Energy network guides
The wires, the charges and the rules. In-depth, plain-English guides to how the UK electricity network really works, and how it shapes what you pay, how you connect solar or an EV charger, and the free help you can claim.
Browse the guidesYour energy bill pays two very different kinds of company. Your supplier is the brand you buy gas and electricity from and can switch whenever you like. The network, the pylons, cables, substations and pipes that physically deliver that energy, is run by regional monopolies you cannot choose, set entirely by where you live.
That network splits into the high-voltage transmission grid and the local distribution network run by your Distribution Network Operator (DNO). The guides below explain how each part works, what it costs you, and how to deal with it, starting with the question most people ask first: who is my DNO?
Network guides
Everything behind your meter, explained
Each guide takes one piece of the network and shows how it actually behaves, with an interactive tool to make the hard part easy.
Find your network operator
Who is my DNO?
Your Distribution Network Operator is set by your postcode, not your supplier. Find out which of the six DNOs owns the wires to your home and who to call in a power cut.
Read the guideThe two networks in your bill
Transmission vs distribution
The high-voltage backbone vs the local wires, who owns each, and the two hidden network charges (TNUoS and DUoS) you cannot switch away from.
Read the guideThe red, amber, green network cost
DUoS charges explained
What Distribution Use of System charges are, how the traffic-light time bands work, and how shifting load out of the red band cuts the cost for businesses.
Read the guideG98, G99 and getting paid
Connecting solar to the grid
The 3.68kW line that decides whether you just notify your DNO or need approval first, plus the export MPAN and Smart Export Guarantee that pay you for export.
Read the guideDNO approval, 7kW and load management
EV charger grid connection
When a home charger needs DNO notification or prior approval, why 7kW is the home limit, and how load management avoids a costly supply upgrade.
Read the guideFree help in a power cut
Priority Services Register
The free support register for vulnerable households: who is eligible, the benefits in a power cut and on your bills, and why you must join two registers, not one.
Read the guideNetwork FAQ
Energy networks, explained simply
A Distribution Network Operator (DNO) is the company that owns and runs the local electricity wires, poles and substations that carry power into your home. There are six DNO groups across Great Britain. You cannot choose your DNO, it is fixed by your postcode, and it is who you contact about power cuts and new connections, not your supplier.
Your DNO depends on your region. The six operators are UK Power Networks, National Grid Electricity Distribution, Northern Powergrid, Electricity North West, SP Energy Networks and SSEN. Use our who is my DNO guide to find yours by area, or dial 105 in a power cut to be connected automatically.
Your supplier bills you and sets your tariff; you can switch it freely. Your DNO physically delivers the electricity and runs the local network; it is set by location and cannot be switched. The network costs you pay are bundled into your supplier's tariff as standing charges.
Dial 105, the free national power-cut line, which routes you to your local DNO. For a gas emergency or the smell of gas, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.