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27th June 2022
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So Energy is a relatively small energy firm. Its founders say it has customer service at its heart and is committed to selling competitive tariffs.
Set-up in 2015, it now has more than 200,000 customers and says it's growing fast.
So Energy sells only 100% renewable electricity tariffs and gives customers a say in where it sources the electricity from - you can use an online poll to vote for wind, solar, hydro or biomass on So Energy's website.
So Energy offers tariffs targeted at customers who want to pay by monthly direct debit. It does not currently offer a prepayment meter option.
This small firm promises that its fixed-rate tariffs will always be among the best deals available.
You can find out how So Energy's prices compare with your current deal – use Which? Switch to compare gas and electricity prices.
So Energy came joint-third place with Utility Warehouse out of 18 energy companies in our poll of 8,390 members of the public. The annual Which? customer survey is independent and one of the broadest views of energy firms available.
Customer feedback proves that there's lots to like about So Energy, from their friendly customer service to competitive prices.
While some customers have reported issues regarding their energy payments and meter readings, the majority claim that their experiences with So Energy have been nothing but positive.
Their online system is very easy to use and to upload meter readings, their price is competitive and they provide 100% renewable energy.
Customer service was great, prices are being kept at agreed rate despite increases elsewhere.
Want to see how So Energy compares to other energy brands? See our page on the best and worst energy companies.
Find out more about how energy firms qualify to be Which? Recommended Providers, or keep reading to find out more about what So Energy’s customers think of it.
Below, we show the breakdown of So Energy’s score from our latest survey.
Scroll down to read the Which? full verdict and see what customers think of its prices and bills, plus how So Energy compares to other energy providers.
So Energy | Rating |
Overall customer score | 68% |
Customer service online or over the phone | ★★★★☆ |
How accurate energy payments are | ★★★☆☆ |
How clear statements are | ★★★★☆ |
Value for money | ★★★★☆ |
Find out how So Energy compares with other energy companies – see the full results of the best and worst energy companies.
Pros: Customers praise its green energy and consider it good value for money
Cons: Doesn't supply prepayment meters; bill accuracy could be better
So Energy has scored consistently highly in the few years it has been included in our survey. This year was no exception, with fair-to-good ratings across all the areas of its service we asked customers about. Customers were also particularly happy with their energy coming from an eco-friendly, renewable source.
However, the accuracy of bills rating declined to three stars this year, from a previous five stars in 2020. All other categories received four stars each - no company was awarded five stars in any category.
Close to three quarters (71%) of So Energy customers we heard from in our survey told Which? that they thought So Energy's customer service was good. And over eight in 10 (81%) of those customers were satisfied having it as their supplier overall.
One in seven (14%) of the So Energy sample (91) felt the need to complain according to our survey, and 93% of these did end up complaining.
Most complaints logged regarded payments or gas/electricity meters, and 45% of customers were satisfied with the resolution of their complaint. This is much better than the average rate of satisfaction for complaint resolutions across every company included in our survey (28%). 37% reported being dissatisfied with their claim resolution, though this is better than the industry average rate of 47%.
Reports from Ofgem show a that So Energy do not receive many complaints on a whole - between 60 - 80 per quarter of 2021. Of these, 30 - 35% were resolved by the next working day, and around 85 - 90% were resolved within eight weeks.
Great customer service. They communicate very well.
So Energy received four stars for its value for money this year, a difficult category to thrive in considering the current UK energy crisis, which has seen prices soar across many companies. No other brand scored 5 stars for this category.
Customers seemed particularly impressed with So Energy's competitive prices despite being a smaller company.
Good value and clear readings.
Such positive feedback is likely to be bolstered by So Energy’s ‘low price commitment’, which promises that its fixed-rate tariffs will always be among the most competitively priced – and it monitors prices daily.
Customers signing up to tariffs between October and March may have ‘seasonal payments’. This means you pay 25% more in winter months and 25% less in the summer. You can switch to equal monthly payments if you prefer.
No, So Energy does not accept customers with prepayment meters at the moment.
Check our guide to prepayment meters to find a supplier which does, and how customers rated it in our latest survey.
So Energy buys some renewable electricity directly from generators and buys renewable energy certificates to match the rest of its customers’ electricity use. It doesn’t generate renewable electricity itself.
Proportion of renewable electricity sold to domestic customers | Generates renewable electricity? | Buys renewable electricity directly from generators? | Proportion of customers’ renewable electricity matched by REGO certificates? | Generates or buys directly from fossil fuels? | Sells green gas? |
100% | No | Yes (15%) | 100% | No | No |
Proportion of renewable electricity according to So Energy’s 2020/21 fuel mix. Other responses based on information provided by suppliers in August and September 2021.
So Energy lets its customers vote to determine which types of renewable electricity generators it buys its REGO certificates from. Last year, wind was most popular.
So Energy does not sell green gas.
Find out more about the differences between energy companies’ renewable electricity.
Don't pay your energy company more than you need to. Use Which? Switch to find the cheapest gas and electricity deals.
March: So Energy is paying 10,500 of its customers a total of £78,480 after overcharging them when they switched supplier or tariff between 2013 and 2020. It was one of 18 energy firms found by regulator Ofgem to have failed to uphold these rules. Over 1 million customers were affected.
So Energy's affected customers will receive £7.46 each, on average.