What the Priority Services Register is
The Priority Services Register is a free list of households that need a bit of extra care from their energy companies. The regulator, Ofgem, requires every supplier and every network operator to keep one. Being on it means that when something goes wrong, a power cut, a gas emergency, a confusing bill, you are flagged for priority help and given support that fits your situation. Think of it as a "please look out for this home" note attached to your address.
It is genuinely free, it does not change your tariff or your prices in any way, and the list of who qualifies is deliberately wide. You do not need to prove you are "vulnerable enough". If you or someone you live with would struggle in a power cut or needs communications in a different format, that is reason enough.
Check what free protection you are missing
Tick anything that applies to your household. The widget shows whether you likely qualify and reveals the free benefits you would unlock, the ones you are currently going without if you have not registered.
Could your home get free priority help?
Tick anything that fits your household, then reveal the support you could be getting for free.
Tick what applies and press the button to see the free protections you could unlock.
Nothing ticked. You may still qualify in a temporary situation, and you can register a household member who does.
If in doubt, ask your supplier anyway, it is free.
Based on what you ticked, these PSR services are the ones matched to your situation:
Once registered, your household can use the full PSR support menu, not only the services above.
The belief that leaves people unprotected: "that is not for me"
The single biggest reason people miss out is a quiet assumption: the register is for someone more vulnerable than me. That instinct is understandable and almost always wrong. The PSR is built around circumstances, not labels. A new baby, a parent recovering from surgery, a few months of treatment, a relative with failing eyesight, these all qualify, and the help is practical, not charity. Because the register is opt-in, the default for everyone is being unprotected. Doing nothing is a choice, and it is the worse one.
What the Priority Services Register benefits actually are
The benefits are concrete and easy to underestimate until you need them. Here is the core of what being on the register unlocks.
Advance warning of planned power cuts
Your network operator tells you ahead of planned work, so you can prepare, vital if you depend on powered equipment.
Priority help in a power cut or gas emergency
You are prioritised for support and updates. If you rely on electricity for medical needs, the operator can arrange extra help.
A password or ID scheme
An agreed password so you can be sure a caller or doorstep visitor is genuine, not a scammer posing as the energy company.
Accessible bills and communications
Bills and letters in large print, braille or audio, and easier ways to get in touch.
Meter reading help
Someone can read your meter for you if you cannot do it safely yourself.
A nominee scheme
You can name a trusted person to receive communications and manage your account on your behalf.
Why most explanations get the PSR wrong
Most guides list the benefits and tell you to "contact your supplier". That advice is half-right, and the missing half is the one that fails people in a real emergency. Your supplier deals with billing and communications. Your network operator, the company that fixes the wires and restores power, is the one that matters most in a power cut. They keep separate registers, and a guide that only mentions the supplier quietly leaves you off the list that counts when the lights go out.
The insider insight: it is two registers, doing two different jobs
This is the part the industry assumes you understand. The PSR is not one central list, it is many. Each supplier keeps its own (for accessible bills, nominee arrangements, meter-reading help), and each network operator keeps its own (for power cuts, planned-work warnings, emergency support for the medically dependent). Increasingly suppliers pass a referral to your network operator, but it is not guaranteed and it is not instant.
Register with both, and re-check after you switch The catch most people never hear: if you switch energy supplier, your new supplier should add you, but the safest move is to confirm it, and your network-operator registration does not move with your supplier, because the network operator is fixed by where you live. So the rule is simple: ask both, and after any switch, confirm you are still on both. It takes one short call or online form each, and it is the difference between being remembered and being missed when it matters.
How to join the Priority Services Register: the four steps
Joining is a short, free process. Follow it as a sequence, the goal is to end up confirmed on both registers.
Contact your energy supplier
Call or use the online form and ask to be added to the Priority Services Register. Have your account number ready and describe your circumstances.
Contact your network operator
Separately, ask your electricity DNO (and gas network, if relevant) to add you. You can find your DNO from your postcode; you do not choose it, it is set by your area.
Add any details that help
Tell them about medical equipment, communication needs or a nominee. The more they know, the more useful the support.
Confirm both, and re-check after a switch
Make sure you are recorded on the supplier and the network registers. If you switch supplier later, confirm you are still on both.
Current facts
Cost
Free
no effect on your tariff, prices or any deal
Required by
Ofgem
every supplier and network operator must run one
Number of registers
Two
your supplier's and your network operator's; join both
Who qualifies
Broad
age, health, medical needs, young family, temporary situations
Power cut line
105
free in England, Scotland and Wales
Northern Ireland
NIE Networks
105 does not work; call 03457 643 643
Eligibility is set by Ofgem rules and applied by each supplier and network operator. If unsure, ask, it is free.
The bottom line
The Priority Services Register is free, it does not touch your tariff, and the qualifying list is far broader than most people assume, temporary needs count too. The mistake that quietly leaves people exposed is treating it as one register and one phone call. It is two: your supplier's and your network operator's. Join both, tell them what would help, and re-confirm after you switch supplier. With more extreme weather and an ageing grid, the few minutes it takes to register is some of the best-value protection in energy, precisely because it costs nothing.
Priority Services Register FAQ
The Selectra expert answers your questions
The Priority Services Register (PSR) is a free support service that energy suppliers and network operators are required by the regulator, Ofgem, to provide. It gives extra help to people in vulnerable circumstances, such as advance warning of power cuts, priority support in an emergency, accessible bills and a password scheme to guard against scammers. It is free and does not affect your tariff or your bill.
You can register if you are of pension age, have a disability or long-term health condition, rely on electricity for medical equipment, have sight, hearing or mobility difficulties, have a mental health condition, have children under 5 or are pregnant, or are in a temporary vulnerable situation such as a recent bereavement or hospital discharge. The list is broad on purpose. If you are unsure, ask anyway: there is no cost and no downside.
Key benefits include advance notice of planned power cuts, priority support during a power cut or gas emergency, a password scheme to spot bogus callers, bills in large print, braille or audio, help with meter readings, and a nominee scheme letting a trusted person manage your account. For people who depend on electricity for medical equipment, the network operator can also arrange extra help during a prolonged outage.
Contact your energy supplier and ask to be added to the Priority Services Register, then also contact your regional network operator (your electricity DNO and, if relevant, your gas network) and ask to join theirs. Many suppliers will pass your details to the network operator, but not always, so it is safest to confirm both. Registration is free and you can update your details whenever your circumstances change.
Yes, ideally. They run separate registers for different jobs: your supplier handles billing and accessible communications, while your network operator handles power cuts and physical emergencies. Registering with one does not guarantee you are on the other. Increasingly they share referrals, but the only way to be certain is to ask both directly.
No. The PSR is completely free, it is funded as part of the regulated service every supplier and network operator must provide, and it has no effect on your tariff, your prices or your eligibility for any deal. It is purely a support service, so there is no financial reason not to join if you or someone in your home qualifies.