Who runs the gas & electricity in your UK city?

Your supplier (British Gas, Octopus, EDF, OVO and so on) is the company you pay your bills to and the one whose tariff you compare on a switching site. Your distribution network operator (DNO) owns the local wires and substations and is who you call when the power goes out. You can switch supplier; you cannot switch your DNO — it is determined by your postcode.

Dial 105 from any phone — it is the free, nationwide number for reporting a power cut. The call is automatically routed to your local DNO. For a gas emergency (smell of gas, suspected leak), dial 0800 111 999 instead. Both numbers are free from landlines and mobiles.

Six DNOs run the electricity grid in Great Britain: UK Power Networks (London, South East, East), National Grid Electricity Distribution (West Midlands, East Midlands, South West, South Wales), Northern Powergrid, Electricity North West, SP Energy Networks (Central and Southern Scotland, Merseyside, North Wales) and SSEN (Northern Scotland, Southern England). Northern Ireland uses NIE Networks separately.

Yes — the wholesale price is the same, but standing charges and unit rates vary slightly by region to reflect the cost of running each local network. Northern Scotland and South West England traditionally carry the highest standing charges, and London the lowest unit rate. The price cap is published with regional breakdowns by Ofgem every quarter.

Yes — every UK address can switch, and most switches complete in five working days under the Energy Switch Guarantee. The only exceptions are off-grid homes (which need oil or LPG suppliers) and prepayment meters that have not been upgraded to a smart meter, where you have a smaller choice of tariffs. Our energy comparator shows the cheapest deals at your postcode.