Taking Stock

While looking ahead to the next calendar year, it would be remiss not to take time to reflect on 2023 and take stock of the progress and partnerships that the team here in SSE Airtricity has been proud to deliver.

Against a backdrop of global conflicts, continued volatility in the market, and the impact of both the cost of living and energy crises; we have spent a whirlwind year focusing on how we can continue to support customers while delivering low-carbon solutions that tackle the root causes of climate change.

 

Committed to our customers

Throughout the energy and cost of living crises, we remained committed to support our customers and communities. In 2022, SSE Airtricity became the first supplier to announce it would forego profits in favour of supporting customers. We delivered this in April of this year, with €8.6 million being returned to over 240,000 households. On top of this, we established the largest customer support fund in the market, valued at €25m, which included charitable donations of €1 million to St Vincent de Paul and the development of warm referrals programmed with MABS and ALONE.

While wholesale energy costs continue to exceed levels considered as market norm, we committed to reduce prices for customers just as soon as it was possible to do so, and delivered on this commitment earlier in the year with price reductions in both ROI and NI, despite the continued market volatility.

Throughout the year we have continued to expand our product offering to meet the differing needs of our customers. Market-leading microgen tariffs, which pay a premium to customers for the energy they generate on their roof through Solar PV installed by our partners in Activ8; and a new fixed price tariff providing certainty and peace of mind for customers are two of these offerings.

 

Supporting businesses on the path to net zero/Supporting a more sustainable future for business

The third installment of our ROI Green Business Sentiment Index was published recently, and noting a worrying regression in the sentiment of businesses in Ireland toward sustainability, it proved to be a valuable piece of research. The economic pressures of the past few years have had an impact on the prioritisation of sustainable practices, and our findings indicate that short term cost pressures for businesses take priority over longer term objectives such as tackling climate change.  

At SSE Airtricity, we understand that it’s difficult to focus on tomorrow when you’re navigating through a crisis today. However, many of the current cost pressures have the same solution as the issue of climate change. The recent global energy crisis highlights more than ever the importance of reducing energy consumption over the long term through measures such as energy efficiency upgrades, smart tariff options to suit customer lifestyle needs, home insulation, and solar panels.

 

Taking pride in partnership

SSE Airtricity is a values-led business, and we’re proud to partner with great causes and organisations to support our customers and the communities we operate in. Over the past 12 months we’ve developed and built on some great partnerships. Earlier in the year, we spoke at the annual Elevate Pledge Report conference, which challenges and supports businesses to build more inclusive workplaces. One of our strongest assets in SSE is our diversity of thought and ability to see things from different perspectives, which is why SSE became a founding signatory of the pledge.

SSE Airtricity has sponsored the National LGBT+ Helpline since 2022, which marked the first time the Helpline has been fully funded. In May of this year, we were thrilled to dedicate our existing and new sponsorship spaces at football clubs to promote the essential services of the LGBT+ National Helpline among fans and the community. We’re delighted to partner with great causes and organisations, like LGBT Ireland, who share our values and a commitment to creating an environment where every person feels supported. We were particularly proud to recently be named ‘Outstanding Company’ at the tenth annual GALAS – Ireland’s LGBTQ+ awards programme, organised by the National LGBT Federation, the NXF, and GCN.

Similarly, our Energy Services team (pictured) were delighted to be recognised at the SEAI Energy Awards in November, as well as in two categories at the All-Ireland Sustainability Awards in October, for our partnership with Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to carry out an energy efficiency upgrade of 58 senior citizen residences. The works brought their average energy rating from E1 to an impressive A3; making the apartments cosier, warmer, healthier, and cheaper to heat for the retired residents

Building on our corporate relationships has also been a key focus this year, including our partnership with Dublin Chamber. SSE Airtricity is delighted to have supported this year’s Sustainability Newsletter series and the inaugural season of The Dublin Business Collective with Máire Fay, as she spoke with a whole host of inspiring entrepreneurs providing us with advice and inspiration from a range of backgrounds. There is great power in partnership and as we look ahead to the coming year, SSE Airtricity remains committed to supporting our customers and the communities within which we operate.

 

Looking Ahead

COP28 gets underway in Dubai this week, bringing together world leaders, businesses, and civil society to accelerate progress that will keep a 1.5 degree global warming pathway within reach, as well as protecting those most vulnerable to climate change. SSE will also host a range of events during COP28 – more info here.

SSE’s purpose is to provide the energy needed today while building a better world of energy for tomorrow and we remain committed to supporting the COP process. The need to increase the pace of decarbonisation has never been more compelling or urgent. We look forward to continued engagement with partners, industry and policy makers to ensure acceleration and momentum on the journey to net zero emissions.

 

Article by Klair Neenan, Managing Director, SSE Airtricity