What is the priority services register?
The priority services register is a free support scheme that every gas and electricity company in the UK has to run. It exists for households that could do with a bit of extra help, whether that’s advance warning before planned work cuts your power, or someone checking in after you’ve had a bad fall.
Signing up doesn’t change your tariff, your price, or your contract in any way. It’s simply a flag on your account that says “this household might need a bit more care”, and Ofgem requires suppliers and network operators to act on it.
Ofgem widened who counts as eligible for the priority services register, moving away from a narrow tick box list toward looking at your actual circumstances, even if they’re only temporary (Ofgem, checked August 2026). That matters. A broken leg or a new baby can qualify you just as much as a long term condition.
Who can join the priority services register?
The eligibility list is deliberately broad. You don’t need a formal diagnosis or a letter from anyone to ask.
You could typically qualify if you:
- Have reached State Pension age
- Live with a disability or long term illness
- Have a mental health condition
- Are pregnant or have children under five
- Rely on medical equipment that needs a power supply
- Are recovering from a hospital stay or a bereavement
- Struggle to read or speak English, or have sight or hearing difficulties
If none of those feel like a perfect fit but your circumstances still make things harder than usual, ring your supplier anyway. They assess the household, not a checklist, so it’s worth a two minute call rather than assuming you don’t count.
Why one signup to the priority services register usually isn’t enough
Here’s the bit almost nobody tells you. There isn’t one priority services register. There are at least four, and most households only ever join one.
You’ve got a separate list with your electricity supplier, your gas supplier, your electricity network operator, and your gas network operator. Four different organisations, four different forms, and precisely zero of them talk to each other automatically.
Suppliers are quite happy to let you assume that ringing them once has you covered everywhere. It’s the energy equivalent of the do nothing default: nobody lies to you, they just don’t rush to mention the bit that would take them more admin.
| Register | Who runs it | What it controls |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity supplier PSR | The company you pay for electricity | Billing support, large print, nominee scheme |
| Gas supplier PSR | The company you pay for gas | Billing support, free gas safety checks |
| Electricity network operator PSR | The regional company that owns the cables (not your supplier) | Priority restoration during power cuts |
| Gas network operator PSR | The regional company that owns the gas pipes | Priority attendance for gas emergencies |
The network operator point matters most. During a genuine power cut, it’s the network operator, not your supplier, deciding who gets reconnected first. If they’ve never heard of you, you’re back of the queue with everyone else, priority services register or not.
What free help do you actually get on the priority services register?
Support varies a little by company. Here’s what’s typically on offer:
- Advance text or call warnings before planned power cuts, and updates during unplanned ones
- A password scheme, so you can check a caller at your door is genuine before letting them in
- The option to nominate someone else to manage your account or receive copies of your bills
- Bills and communications in braille, large print, or via a nominated contact
- Free annual gas safety checks for some households, and quarterly meter readings instead of estimated ones
None of this costs anything, and it doesn’t put a mark against your credit file or your ability to switch supplier later. It’s genuinely just a courtesy list, which is possibly why it gets so little marketing budget behind it.
It sits alongside other winter support worth knowing about, such as the Warm Home Discount and Cold Weather Payments, though none of those require you to be on the priority services register first.
How do you sign up to the priority services register before winter?
Getting onto the register takes about ten minutes. The order you do it in matters more than the time it takes.
- Call or go online to your electricity supplier and ask to join their register.
- Do the same with your gas supplier, if it’s a different company.
- Ask each supplier directly to pass your details to their network operator too, so you’re not relying on it happening automatically.
- If you’re not sure who your network operator is, your supplier can tell you, or you can find it listed on a recent bill.
- Put a reminder in your calendar to redo this if you switch supplier, because none of it follows you automatically.
Roo would probably tell you to do this on a slow Tuesday rather than during the first cold snap of the year, when the phone lines are predictably chaos. If you’d also like to trim the bill itself while you’re at it, our guide on cutting home energy costs covers the basics.
Priority services register: key takeaways
Before winter, remember to:
- Check eligibility isn’t only about age or disability; new parents and people recovering from surgery can qualify too.
- Sign up separately with your gas and electricity suppliers, since one form doesn’t cover both fuels.
- Ask your supplier to pass your details to the network operator, because that’s who prioritises repairs during a power cut.
- Re register whenever you switch supplier, as your place on the list resets each time.
- Does the priority services register cost anything?
- No. It’s a free scheme every licensed supplier and network operator has to offer, and it has no effect on your tariff or your bills.
- Does the priority services register affect my credit score or ability to switch?
- No, it’s simply a support flag on your account. You can still switch supplier freely, though you’ll need to re register with your new one.
- Can I be on the priority services register if I’m a tenant, not the bill payer?
- Usually yes. Contact the supplier whose name is on the account, or ask them how to add a household member who needs the extra support.
- How long does it take for the priority services register to kick in?
- Most suppliers confirm within a few days, though it can take a couple of weeks to reach the network operator, so it’s worth signing up before winter rather than during the first cold snap.
- What if my supplier says I don’t qualify for the priority services register?
- Ask them to explain why against Ofgem’s current eligibility guidance, and if you’re still not happy, you can raise it as a complaint with the supplier and escalate to the Energy Ombudsman if it’s not resolved.
