Priority Services Register: Free Help with Gas and Energy

The short answer: ask for support that matches your needs

The Priority Services Register is a free service in Great Britain for people who may need extra help from an energy supplier or network operator. Support can include accessible bills, regular meter readings, a password for home visits, help reaching a prepayment meter and assistance reconnecting a gas supply.

You do not need to fit one narrow label. Ofgem says people may qualify because of age, pregnancy, young children, disability, a long-term health condition, difficulty speaking or reading English, or a recent change such as injury, bereavement or job loss. A need can be temporary as well as permanent.

Registration is not an automatic bill discount and it does not guarantee uninterrupted gas or electricity. Tell the company what creates difficulty or risk and ask what specific help it can record. If money is the problem, ask separately about an affordable payment plan, temporary prepayment credit or other bill support.

Who can join the Priority Services Register?

Ofgem lists broad examples rather than a single medical test. You can ask to join if you have reached State Pension age, are pregnant, have young children, live with a disability or long-term medical condition, or find speaking or reading English difficult. Sight, hearing, mental-health and sense-of-smell conditions can all be relevant.

Circumstances matter as much as diagnoses. Someone recovering after hospital treatment, coping with bereavement, living with an injury or recently losing a job may need short-term support. Explain the practical effect: for example, that you cannot safely reach the meter, need information read aloud, cannot smell gas, or need another person to help manage bills.

A supplier or network operator will decide which services fit the recorded need. If your situation is not in a list, you can still ask. Describe what would make communication, meter access or an interruption safer rather than trying to prove that you belong to a particular category.

• Health and access: disability, long-term illness, recovery from injury or difficulty operating a meter.
• Communication: sight or hearing needs, limited English, easy-read or another accessible format.
• Household circumstances: State Pension age, pregnancy, young children or temporary vulnerability.
• Emergency risk: difficulty answering the door, getting help or noticing a gas smell.

What gas and energy help can the register provide?

The useful service is the one that solves your actual problem. Ofgem says help can include priority support in an emergency, a trusted-contact or nominee arrangement, regular meter-reading visits, accessible account information, an identification and password scheme for callers, moving a prepayment meter that you cannot safely reach, and help reconnecting gas.

Suppliers sell energy and send bills; network operators maintain the pipes and wires. Both keep priority-service information, but their roles differ. A supplier may arrange an accessible bill or meter service, while a network operator may provide support during a supply interruption. Ask who will deliver each service and keep the confirmation.

Some eligible owner-occupiers receiving a means-tested benefit may also qualify for a free annual gas safety check under separate criteria. Citizens Advice’s England guidance says the household and benefit conditions are narrower than general Priority Services Register eligibility, so ask the supplier to assess this service specifically rather than assuming registration includes it.

Available help depends on the company, circumstances and type of incident. Registration does not promise continuous supply.

How to apply without turning it into a paperwork exercise

Contact your energy supplier or network operator using the details on a recent bill or the company’s official website. Ofgem accepts online, written or telephone contact. Give enough information to explain the need, how long it may last and which service would help. You can ask a trusted person to help with the conversation.

Citizens Advice also points households to the shared Priority Services Register application run through electricity networks. With consent, the information can be passed to the relevant gas network operator and suppliers. However you apply, ask each company to confirm that the record is active and which services it has agreed.

Use a short checklist: the person affected, the practical need, the preferred contact format, emergency considerations and any trusted contact. Do not send medical documents or bank details unless the company clearly explains why they are needed. Use official contact details, especially if an unexpected caller claims to be registering you.

• Say what happens: “I cannot reach the prepayment meter safely,” not just “I need help.”
• Name the service: ask for accessible bills, a nominee, meter help or a visit password.
• Ask about sharing: confirm whether your supplier and relevant network operators will receive the record.
• Keep proof: save the confirmation, date, reference number and agreed services.

What the register does not do

The Priority Services Register is not a grant, tariff or guarantee that your bill will be cheaper. It does not replace the Warm Home Discount, and joining does not automatically cancel debt or add prepayment credit. Those need separate eligibility or affordability conversations.

If you are struggling to pay, contact the supplier promptly and explain what you can afford. Our gas prepayment meter guide covers temporary credit and safe reconnection, while the back-billing guide explains when an old catch-up charge may be restricted.

Registration also does not replace urgent safety action. If you smell gas in Great Britain, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. Do not wait for a priority-services contact or use the gas bill calculator to investigate a safety concern.

Check the record after a move, switch or change in circumstances

Ofgem advises customers who switch supplier to ask to join the new supplier’s register. If gas and electricity come from different suppliers, contact both. Moving home may also change the network operator, so do not assume every record follows automatically.

Review the entry when a temporary need ends, a condition changes, a trusted contact moves away or the household gets a different meter. Accurate information helps companies provide the right response and avoids sensitive details being kept longer than useful. Ask how to update or remove the record.

If you applied but heard nothing, Citizens Advice suggests checking with the energy companies after two weeks. Ask whether you are registered, which needs were recorded, what services are active and whether any other supplier or network operator needs to be contacted.

Northern Ireland uses customer care registers

Ofgem regulates Great Britain, not Northern Ireland. The Utility Regulator says Northern Ireland electricity and gas suppliers keep customer care registers and offer free additional services to customers with special requirements. Contact the local supplier to ask what is available and how to register.

Do not assume a Great Britain application form or service list applies unchanged in Northern Ireland. The supplier can explain its local arrangements, and the Utility Regulator publishes supplier contact details. The principle is similar—recording a need so appropriate help can be offered—but the regulatory system and register name differ.