SSEN and Policy in Practice launch partnership embedding PSR eligibility into benefit checks

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) announced on 10 February 2026 a partnership with the benefits advice firm Policy in Practice to identify households eligible for its Priority Services Register (PSR) during routine benefit checks. The scheme covers SSEN's distribution areas in central southern England and the north of Scotland¹.

Under the arrangement, front-line advisers using Policy in Practice's "Better Off" calculator are automatically prompted when a household's circumstances match PSR criteria, and can offer registration in the same conversation. SSEN says the aim is to close an awareness gap among customers eligible for extra help during power cuts who have not registered. It cites £24 billion of support unclaimed each year across the UK, and says the energy regulator Ofgem has encouraged distribution network operators to use data to help identify these households¹.

SSEN lists the following criteria for PSR eligibility¹:

Eliane Algaard, SSEN's Services Director, said:

Deven Ghelani, Director of Policy in Practice, said the partnership "turns our much-loved Better Off Calculator into a powerful tool for safety"¹.

SSEN says registered customers receive regular updates, safety advice, a dedicated 24-hour helpline and communication in a format that meets their needs, including large print, Braille, alternative languages or British Sign Language. The company directs enquiries to ssen.co.uk/priorityservices or its freephone number, 0800 294 3259¹.

Why it matters for households

The change affects SSEN customers in central southern England and the north of Scotland who use the Better Off calculator through an advice service. From the launch, an adviser running a benefit check may raise PSR registration where the household matches the criteria above, rather than waiting for the customer to raise it. SSEN describes the register as free and says it provides support during power cuts and with day-to-day communication about energy needs¹. The Priority Services Register guide sets out who can join and what it gives; Signing Up to Priority Services Registers for Energy and Water covers registration for both utilities, and What Energy and Water Companies Must Do for Registered Customers covers companies' duties to those on the register.

What happens next

No further dates have been reported. SSEN has not said how many households it expects the partnership to reach, or when the prompting will be in place across all advice services using the calculator¹.