How does the Priority Services Register help and how do I join?

The register exists because a power cut or a supply interruption is an inconvenience for most households and a serious problem for some. It is deliberately broad: it is not only for people with a diagnosed condition, and there is no means test. It is also one of the most under-used pieces of consumer protection in the UK, largely because nobody is told it exists.

Step by step

1. Check whether anyone in the household would benefit.The criteria are wide — pensionable age, disability, a long-term health condition, medical equipment reliant on electricity, sight or hearing impairment, young children, temporary circumstances such as recovering from surgery or a recent bereavement.
2. Register with your energy supplier.Most have an online form. This covers billing, communications and account handling.
3. Register separately with your network operator.This is the crucial one for power cuts. The network operator is not your supplier — it is the company that owns the wires in your area. Find yours by searching for your postcode, or by calling 105, the free line across Great Britain. In Northern Ireland the network is NIE Networks, on 03457 643 643.
4. Register with your water company too.They run an equivalent scheme covering supply interruptions and, in some cases, bottled water deliveries.
5. Say what support you actually need.Advance notice of planned work, bills in large print or braille, a nominated person who can speak on your behalf, a password scheme so you can verify callers at the door.
6. Set up a nominee if that would help.You can name a relative or friend to receive communications and speak to the company. It is a light-touch arrangement and much simpler than a power of attorney.
7. Ask about the password scheme.You agree a password that any genuine caller at the door must give. It is a straightforward defence against people impersonating utility staff.
8. Update it when you move or switch.Registration does not automatically follow you to a new supplier or a new address. Re-register each time.

Tips

• Call 105 free from any phone to reach your electricity network operator — most people do not know their supplier and their network operator are different companies.
• Registration is free everywhere. Anyone charging for it is not legitimate.
• Temporary circumstances count. You can join for a period and come off later.

Common mistakes

• Registering only with the energy supplier — The supplier does not restore power. In a cut it is the network operator's register that determines who gets contacted and prioritised.
• Assuming you are not eligible — The criteria are much wider than most people expect and there is no means test — the cost of asking is a phone call.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask