What number do I call in a power cut? Is 105 free?

Northern Ireland is the exception. The number there is 03457 643 643, the NIE Networks helpline, and 105 does not apply⁴. Everything else on this page concerns Great Britain unless stated.

The point of 105 is that a householder does not need to know which of the regional network operators covers their address. The number was introduced by the electricity network operators to give customers one easy-to-remember line that puts them through to the local people who can help during a power cut³.

What 105 does: it routes you to your local network operator

A power cut is almost never the supplier's problem. The wires, substations and cables that carry electricity to a home belong to a regional distribution network operator, and it is that company which restores supply after a fault or a storm. The 105 service exists to bridge the gap between the household and that company, without the householder needing to work out which one it is¹.

Ofgem, the regulator, sets out the same route: call 105 for free and the call will put you through to your electricity network operator². The network operators' own body describes 105 as an easy-to-remember number that puts customers through to the local people who can help during a power cut³. The service is not a call centre that diagnoses faults itself; it is a routing service, and the person who answers can take a report, confirm whether the cut is already known, and give an estimate of restoration.

That routing matters for independence as much as for convenience. A household that knows the number can report an outage directly and get information from the organisation that controls the repair, rather than waiting on a supplier's call queue or a social media feed. It does not remove the dependence on the network, and no household can restore a failed substation itself, but it shortens the distance between the home and the decision about when power returns.

The service covers England, Scotland and Wales. Wherever you live in those three nations, calling 105 is free and will connect you with your local network operator¹. The network operators publish a postcode lookup so that a household can identify its own operator in advance, which is worth doing before a cut rather than during one⁵.

Is 105 free to call?

Yes. The 105 number is free to call from a mobile or a landline, and it is available 24 hours a day⁶. The network operators describe it as the free power cut emergency number, and the same wording appears across the regional operators' own guidance³.

Because it is free, there is no reason to delay a report to avoid a call charge, and no reason to wait until a fault is obviously widespread. The line is also the route for updates on a cut that is already known, not only for first reports⁷.

The distinction between operator and supplier is the one households most often get wrong. The supplier sells the energy and issues the bill; the operator owns and maintains the network. A call to 105 will not change a tariff or resolve an account query, but it will reach the people who can tell you why the lights are off and when they are expected back².

Your local network operator: UK Power Networks in London, the South East and East of England

UK Power Networks is the distribution network operator for London, the South East and East of England, and it publishes both the national short code and a direct number for its own area⁸. Customers who live in London, the South East and East of England can call 0800 31 63 105, or simply 105, and the company describes the line as a free emergency number available 24 hours a day⁸.

The operator's licence areas are listed as Eastern England, London and South Eastern England, and the same coverage is described elsewhere as London, south-east and eastern England⁵. For a household in that footprint, either number reaches the same organisation. The direct line exists so that customers who already know their operator can dial it without going through the routing step.

The general customer service lines run on weekday hours, and the emergency number is separate from them. For a cut, a damaged line or anything that looks dangerous, the emergency number is the one to use¹³.

Where 105 falls short, and what to do instead

The 105 service reports and informs. It does not restore supply, and it cannot make a household independent of the network. A cut caused by a storm, a failed substation or a damaged cable is fixed by the operator, and the household's only role is to report it and wait⁹.

That limit is the reason backup power exists as a separate subject. A battery, a generator or a portable power station changes what a household can keep running while the network is down, but none of them removes the need to report the fault and to know when supply is expected back. The backup power pillar sets out the options, and the network operators page explains who fixes what.

Damaged cables, leaning poles and substations

The same number covers danger as well as inconvenience. Network operators ask that 105 is called immediately if damage to electricity power lines and substations could put someone in danger⁹. That includes a cable brought down by a storm, a pole left leaning after high winds, and any damage to a substation compound¹³.

A leaning pole is a particular case: it may still be live, and it may be supporting a line that is under tension. UK Power Networks treats a leaning pole as something to report rather than to inspect, and the same applies to a substation, which is a piece of network equipment that should never be opened or entered by a member of the public¹³.

Does 105 work in Northern Ireland?

No. The 105 number covers England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland the number to report a power cut is 03457 643 643, the NIE Networks helpline⁴. NIE Networks also takes reports through its website, WhatsApp and Facebook, and it publishes the helpline number as the main route for a cut¹⁷.

The split is administrative rather than technical. Northern Ireland has its own electricity network and its own support arrangements, including the Customer Care Register rather than the Priority Services Register used in Great Britain. Households there should save 03457 643 643 rather than 105⁴.

Registering for extra support, and free safety advice before digging

Households that may be more vulnerable during a cut can seek advice from their network operator by calling 105, which routes the call to the right company¹⁸. Operators run a Priority Services Register in England, Scotland and Wales, and registration is free. The Priority Services Register page explains what it provides, and Northern Ireland's equivalent is covered on the Customer Care Register page.

The 105 number is also the route for safety guidance before work near the network. Customers can use the free-to-call number to request guidance on works they are undertaking, or to report anything they see on the network ahead of planned works¹⁹. NIE Networks advises that before digging it is important to find out the location of any underground cables, and gardeners are encouraged to check before they dig²⁰.

Flooding, storms and the limits of the number

Flooding changes the advice. Electricity North West asks customers to contact it on 105, or to report the power cut online, so that it can carry out a safety check after flooding²². Water and live electrical equipment are a dangerous combination, and a network operator will want to inspect before restoring supply.

Storms produce the largest volumes of calls. During Storm Floris, SSEN asked customers to save the emergency power cut number 105, as its teams worked across the Highlands to reconnect homes²³. The network operators' storm guidance repeats the same number, and the storms and bad weather page covers how to check whether a cut is already known⁴.

Gas emergencies are separate. Cadent, the gas distribution network, directs households to call 105 in a power cut, but a gas leak or a smell of gas is a different call entirely, handled by the gas emergency service rather than the electricity network²⁴. Households that rely on a gas boiler for heat should note that a power cut will stop it working even where the gas supply is unaffected²⁶.