Find my DNO: postcode or supply-number finder
Two ways to identify your Distribution Network Operator. The postcode tab is quickest. The supply number tab is definitive: it reads the distributor code printed on your bill, which never crosses a network boundary. Every result links to the operator's guide and its official report a power cut page.
Just the first part is enough, for example M1, BT9 or EX4. The result updates as you type.
On your bill, find the long number in a box marked with a big S (your "MPAN"). The first two digits are your distributor code, for example 12 or 20.
Owns the cables across .
A few postcodes sit on a network boundary. For a guaranteed answer, switch to the supply-number tab and read the code off your bill.
We couldn't match that yet.
Keep typing, or use the full reference table below: it lists every operator, its distributor codes and its outage page. In a power cut anywhere in Great Britain, dial 105.
Assumptions: postcode results map your postcode area to its dominant network operator; supply-number results use the official MPAN distributor IDs (10 to 23), which are exact. Source: industry distributor-ID list and each operator's published licence area. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
The short answer
A DNO (Distribution Network Operator) is the company that owns and repairs the electricity cables and substations in your area. It is fixed by your postcode and you cannot switch it. Six DNO companies cover Great Britain across 14 licence areas, plus NIE Networks in Northern Ireland. In a power cut you call your DNO on 105 (free, 24/7), not your supplier. The single most reliable way to identify yours: read the first two digits of the long supply number on your electricity bill.
Current figures: last updated 2026-06-25
Network charges and Ofgem compensation amounts change with each price-control period. Confirm the live network-cost share via Ofgem and your DNO before relying on it. The number of operators, licence areas, the supply-number method and the 105 line are stable.
What a Distribution Network Operator actually does
Picture the electricity system as a road network. The transmission grid is the motorway, carrying huge voltages across the country. Your DNO owns the local roads, the streets and the driveway up to your door. Your supplier is the company that sells you the fuel and posts you the bill. The DNO charge on your bill pays for the roads, not the electricity itself.
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1
Transmission: the motorway
National Grid moves electricity at very high voltage from power stations and wind farms. NESO keeps supply and demand balanced second by second.
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Distribution: your DNO's cables
Your DNO takes power off the motorway, steps the voltage down through several stages, and carries it through local cables and substations to your meter. This is the part that fails in a normal "power cut", and the only part that an engineer can come and fix.
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3
Supply: your bill
A supplier buys electricity wholesale, pays your DNO a distribution charge, and resells it to you. The supplier is the only link in this chain you can change.
Why the price is capped: the regulated-monopoly reality
Here is the mechanism most people never see. Your DNO is a monopoly. You can't shop around for a different set of cables, so normal competition can't hold its price down. To stop monopolies overcharging, the regulator Ofgem caps each DNO's total revenue for years at a time under a framework called RIIO (Revenue = Incentives + Innovation + Outputs).
The consequence matters for your bill: if a DNO invests more cheaply than Ofgem assumed, it keeps part of the saving as profit. If it overspends, its shareholders absorb the loss. And because the cap is set per network, two identical homes in two different DNO areas can pay slightly different network charges for exactly the same electricity. That gap is invisible on your bill, and you can't shop your way out of it.
The belief that costs people hours: "I'll just ring my supplier"
When the lights go out, almost everyone reaches for the company they recognise: the brand on the bill, the app on their phone, the supplier. It feels obvious. It is also the slow route, and here is why.
The surface understanding
"My energy company supplies my power, so my energy company fixes it." The supplier is the only part of the system the customer ever talks to, so the brain assumes it controls everything.
What's really going on
Your supplier has no engineers, no cables and no control over the network. It cannot see your outage and cannot end it. Only your DNO can. Calling the supplier first just adds a detour before you reach the people who can actually help.
Why most articles get this wrong
Most "who is my DNO" pages stop at a definition and a list of six logos. That feels complete, but it leaves out the two things that actually change what you do: how to identify your own operator with certainty, and why the system is built so the responsible party is invisible to you. A list of logos doesn't help at 2am in a storm.
There's a subtler error too. Some guides imply you can "choose a better network" the way you choose a supplier. You can't. Treating the DNO like a shoppable product sends people hunting for a switch that doesn't exist, and distracts from the one lever they do control: the supplier and tariff.
DNO vs energy supplier: who handles what
This split is fixed across Great Britain. Get it right and you save a phone call and, in a long outage, real money. Call the wrong one and you wait.
| If your issue is | Your DNO | Your supplier |
|---|---|---|
| Power cut on your street | Yes, call 105 | No |
| Downed or sparking cable | Yes, plus 999 | No |
| New connection or EV charger | Yes | No |
| Compensation for a long cut | Yes, the DNO pays | No |
| New, faulty or smart meter | No | Yes |
| Switch tariff or compare prices | No | Yes |
| Bill, payment or direct debit | No | Yes |
One exception worth knowing: the Priority Services Register is run by both: sign up through your supplier, and your DNO uses the same list to prioritise you in an outage.
The insider trick: your supply number names your DNO exactly
Postcode lookups are handy, but postcodes were never drawn around electricity networks, so a few sit on the wrong side of a boundary. There is a code that is never wrong, and it is already printed on your bill.
Every electricity meter point has a 21-digit reference called an MPAN (Meter Point Administration Number), shown on your bill in a grid next to a large letter S. You can ignore all of it except the first two digits. That pair is your distributor ID, and it is permanently tied to the network that owns your cables:
Northern Ireland uses a different metering system; there, the operator is always NIE Networks. Use the supply-number tab in the finder above to resolve any of these codes instantly.
The behavioural design behind the confusion
There is a reason so few people know any of this. The market was deliberately split so that the part you pay (the supplier) competes for your attention, while the part that keeps your lights on (the DNO) stays in the background. The DNO's charge is bundled invisibly into your unit rate and standing charge, never itemised as "network". Behavioural economists call this the default effect: what isn't shown isn't questioned.
That design has a real cost. Because the network charge is hidden, people assume switching supplier can lower it. It can't. Roughly a sixth to a fifth of your electricity bill is a regulated network cost you cannot shop away, so the honest takeaway is to stop trying to, and focus your effort where it actually moves the price: the supplier, the tariff, and your usage.
Every UK Distribution Network Operator at a glance
The full reference. This table is the static version of the finder above: every operator, the regions it serves, its distributor codes, and a direct link to report a power cut. In a power cut anywhere in Great Britain, the quickest route is always 105.
| Network operator | Region served | Distributor IDs | Fault line | Report a power cut |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Power Networks | London, the East of England and the South East | 10, 12, 19 | 105 | Outage page |
| National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) | The Midlands, the South West and South Wales | 11, 14, 21, 22 | 105 | Outage page |
| SP Energy Networks | Central and southern Scotland, Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales | 13, 18 | 105 | Outage page |
| Northern Powergrid | The North East of England and Yorkshire | 15, 23 | 105 | Outage page |
| Electricity North West | Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Cumbria and parts of Cheshire | 16 | 105 | Outage page |
| Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) | The North of Scotland and central southern England | 17, 20 | 105 | Outage page |
| NIE Networks | All of Northern Ireland | N/A (NI) | 03457 643 643 | Outage page |
Need the live outage map for your area instead? See power cut in my area.
What to do with this, in order
Identify your DNO now, before you need it
Use the finder above, or read the first two digits of your supply number. Save your operator's outage page as a phone bookmark while you have signal and battery.
In a cut, call 105 first, not your supplier
105 routes you straight to your DNO. Check whether neighbours are off too: if only your home is dark, the fault is likely inside your fuse box, so check your trip switches before calling.
If it's vulnerable, register; if it's long, claim
Join the Priority Services Register if anyone in the home depends on power for medical needs. After a long outage, your DNO usually pays compensation automatically. See power cut compensation.
Save money where you actually can
You can't change your DNO or its share of your bill. You can change your supplier and tariff. Put your energy there: that is the only part of the chain that responds to you.
The one thing to remember
Your DNO is the company that owns the wires to your home. It is set by your postcode, you can't switch it, and it is the only party that can end a power cut. The supplier on your bill can't. Knowing the difference saves time when it's dark and money when an outage runs long.
This matters more every year. As heat pumps and EV chargers multiply, DNOs are reinforcing local networks ahead of demand, and that investment flows into the regulated network charge buried in your bill. You can't shop it away, but you can recognise it, and aim your switching effort at the part of the bill that actually moves: your supplier.
Who is my DNO: frequently asked questions
Your DNO is the Distribution Network Operator that owns the electricity cables and substations serving your address. There are six DNO companies across Great Britain (covering 14 licence areas) and one operator, NIE Networks, in Northern Ireland. Which one is yours depends only on where you live, not on which supplier you pay. Enter your postcode in the finder on this page, or read the first two digits of the supply number on your bill.
Type your postcode into the finder near the top of this page. It matches the letters of your postcode to one of the six GB network operators (or NIE Networks in Northern Ireland) and shows you the operator, a guide page, and a direct link to report a power cut. Because a few postcodes sit on a network boundary, the most reliable check is the supply number on your bill.
Your supplier (Octopus, British Gas, EDF, OVO, E.ON Next and so on) sells you the electricity and sends your bill. Your DNO owns the wires that physically deliver it. You can switch supplier whenever you like; you cannot switch DNO, because each network is a regional monopoly fixed by your postcode. In a power cut, only the DNO can send an engineer.
In Great Britain, dial 105 from any landline or mobile. It is free, available 24/7, and routes you automatically to your DNO based on your postcode. In Northern Ireland the number is different: call NIE Networks on 03457 643 643. If you can see a downed cable or there is danger to life, call 999 first.
No. Your DNO is a regulated regional monopoly set by your address. You can change the company that bills you (your supplier) at any time, but the cables to your home always belong to the same DNO. Switching supplier never changes who fixes a power cut or who maintains your local network.
Read the long electricity supply number (the "MPAN", marked with a large S) on your bill. The first two digits are your distributor ID: 10, 12 or 19 = UK Power Networks; 11, 14, 21 or 22 = National Grid Electricity Distribution; 13 or 18 = SP Energy Networks; 15 or 23 = Northern Powergrid; 16 = Electricity North West; 17 or 20 = SSEN. This code is fixed to your network and is more reliable than a postcode lookup.