guarantees of Origin; the 2024 all-island mix, even with those certificates counted, was 62.35% renewable.
- ✓They moved on price before the incumbents: +9.5% on standard electricity from 20 October 2025 (about €150 a year), after +10.5% electricity and +8.4% gas in April 2025. Electric Ireland and PrepayPower followed in mid-2026.
- ✓Exit fees are ordinary but doubled on dual fuel: €50 per fuel on discount plans, €100 per fuel on fixed — leaving a dual contract early costs €100 in total.
- checkDeep year-1 discounts — 30% off electricity units and 30% off gas on the current sign-up plans
- checkA genuine fixed-rate option that locks units and standing charge for 12 months
- checkFull range: electricity, gas, dual fuel, smart time-of-use, EV and weekend plans
- checkLarge, established supplier (about 460,000 Irish electricity customers per RTÉ, Sept 2025) with phone and webchat support
- check100% renewable disclosure in the CRU/SEM fuel-mix report, backed by SSE wind generation on the island
- closeTwo standard-rate rises in 2025 — +10.5% electricity in April, +9.5% more from 20 October
- closeThe year-2 cliff is steep: the 30% electricity plan jumps from €1,492 to roughly €2,010 at standard rates
- closeExit fees on every plan — €50 per fuel, €100 per fuel on fixed; dual fuel doubles them
- closeThe 100% green claim rests on certificate matching, not on the mix coming out of the grid
- closeNo prepay/PAYG plan, and customers report slow complaint resolution in some cases
How SSE Airtricity scored
Six categories, scored from published rates and Estimated Annual Bills, contract terms, billing behaviour and complaint records — never a supplier brochure.
SSE Airtricity at a glance
Plans and estimated annual bills
Estimated Annual Bills (EAB) at CRU typical usage — 4,200 kWh electricity, 11,000 kWh gas — including standing charges, PSO (electricity), carbon tax (gas) and 9% VAT. Urban (DG1) figures; rural (DG2) standing charges are higher. Year 1 is with the new-customer discount, year 2 is the standard rate the same plan lands on. A dash means we have not verified the figure this week — we never invent one.
| Plan | Fuel | Meter | Payment | Year-1 EAB (urban) | Year-2 EAB (urban) | Exit fee / fuel | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Year Home Electricity (30% off) | Electricity | 24-hour | Bill pay | €1,492 | €2,010 | €50 | 2026-08-28 |
| 1 Year Home Electricity (30% off, smart meter) | Electricity | Smart time-of-use | Bill pay | €1,409 | — | €50 | 2026-08-28 |
| 1 Year Fixed Electricity V6 | Electricity | 24-hour | Bill pay | €1,295 | €2,010 | €100 | 2026-08-28 |
| 1 Year Home Gas (30% off) | Gas | 24-hour | Bill pay | €1,166 | €1,542 | €50 | 2026-08-28 |
| 1 Year Home Dual Fuel (35% electricity + 30% gas) | Dual fuel | 24-hour | Bill pay | €2,572 | €3,552 | €50 | 2026-08-28 |
Who it’s for
SSE Airtricity suits bill-pay households leaving an incumbent who want a large, familiar name on the bill rather than a newcomer — and who will actually re-shop at month 12. The fixed-rate plan suits anyone burned by mid-2020s price volatility who values a locked unit rate over the deepest discount. It is not for prepay households (there is no PAYG plan), and the green badge alone is a weak reason to pick it: if verified Irish community generation is the point, read our Community Power review. Not sure it fits? Run our energy matcher.
Get it if
- You are leaving Electric Ireland or Bord Gáis and want a large, established supplier rather than a newcomer
- You want a genuine fixed rate — units and standing charge locked for 12 months — and will accept the €100 exit fee for it
- You want one dual-fuel bill with published, verifiable year-1 EABs (€2,571.89 urban at typical usage)
- You will set a month-11 reminder and switch or renegotiate before the standard rate lands
Skip it if
- You are prepay — SSE Airtricity has no PAYG plan; see our Prepay Power review or Pinergy review
- You want the cheapest possible year-1 electricity — challengers like Yuno have priced below the big brands
- Your reason is the green badge — the 100% claim is certificate matching; Community Power sells Irish community generation instead
- You tend to stay put after year 1 — the €518 electricity cliff and two 2025 rises make loyalty expensive here
What they sell
Electricity. The core product. Sign-up plans run around 30% off units for 12 months with direct debit and eBilling (€1,492 urban / €1,559 rural year-1 EAB at 4,200 kWh), on 24-hour, NightSaver or smart meters. The standard rate behind the discount is 41.13c/kWh inc VAT.
Fixed-rate electricity. A 12-month lock on unit rates and standing charge — €1,294.70 urban EAB at today’s fixed prices, and the rate cannot rise mid-term the way a variable discount plan’s base rate can. The trade-off is a €100-per-fuel termination charge instead of €50.
Gas. 30% off gas units for year 1 — €1,166.41 EAB at 11,000 kWh, on a standard rate of 11.38c/kWh inc VAT plus a €152.31 standing charge and carbon tax. Gas escaped the October 2025 rise, though it took 8.4% in April 2025.
Dual fuel. The deepest headline discounts — currently 35% off electricity and 30% off gas — for a combined €2,571.89 urban year-1 EAB. One bill, one app, but two exit fees (€50 each) if you leave early, and both fuels land on standard rates together at month 13.
Smart, EV and weekend plans. Day/night/peak smart tariffs (peak 5–7pm), an EV plan with a cheap overnight window and a fair-usage cap, and free-time weekend variants. All need a communicating smart meter, and the smart EABs only apply if your usage matches the assumed split.
Our verdict
Take the claims one at a time. “Big-brand alternative”: true — SSE Airtricity is the Irish retail arm of SSE plc, the UK-listed energy group, with around 460,000 electricity customers here per RTÉ’s September 2025 reporting. That scale buys a full product range, phone and webchat support, and plans for nearly every meter type. What it did not buy was price stability: standard electricity rates rose 10.5% in April 2025 and 9.5% more from 20 October 2025 — roughly €150 a year on a typical bill in the second rise alone — months before Electric Ireland or PrepayPower moved in 2026.
“Competitive discounts”: partly true. Thirty per cent off is a deep cut, and the year-1 numbers are honest — SSE publishes its EABs, which most of the market makes you dig for. But a discount is only as good as the rate underneath it, and two rises in one year mean the same 30% buys less than it did. The fixed plan is the more interesting offer: at €1,294.70 urban it undercuts the discount plan and it cannot be repriced mid-term. Against that, the €100-per-fuel exit fee on fixed is the steepest in SSE’s range, and every path ends at the same standard rate — about €2,010 urban for electricity by our sums — if you sleep through month 12.
“100% green”: this is where the evidence and the marketing part company most clearly. SSE does disclose 100% renewable in the CRU/SEM fuel-mix report, and the group genuinely builds and operates wind farms on this island. But the disclosure works by matching customer demand with Guarantee of Origin certificates — over 20 million of which were imported into the all-island market in 2024 — and even with certificates counted, the 2024 all-island mix was 62.35% renewable. Your kettle runs on the same grid as everyone else’s. Weighing value, the year-2 cliff, service and the quality of the green evidence, we score SSE Airtricity 7.1: a legitimate big-brand switch that rewards people who leave after exactly twelve months, and quietly taxes everyone who stays.
We priced every plan from SSE Airtricity’s own tariff PDFs and T&Cs on 28 August 2026, at CRU typical usage — 4,200 kWh electricity and 11,000 kWh gas, urban and rural separately, PSO, carbon tax and 9% VAT included. Where SSE publishes an EAB we used theirs; where they do not (year-2 standard rates), we computed it and say so. Green claims were tested against the CRU/SEM fuel-mix disclosure, not the brochure. More on how we work: how we test.
Other Irish energy suppliers we review
| Supplier | Score | Fuels | PAYG | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yuno Energy | 7.9 | Electricity + Gas | No | App-comfortable switchers chasing the lowest year-1 bill |
| Community Power | 7.4 | Electricity | No | Values-led electricity shoppers who will keep gas elsewhere |
| Energia | 7.3 | Electricity + Gas | No | Households that shop around every 12 months and want the deepest big-brand new-customer discount |
| Electric Ireland | 7.2 | Electricity + Gas | Yes | Never-switched homes that want a big, stable brand |
| Bord Gáis Energy | 7.0 | Electricity + Gas | Yes | Gas-heated homes that want one bill |
| Flogas | 6.6 | Gas + Electricity | No | Existing Flogas gas households deciding whether to add electricity, go dual or leave |
| Prepay Power | 6.6 | Electricity + Gas | Yes | Households that need spend control or cannot pass a credit check |
| Pinergy | 6.5 | Electricity | Yes | Prepay households who want half-hourly usage data and will actually use it |
Not sure which fits? Find your energy supplier in 30 seconds. matched.ie is not a CRU-accredited price-comparison site — for the regulated comparators, see CRU.ie.
SSE Airtricity: frequently asked questions
Is SSE Airtricity really 100% green electricity?+
On paper, yes; on the wire, no. SSE Airtricity discloses 100% renewable in the CRU/SEM fuel-mix report by matching its sales with Guarantee of Origin certificates, which EU rules allow suppliers to buy across borders. The actual all-island fuel mix in 2024 was 62.35% renewable even with certificates counted. SSE’s parent does build real wind farms in Ireland, but the electricity at your socket is the same grid mix as every other supplier’s.
How much is SSE Airtricity electricity per year?+
On the current 30%-off sign-up plan, SSE’s own published estimated annual bill is €1,492 urban or €1,559 rural at CRU typical usage of 4,200 kWh (checked 28 August 2026). That includes the standing charge, PSO levy and 9% VAT. After the 12-month discount ends you move to standard rates — 41.13c/kWh — which we calculate at roughly €2,010 a year urban. The fixed-rate plan is currently cheaper still in year 1 at €1,294.70 urban.
Did SSE Airtricity put up prices in 2025?+
Twice. In April 2025 standard electricity rose 10.5% and gas 8.4%. Then from 20 October 2025 standard electricity unit rates and standing charges rose another 9.5%, adding about €150 a year to a typical bill; gas was untouched in that round. SSE moved earlier than the incumbents — Electric Ireland’s +8%/+7.7% came on 1 July 2026 and PrepayPower’s +8.8%/+10.6% on 1 June 2026. Discounted customers keep their percentage off, but off a higher base.
What is the exit fee for leaving SSE Airtricity early?+
Per the current terms and conditions (checked 28 August 2026): €50 per utility on the standard 1-year discount plans, and €100 per utility on the 1-year fixed-rate plans. Dual fuel means two fees, so leaving a fixed dual contract early costs €200. There is no charge during the cooling-off period — 14 days, or 30 if you signed up at your door — and no fee once your 12-month term has ended.
What happens to my SSE Airtricity bill after the first year?+
Your discount expires and the account moves to SSE’s standard rates automatically — there is no loyalty rate in between. At today’s prices that is a jump from €1,492 to about €2,010 a year for urban electricity at typical usage, and from €1,166 to roughly €1,542 for gas, by our calculations. Ring them for a retention offer or switch supplier before the anniversary; the switch itself takes two to four weeks and your supply is never interrupted.
Does SSE Airtricity do prepay or pay-as-you-go?+
No. SSE Airtricity sells bill-pay electricity, gas and dual fuel in the Republic, but no dedicated prepay plan. If you need PAYG — for budgeting or because a landlord fitted a prepay meter — the specialists are Prepay Power and Pinergy, though both charge more per unit than a discounted bill-pay plan. If you can pass a credit check, a bill-pay contract with any of the big suppliers will usually work out cheaper over the year.
Is SSE Airtricity fixed rate better than the discount plan?+
Right now the fixed plan is cheaper on paper: €1,294.70 urban estimated annual bill versus €1,492 on the 30% discount plan (both SSE figures, checked 28 August 2026). The fix also locks your unit rate and standing charge for 12 months, so an autumn price rise cannot touch you — the discount plan’s base rate can move. The catches: a €100-per-fuel exit fee instead of €50, and both plans end on the same standard rate at month 13.
Who owns SSE Airtricity?+
SSE plc, the FTSE-listed energy group headquartered in Perth, Scotland. Airtricity began as an Irish wind-energy company and was bought by SSE in 2008; today it is the group’s retail brand across Ireland and Northern Ireland, with around 460,000 electricity customers in the Republic reported in September 2025. The parent’s renewables arm builds and operates wind farms on the island, which is why the brand leans so hard on its green story.