The Hidden Cost of Doing Business with SSE

Across the UK, small and medium-sized businesses are waking up to a troubling reality: they may have been overcharged by their energy suppliers for years. Many of these contracts, particularly those arranged through brokers, are now under scrutiny for including inflated unit rates and hidden commissions that were never disclosed to the customer.

SSE Business Energy is among several major suppliers facing increasing questions over the transparency of these arrangements.

At first glance, many of the contracts supplied by SSE over the past decade appear competitive. But a closer examination reveals day and night rates significantly above market averages. More concerning is that these inflated costs often result not from the wholesale price of energy, but from undisclosed broker commissions folded into the unit rates. These charges have gone largely unregulated and unnoticed.

In some instances, commissions amounting to 20 or 30 per cent of the overall bill were added without any clear explanation to the customer. Most businesses affected were never told a commission existed at all. The outcome is a system in which thousands of firms have unwittingly paid over the odds for essential utilities.

Clear Charge Claims, a firm specialising in forensic reviews of commercial energy contracts, has launched investigations into agreements involving a number of suppliers including British Gas, EDF, Opus, TotalEnergies, E.ON Next, Drax and Haven. According to the firm, the same pattern is repeated: energy deals brokered on behalf of businesses, with little to no clarity over what portion of the tariff is being paid to the intermediary.

Regulatory oversight of brokered energy contracts has historically been limited. Many small businesses, especially those without in-house legal or procurement teams, placed trust in brokers to act in their interests. Few were aware of the incentives operating behind the scenes.

That may now be starting to change. Formal disclosure requests and growing public awareness are shedding light on these practices. In some cases, affected businesses have already secured refunds or settlements after contracts were found to include hidden charges or misleading terms.

For companies locked into multi-year contracts, the financial implications can be significant. Some may be entitled to reclaim tens of thousands of pounds. Others may discover they have been stuck on unfavourable tariffs far beyond the end of their agreed term.

Business owners who signed energy contracts through a broker are being urged to revisit the original agreements. Even if the terms seemed competitive at the time, the true cost may have been obscured by a lack of transparency.

For now, the responsibility falls on business leaders to ask the right questions and request the necessary disclosures. But as pressure builds, there is growing demand for clearer regulation, greater accountability, and a system that puts the interests of businesses before commissions.

More information is available at www.clearchargeclaims.co.uk or by contacting claims@clearchargeclaims.com.