How to Find Your MPAN and MPRN

Your MPAN and MPRN are the reference numbers that identify your electricity and gas supply points. They are not the same as your meter serial number, and they are not your account number: they belong to the property's supply, not to you or to the meter on the wall. The MPAN (Meter Point Administration Number) is usually quoted as a 13-digit number for electricity, and the MPRN (Meter Point Reference Number) is a shorter number, normally six to 10 digits, for gas¹.

Both numbers appear on your bills, and that is where most households find them. The electricity supply number sits inside a distinctive grid of numbers headed by a large letter S, and the gas MPRN sits next to the words "Meter Point Reference", sometimes preceded by the letter M¹. If you have no bill, there are tracing routes: your supplier, some network operators, and for gas the Find My Supplier service, which works from your postcode³.

This page explains where each number appears, what the parts of the MPAN mean, how the system differs in Northern Ireland, when you will be asked for these numbers, and what to do when a number looks wrong. It also sets out what the numbers reveal about who actually controls your supply.

The supply number box on an electricity bill

The MPAN is the unique identifier for your electricity supply point, and the place to find it is a copy of the electricity bill for that supply⁸. It is usually 13 digits long, and on the bill it appears inside a grid of numbers with a large letter S at the top left, which is why the MPAN is also called the "S number"¹. The 13 digits that matter are the bottom row of numbers in that grid¹.

The grid can look intimidating at first glance, but it is simply the industry's standard way of printing the supply number. Which? describes the electricity supply number as a 21-digit number in total, and Uswitch likewise notes that it is 21 digits long and starts with "S"¹¹. The 13-digit figure most guides quote is the core bottom line; the full printed grid, with the S and the boxes above it, runs longer. Both descriptions refer to the same thing, and a supplier asking for your MPAN normally wants that bottom row.

A few homes have more than one electricity supply number. Households with a Radio Telemetering Service (RTS) meter, the old radio-switched tariff meters being phased out across Britain, will see two MPANs listed on the bill, with the first line starting with "02"¹³. If your bill shows two supply numbers, both belong to your property, and it is worth knowing which meter each one relates to before you switch or have a meter exchanged. Our page on RTS meter replacement covers what happens when these meters are swapped for smart ones.

The MPAN is issued by your regional Distribution Network Operator, the company that runs the electricity cables in your area, and energy suppliers use it for billing³. It is not secret information in the way a password is, but it is precise: quoting the wrong MPAN to a supplier or network company is one of the commonest causes of delays when arranging a connection, a switch or a meter exchange.

The gas bill and the gas meter

The MPRN is the number that identifies the unique gas supply to your property, and energy suppliers use it to pick out your supply from every other gas point on the network¹⁵. You can usually find it on your gas meter or on a recent bill⁶. On the bill, look for the words "Meter Point Reference": the number sits next to them, normally between six and 10 digits long, sometimes preceded by the letter M². SGN, one of Britain's gas network companies, notes that while the MPRN is normally on the bill from your gas supplier, it can sometimes be difficult to spot¹⁶.

Unlike the electricity supply number, the gas MPRN has no large printed grid. It is simply a number, which makes it easier to read but easier to confuse with other numbers on the bill, such as the account number or the meter serial number. The MPRN is the one that identifies the supply point itself; the serial number identifies the physical meter¹⁰.

If you have no gas bill, there is an official tracing route. The Find My Supplier service lets you type in your postcode and find the Meter Point Reference Number for the gas supply at your address⁴. This is the same service used to identify who supplies a property, so it returns the supplier's name alongside the number.

One point of caution: some bills and guides swap the labels. A Centre for Sustainable Energy guide to reading energy bills labels the electricity supply number as "MPRN or S number" and the gas number as "MPAN", which is the reverse of the standard mainland usage¹⁷. The numbers themselves are unaffected, but if a bill uses the labels that way round, go by the fuel rather than the word.

In Northern Ireland, your electricity supply number is the MPRN

Northern Ireland runs its own system, and the naming trips up many households moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. At NIE Networks, the electricity supply number is called an MPRN, the Meter Point Reference Number, and it can be found on a copy of the electricity bill for that supply¹⁸. So in Northern Ireland an MPRN identifies an electricity supply, not a gas one.

The Northern Ireland electricity MPRN is a unique 11-digit number starting with 81, used to identify your address⁵. It can be found on the card left by your meter reader, on your bill from your electricity supplier, or through a self-serve tool on the network operator's website⁵. NIE Networks also notes that you need this number if you are getting a first-time electricity connection to new premises, which is a common request for new builds and conversions¹⁹.

The practical consequence is that the word "MPRN" means different things either side of the Irish Sea. A household in Belfast asked for its "MPRN" should quote the 11-digit electricity number beginning with 81; a household in Bristol asked for the same thing should quote the shorter gas number. Suppliers and network companies operating across both jurisdictions are aware of this, but it is worth confirming which fuel a form is asking about before filling it in.

Why printed numbers range from six to 13, 21 or 12 digits

The digit counts quoted for these numbers vary between sources, and the variation is real rather than a mistake. It comes from three things: whether the full printed grid or only the core number is being counted, which numbering system is in force, and occasional loose writing.

For electricity in Great Britain, the MPAN is described as a unique 13-digit number identifying electricity supply points across the UK¹. The same number, printed in full on the bill with the S and the boxes above the core digits, is described as a 21-digit number¹¹. Both are correct: 13 digits of core supply number, 21 characters of printed grid. One debt charity's guide to understanding energy bills describes a 12-digit code as the MPAN, which appears to count the core digits slightly differently²⁰. If a supplier asks for your MPAN, the bottom row of the grid is what they want.

For gas in Great Britain, the MPRN is described as a number between six and 10 digits in length², and elsewhere as a code between six and 11 digits²⁰. Which? gives the same six to 11 digit range for the gas meter point reference number¹¹. The ranges overlap because gas supply numbers genuinely vary in length across the network; there is no fixed length as there is for electricity.

In Northern Ireland, the electricity MPRN is fixed at 11 digits beginning with 81⁵. So a household may legitimately see 13, 21, 12, six to 10, six to 11 or 11 quoted depending on which number and which system is being described. The table below summarises the ranges.

Understanding each part of the MPAN

The MPAN grid is not a random string. Its sections each carry a meaning, and two of them are worth understanding because they tell you things about your supply.

The first two digits of the core number are the Distributor ID, identifying the distribution network area the supply sits in. Ofgem's guidance for suppliers states that the first two digits "starts with a value in the range 10-28"²¹. If the first two digits of your MPAN fall outside that range, the number has been misread or mistyped, which is a quick sanity check before quoting it to anyone.

The grid above the core number carries further boxes, including the profile class, which records how the supply's load is expected to behave, and the meter time switch code, which records the tariff arrangements. The bottom row, the 13 digits, is the part that uniquely identifies your supply point and is the part suppliers ask for¹.

There are also two kinds of MPAN that matter when a household generates its own power. An import MPAN covers electricity coming into the home; an export MPAN covers electricity flowing out to the network from solar panels or other generation. UK Power Networks, which processes MPAN applications, notes that an application must include a brief description of what the MPAN or MPANs will supply, and for export MPANs, details of the control equipment¹. A home with solar panels and export payments therefore has two electricity supply numbers: one for what it buys and one for what it sells.

Locating the numbers if you have no bill

Not every household has a bill to hand, and new occupants often have none at all. There are several routes.

• Ask your supplier. The identification numbers for your meters can be found on your bills, and your supplier can confirm them over the phone or through your online account⁷.
• Email the network operator with your address and meter serial number. SSEN, the network operator for northern Scotland and central southern England, asks customers without an energy bill to email its meter point administration service with their full address and meter serial number; third parties, such as letting agents acting for a landlord, must attach a Letter of Authority³.
• Use the Find My Supplier service for gas. Type in your postcode and the service returns the Meter Point Reference Number for the supply at your address⁴.
• Check the card left by your meter reader. In Northern Ireland, the electricity MPRN appears on the meter reader's card as well as on the bill⁵.
• Check your smart meter app or account. The MPAN is a 13-digit number that identifies your meter and can usually be found on your electricity bill or in your supplier's app¹⁴.

The numbers themselves are not normally printed on the meters. What is printed on the meter is the serial number, which is a different thing, and quoting the serial number plus your address is often enough for a supplier or network operator to trace the supply number behind it³.

Households without their own meter need a different approach. Ofgem's guidance for residents who pay a landlord or site owner by meter readings or estimates notes that such households should know how their bill is calculated if their home does not have a meter, and that they cannot switch suppliers themselves²². In that situation the supply numbers belong to the landlord's or site operator's account, and the resident's practical questions are about the billing arrangement rather than the MPAN.

Uses for the number: switching, moving home, connections and export

These numbers come up at specific moments, and knowing them in advance saves time.

Switching supplier. A switch is arranged against the supply numbers, not the account, which is why comparison and switching services ask for them. Uswitch's guide to identifying your supplier notes that the MPAN is a unique 21-digit number preceded by an S identifying your home's electricity supply, and the MPRN identifies the gas supply². Our step-by-step guide to switching energy supplier shows where the numbers fit into the process.

Moving in. New occupants inherit the supply points, not the previous occupant's account. The MPAN can be found on a copy of the electricity bill for that supply, and a new occupant setting up an account will be asked for it⁸. Taking a meter reading when moving home and noting the supply numbers at the same time is the efficient order of work.

New connections. NIE Networks states that you need the MPRN if you are getting a first-time electricity connection to new premises¹⁹. Network operators use MPANs as reference points for getting meters installed¹, and NESO, the electricity system operator, describes the MPAN as the unique identifier for your electricity supply point in its connections guidance for domestic homeowners⁹.

Export and generation. A household registering solar export needs an export MPAN, applied for with a description of what the MPANs will supply and details of the control equipment¹.

Smart meter checks. The official smart meter checking services ask for your MPAN and MPRN along with your postcode to confirm the status of your meters²³. When you change supplier, you can use these numbers to check whether your smart meter will keep sending automatic readings, since some meters lose smart functions after a switch²⁴. Smart meters themselves are installed by your supplier at no extra cost and bring bills based on accurate readings rather than estimates²⁵.

Dealing with incorrect, disputed or removed numbers

Errors with supply numbers are uncommon but consequential, because everything downstream of the number, billing, switching and registration, follows it.

If the MPAN on your bill does not match the one on earlier bills, or the meter details look wrong, the first port of call is your electricity supplier, the company you pay your bills to¹. Citizens Advice describes the MPAN as a unique registration number for your meter, used to check that the meter on a bill is correct²⁶, and its guidance on bills that are too high makes the same point: the registration number is the reference against which the meter and the charges are checked²⁷. A mismatch can mean the bill relates to a different supply, which is a billing dispute rather than a metering one.

For households being chased for a bill at a property, Citizens Advice's guidance on checking whether you are responsible for paying an energy bill sets out how the supply registration is used to establish liability²⁶. The MPAN and MPRN are the evidence of which supply point was registered to whom and when.

There are also situations where a supply number has to be closed down. UK Power Networks handles what it calls a logical disconnection of an MPAN, the administrative removal of a supply point from the billing system, and directs customers to contact their electricity supplier to arrange it¹. This arises when a property is demolished, permanently disconnected, or its supply is consolidated with another.

Finally, watch for mislabelled bills. As noted earlier, at least one widely used guide prints the electricity number as "MPRN or S number" and the gas number as "MPAN", the reverse of standard mainland usage¹⁷. If a number on your bill does not look the right length for its label, check the fuel it sits against: 13 core digits in an S grid is electricity, six to 10 plain digits is gas, and 11 digits starting with 81 is a Northern Ireland electricity supply.

How these numbers affect a home's energy independence

The MPAN and MPRN are small strings of digits, but they mark the exact points at which a household's energy meets the wider system. The government's alternative fuel payment scheme put it plainly: "MPANs are unique codes assigned to everyone's electricity supply"²⁸. Every home connected to the network has one, and every transaction with the industry runs through it.

That cuts both ways for independence. On one hand, knowing your supply numbers is a prerequisite for acting independently in the market: switching supplier, registering export from your own generation, or arranging a new connection all require them. A household that cannot quote its MPAN is dependent on whoever holds the records to act on its behalf.

On the other hand, the numbers are a reminder of what remains outside the household's control. The MPAN is issued by the Distribution Network Operator for your area³, not chosen by you, and the cables, the gas pipes and the registration systems behind the numbers belong to the networks. A home with solar panels still has an import MPAN as well as an export one¹; it buys as well as sells, and its independence is partial. Residents who pay a landlord by meter readings cannot switch suppliers themselves at all²², because the supply numbers are not theirs.

Understanding these numbers is therefore a modest but genuine piece of household self-sufficiency: the ability to identify, check and quote the references that the energy industry uses to describe your home. Our guide to taking more control of your home's energy places this among the first practical steps, alongside taking a meter reading and submitting readings to a supplier.