OREANDA-NEWS. SSE has today agreed to pay ?1.75m in recognition of its failure to deliver 100% of its CESP energy efficiency obligations by the statutory deadline, following an Ofgem investigation.

The CESP scheme required energy companies including SSE to deliver energy saving measures to certain low-income households by the end of December 2012. However, SSE was only able to meet 90.9% of its target by the statutory deadline. It delivered further energy efficiency installations equivalent to the shortfall, plus an additional 346 homes, by May 2013.

SSE has co-operated fully and constructively with Ofgem throughout its investigation and as a result is pleased to have reached a fair settlement which will now help provide additional support to vulnerable customers. The ?1.75m payment will see SSE provide funding to the following organisations focused on helping the fuel poor and vulnerable:

•    Foundations Independent Living Trust (FILT)
•    Energy Action Scotland (EAS)
•    Citizens Advice Bureau (Wales)

Will Morris, Group Managing Director, Retail at SSE, said: “Having worked very hard to deliver what was a very challenging and complex scheme, and having successfully delivered over 43,000 measures to over 21,000 homes by 31 December 2012, we are very sorry we did not meet our target in full by the deadline.

“We are pleased, however, that we not only made up the shortfall but hundreds more households benefitted from energy saving measures.  The settlement we have agreed with Ofgem today will go directly towards helping those most in need. We have learned from this process and are now working hard to ensure that our current obligations under ECO are delivered on time.”