SSEN announces first deliveries of home battery packs

SSEN Distribution has started delivering home battery packs to Priority Services customers who need the most support, the network operator announced on 24 February 2026. The packs are being given at no cost to eligible customers in its central southern England and north of Scotland network areas, as the first of 20,000 the company plans to provide¹.

The scheme is aimed at customers who are medically dependent on electricity, meaning they rely on powered medical equipment at home. SSEN says the battery may keep such devices operating for longer during a power cut, subject to approval from the manufacturers of specialist in-home medical equipment. The packs can also be used with items providing light and heat, to charge mobile phones and laptops, or to power broadband routers¹.

Eligibility is decided by SSEN rather than by application. The company says 1.2 million of its customers are signed up for Priority Services, and that needs are assessed when customers sign up; that assessment, together with data on the frequency of power cuts in the area, determines whether a customer is eligible. Eligible customers are contacted when it is their turn to receive a pack. SSEN says 94% of those offered one since the scheme launched at the beginning of February have accepted it¹.

The battery being supplied is the EcoFlow Delta 3, which SSEN lists with a 1,024Wh capacity, a range of USB-A, USB-C and three pin sockets, a weight of just over 12 kg and dimensions of 398 x 200 x 284mm¹.

The roll-out follows a six-month trial in which SSEN provided batteries to 28 people who rely on powered medical equipment, all of whom had experienced a recent power interruption due to a storm or essential network maintenance. The capacity of the packs now being provided has been increased by one third compared with those used in the trial¹.

SSEN also says more than 150,000 Priority Services customers have been issued with dedicated Power Cut Plans, tailored to their own condition and needs. New subscribers receive a plan when they sign up, while existing members are being sent theirs according to the nature and extent of their condition and needs¹.

Why it matters for households

The packs are limited to customers in SSEN's central southern England and north of Scotland areas who are signed up to its Priority Services Register and who meet its eligibility criteria, which take account of medical dependence on electricity and the frequency of power cuts locally. Eligible households do not need to apply and will be contacted directly¹. Households elsewhere in the UK are not covered by this scheme; no equivalent offer from other network operators is reported.

SSEN says the battery may keep specialist medical equipment running for longer in a power cut only subject to approval from the equipment's manufacturers, and that people should refer to manufacturers' advice before connecting other items. The company states that if a customer is having a medical situation, or their medical equipment is not working or running low on charge, they should seek assistance immediately from the emergency services by dialling 999 in an emergency or 111 for help or advice¹. The packs are portable units for selected devices, not a whole-home backup power supply.

Carers UK chief executive Helen Walker said the packs give carers and their families reassurance and reduce the stress of potential power loss, and that combined with the Power Cut Plans this is the kind of innovation the charity hopes other Distribution Network Operators will adopt¹.

What happens next

SSEN says eligible customers will be contacted when it is their turn to receive a home battery pack, and that its customer service teams have been trained in all aspects of the batteries. No completion date for the 20,000 deliveries has been reported¹. Households wanting to know what registration involves can read our guide to signing up to Priority Services registers and to what energy and water companies must do for registered customers.