The Priority Services Register: What It Is and What It Provides

Every gas, water and electricity supplier, and your electricity distribution network, keeps what is called a Priority Services Register: a record of customers who need extra help because of age, disability, illness or dependence on medical equipment¹. It is free to join², it is overseen by Ofgem³, and it exists for one purpose: making sure that when something goes wrong with your supply, the company that fixes it knows who in the area needs more than a restored cable.

What it provides in practice is a package of support. You get advance notice of planned interruptions, priority communication during unplanned cuts, bills and letters in formats you can read, a password scheme so you can verify anyone who calls at your door, and in some areas practical help such as battery packs to keep phones and medical equipment charged⁴. Operators do not ask for proof of your circumstances⁵, and once you are on, the company contacts you at least every two years to check the support still fits⁶.

What the register does not do is equally important to understand. It does not move your home up the reconnection queue⁷, and it does not entitle you to extra compensation payments⁸. It is a welfare scheme, not an insurance policy, and this page sets out both halves of that bargain.

What the register actually provides

The register is a legal obligation, not a goodwill gesture. Authorised energy companies are required to establish and maintain a Priority Services Register, defined as a record of consumers who have requested, or been identified and agreed to be on the register, due to their personal circumstances or being in a vulnerable situation⁹. The same requirement now extends to heat network suppliers, who must keep a register of the consumers on their schemes who require priority services¹⁰.

The illustrative support that follows from registration is broad. Ofgem's guidance for heat networks lists nominating a person to act on the consumer's behalf, regular meter reading services, accessible communication formats such as large print or braille, priority support in emergencies, and ID and password schemes for visits¹⁰. National Grid's frequently asked questions describe the member benefits in similar terms: a direct number to get straight through, an agreed password before visits, special help through the British Red Cross, information about planned interruptions, updates during an unplanned cut, and free 24 hour power cut alerts and text updates for medically dependent customers¹¹.

Around this core, individual operators add their own services. Cheshire West and Chester Council summarises the position for its residents: priority support with heating and cooking facilities if your supply is cut off, advance notice of power cuts, and an identification and password scheme for home visits¹². SSEN offers a free personalised Power Cut Plan in the welcome letter, tailored to your needs, routines and communication preferences¹³, and it delivers Home Battery Packs to the Priority Services customers who need the most support¹⁴. For customers with hearing loss, SSEN provides advance notice of planned power cuts where possible, giving time to charge hearing aids, visual alarms and vibrating equipment, plus access to a free British Sign Language Video Relay Service and a dedicated textphone¹⁵. SGN adds that it can provide electric heating and cooking appliances, or even alternative accommodation, to keep you safe and warm while you are without gas¹⁶. Wales and West Utilities offers a "knock and wait" service, giving you longer to answer the door, and lets you choose your own password so you know engineers are genuine¹. Electricity North West's Extra Care register adds early weather warnings, a nominated friend or family member scheme, and hot meals or additional services during longer power cuts for households struggling the most¹⁷.

For a household that relies on electricity for health, the most valuable strand may be the simplest: Ofgem states that for both planned and unplanned power cuts, network operators must offer customers on the register extra help, for example giving them battery packs so they can still charge phones or medical equipment¹⁸. More on that scheme is on our page about the SSEN Home Battery Pack scheme.

No charge, but firms expect something back

The register costs nothing, and that is a regulatory position rather than a marketing one. Ofgem required, in its final proposals on the register, that energy companies offer a specific set of services free of charge to customers who are registered¹⁹, and its press coverage of the scheme describes it as free, vital services from network operators and suppliers²⁰. Carmarthenshire County Council puts it in the same terms: the Priority Services Register is a free service provided by utility suppliers and network operators². The Met Office's power cut advice says the same²¹.

In return, the companies that keep registers make promises about how they will treat the people on them. Wales and West Utilities publishes a register promise with four planks: it will never use PSR data for marketing purposes, never charge for PSR services, support additional needs, and only share data necessary to support you²². SGN describes the register as completely free and confidential¹⁶. SSEN's community toolkit describes the service as free extra support to help you stay informed, prepare for planned outages and access help²³.

One caveat belongs here rather than anywhere else. Uswitch notes that the scheme is voluntary and not all energy providers offer it, but most major suppliers do²⁴. In practice every large supplier and every electricity network operator in Great Britain runs a register, but a household with a small supplier should check rather than assume. Northern Ireland runs its own arrangements, described on our page about priority services in Northern Ireland.

One sign up may not cover every body involved

The register is not one national list. It is a set of lists, each held by a different company, and that structure is the single most common source of confusion.

The companies involved fall into three groups. Wales and West Utilities defines energy companies as gas and electricity suppliers, the network companies who transport energy to your home, and meter operators²⁵. Your supplier is who you pay; your electricity distribution network operator is who fixes the cables and restores power after a cut, and you can find yours through our page on electricity network operators. In any given area the network operators are fixed: in Cheshire West, for example, they are SP Energy Networks for electricity and Cadent for gas¹².

Because the lists are separate, registration with one does not automatically cover the others, though the links between them are improving. Citizens Advice explains that your electricity network will pass your details to your gas network operator as well as your energy suppliers, who will all add you to their priority services registers, and that your gas network operator and energy supplier should contact you to confirm you have been added²⁶. Cadent advises that dual fuel customers, with one company providing both electricity and gas, only need to register once, but households with two separate suppliers are advised to register with both²⁷. UK Power Networks goes further, saying that where it is possible it will sign you up to your water company's priority services too, so you receive the benefits without hassle²⁵.

The links can break. Scope's guidance is blunt on two points: if you switch suppliers, you will need to register again with your new company, and if you move house but stay with the same company, you remain on their register but will need to update your details²⁸. Carmarthenshire's advice is to contact all your utility suppliers directly to sign up². Ofgem has also considered supplier-to-supplier sharing of vulnerable customer data at the point of switching, within its project on reliable next-day switching¹⁹, but until that is in place, the responsibility sits with the household.

In Northern Ireland, the framework is different again: companies that keep a Customer Care Register are required to contact the people on it at least every two years to ensure they are providing the support needed, under the Consumer Council code arrangements described in the regulator's factsheet²⁹.

Ways to sign up: web, telephone, mail or a helper

Registration is deliberately low-friction. SSEN offers three routes: a quick online form, a phone call, or a leaflet to complete and post, with the leaflet available in alternative languages, large print and easy read¹⁵. Citizens Advice adds a practical first step: once you know your electricity network, you can fill in the form on their website to apply for priority services²⁶. National Grid's application asks you to say whether you are applying for yourself or completing the form on behalf of someone else³⁰.

The application form itself should work for the person using it. Citizens Advice notes that the form should ask how you prefer information to be sent to you, and if it does not, there should be a box to give extra details about your preferred contact method²⁶.

You can register on behalf of someone else, and this is one of the scheme's most useful features. SSEN states that you can register on behalf of a family member, friend or someone you care for¹⁵, and Wales and West Utilities says carers and family members can register you on your behalf²². Uswitch adds a related option for supplier registers: you can nominate someone you trust to receive and manage your bills on your behalf²⁴.

No proof is needed. SSEN states plainly: "We don't need any proof of your eligibility."¹⁴ The eligibility categories themselves are long-standing: the Health and Safety Executive's guidance notes that if you are over 60, chronically sick, disabled, deaf or hearing-impaired, blind or visually impaired, you are entitled to join³¹. SSEN promoted the scheme in a New Year campaign highlighting that thousands of customers were missing out on free support during power cuts, with registration available by freephone or email³².

If you want help deciding whether to apply, our page on how to join the Priority Services Register walks through the process, and our page on PSR eligibility covers the criteria in detail.

Eligibility rules and devices classed as medical

The eligibility net is wide, and it has widened well beyond the original categories of age, illness and sensory impairment.

Cadent's list of eligibility reasons gives the fullest picture: relying on medical equipment that needs electricity or water, or needing refrigerated medicines; children under five at home; serious or chronic illness; anxiety, depression or another mental health condition; disability; pensionable age; blind or partially sighted; deaf or hard of hearing; lost or reduced sense of smell; needing support with language or communication; and short-term extra support because of a life change such as recovering from hospital or bereavement²⁷. SGN's version adds pregnancy to the under-fives category¹⁶.

National Grid groups the criteria into three sets. Medically dependent households are those with a heart or lung machine or ventilator, a dialysis or feeding pump or automated medication, a sleep apnoea monitor or nebuliser, an oxygen concentrator, or refrigerated medicine. Communication needs cover blind, partially sighted, unable to communicate in English, deaf or hearing impairment, and speech impairment. Other needs cover pensionable age, physical impairment, mental health issues, a careline system, a stair lift, hoist or electric bed, temporary impairment such as hospital recovery, water dependency due to a health condition, and medically dependent showering or bathing¹¹.

Uswitch's guidance adds categories that reflect how the register has grown: a mental health condition that makes it hard to understand your bill, being unable to top up a prepayment meter due to injury, a temporary need for extra support due to extenuating circumstances, and simply that you would struggle to maintain your wellbeing if you lost your energy supply³. The Met Office's advice frames the test the same way: the register is for older and disabled people, or if you depend on electricity to keep medical or mobility equipment running²¹.

The common thread is dependence and vulnerability, not diagnosis. If a power cut would leave you unable to manage, for any of these reasons, that is the test. Households that rely on powered medical equipment can read more about planning for outages on our page about help during a power cut if you rely on medical equipment.

Who can view your details and the limits on their use

Joining the register means giving a company information about your health and circumstances, so the data rules matter.

What is recorded is defined. Ofgem's guidance sets out the minimum details a register must hold: names of consumers in vulnerable situations, relevant details of personal circumstances and vulnerable situations, and any other details which are relevant¹⁰. In practice that means your name, address, contact preferences and the reason you qualify.

Who sees it is deliberately wide, because that is how the support reaches you. SSEN's community toolkit explains that your details will also be shared with your energy supplier and your local gas and water networks²³. Citizens Advice describes the same flow: your electricity network passes your details to your gas network operator and your energy suppliers, who add you to their registers²⁶. Electricity North West says that with your permission it can share your details with other trusted partners including your water and energy suppliers, meaning you only need to register once¹⁷. The partners can include trusted charities such as the British Red Cross, who may assist during incident situations to support companies in safeguarding you and other household members²⁵.

What it is never used for is marketing. Wales and West Utilities promises that PSR data is never used for marketing purposes and is stored securely, with only data essential to support you shared²². SSEN answers the question directly: "No. We will use this data to support you in a power cut and ensure your communication needs are respected."¹⁵ The legal basis, as SSEN's dementia support page explains, is legitimate interests and substantial public interest: protecting adults and children at risk³³.

Limits to the protection the register provides

The limits deserve as much prominence as the benefits, because households sometimes join expecting more than the scheme delivers.

• No faster reconnection. SSEN states it plainly: "Our teams work hard to restore power to affected areas but can't prioritise individual households."⁷ Its dementia support page repeats the answer as a flat no³³. Restoration follows engineering logic, not the register.
• No extra compensation. Ofgem's guidance on power cut payments states: "You will not receive extra payments for being on a priority service register."⁸ Its parallel guidance says the same³⁰. Compensation for cuts comes from the Guaranteed Standards of Performance, which apply the same way whether you are registered or not, as our page on power cut compensation explains.
• No guarantee of awareness. Ofgem has acknowledged that not enough consumers, only a quarter, know about the services³¹.
• No guarantee of depth. The headline numbers on the register are considerably greater than the number of households registered for the specific services provided by suppliers, which Citizens Advice put at 1 million households in 2016³². Being counted on a register is not the same as receiving every service.

The practical conclusion is that the register is a layer of support, not a substitute for preparation. Ofgem's own power cut planning advice treats the register as one element among several, alongside knowing your network operator and being ready to cope without mains power¹⁸. Our pages on preparing your home for a winter power cut and on backup power options cover the rest.

Key contact numbers, including 105

The single number every household should know is 105, the free national power cut number⁷. Calling it connects you to your local electricity network operator, whoever you pay your energy bill to, and it is the route to reporting a cut and getting updates. Our page on the 105 number covers it in detail. Wales and West Utilities also publishes 0800 195 41 41 as a contact line for its priority customers¹.

Each operator publishes its own Priority Services contacts as well. SSEN's freephone registration line is 0800 294 3259, with a textphone on 0800 316 5457 for customers who cannot use a voice phone¹⁴, and the same numbers appear on its sight and hearing support pages¹⁵. SSEN also gives a removal route by email to Networks.Priority.Services@sse.com³².

For a household that depends on medical equipment, the numbers to keep are 105, the free national number⁷, the network operator's Priority Services line, and the number of whoever would need to know if the power went off overnight. Writing them down matters, because a power cut takes the phone's contact list with it if the battery dies and no charged backup exists.

Keeping your place: changes of supplier, home and the two year review

Registration is not annual. Cadent confirms that once registered you do not need to apply on an annual basis²⁷. But three events can affect whether the record still works.

Switching supplier. You will need to register again with your new company, because the supplier's register does not follow you²⁸. Your network operator's register is unaffected, since the network does not change.

Moving house. If you move but stay with the same company, you remain on their register, but you will need to update your details²⁸. If you move to a different network area, the network register does not transfer at all: the new operator has no record of you until you join its register.

The two-yearly check. If you are on a company's register, that company will contact you at least every two years to ensure it is providing the support you need²⁹. UK Power Networks describes the same arrangement: once you have joined, you may be contacted to make sure your details are accurate and up to date²⁵. National Grid provides an online route for updating your details if you are already registered³⁰. Electricity North West asks customers who joined its register before 2022 to update their details, even if nothing has changed¹⁷.

Leaving is as simple as joining. UK Power Networks says: "If you don't want to be on the PSR anymore, just ask to be removed and we will do this for you."²⁵ SSEN gives the same option by email or freephone¹⁴.

The register and your self sufficiency in energy

The Priority Services Register is a dependence-management scheme, not an independence scheme, and it is honest about that. It assumes the grid will fail from time to time and arranges for the household to be looked after when it does: warned in advance where possible, contacted during the cut, given battery packs, hot meals or alternative accommodation in the worst cases. For a household that cannot manage without mains power, that welfare net is genuinely valuable, and it costs nothing.

What it does not do is reduce the household's dependence on the grid, the network operator or the supplier. The register deepens the relationship rather than replacing it: more of your data held by more companies, more contact from them, more reliance on their systems working during the very event that stresses them most. A household that wants to keep medical equipment running through a cut needs its own capability as well, whether that is a charged portable power station, a UPS on essential equipment, or a generator with the right transfer arrangement.

The sensible position is both. Register, because the advance notice, the accessible bills, the password scheme and the outage support are free and real. Then build what independence you can, because the register's own operators are clear that they cannot restore your power faster, and Ofgem is clear that no extra payment follows from being on the list. The register is the safety net; the household's own preparation is the floor.