Who is my DNO?
A DNO is the distribution network operator that owns the cables and substations in your area. Your supplier sends the bill; the DNO runs the wires. Great Britain has 14 distributor areas run by six operator groups. Find yours by postcode on the Energy Networks Association lookup, or ring 105 (ENA, August 2026).
The quick answer
Two routes, both free.
Type your postcode into the Energy Networks Association's "who is my network operator" page. The postcode is the whole job (ENA, August 2026).
Or use the phone. Dialling 105 from England, Wales or Scotland connects you to your local network operator. The call costs nothing (ENA, August 2026).
Northern Ireland sits outside 105. There the operator is NIE Networks, and the customer helpline is 03457 643643 (ENA and NIE Networks, August 2026).
What a DNO actually does
Your supplier sells you electricity and sends the bill. Your DNO owns the poles and cables that carry that electricity to your door (SSEN, August 2026). You pick your supplier, and you can change it whenever a contract ends. Your DNO comes with the postcode, and switching supplier never moves you to a different one.
DNO regions and operators
Great Britain's distribution network splits into 14 distributor areas run by six operator groups (ENA, August 2026). The ID in the first column is the same two-digit code that opens your MPAN.
| ID | Region | Operator |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Eastern England | UK Power Networks |
| 11 | East Midlands | National Grid Electricity Distribution |
| 12 | London | UK Power Networks |
| 13 | Cheshire, Merseyside, Northern Wales | SP Energy Networks |
| 14 | West Midlands | National Grid Electricity Distribution |
| 15 | North Eastern England | Northern Powergrid |
| 16 | North Western England | Electricity North West |
| 17 | Northern Scotland | Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks |
| 18 | Southern Scotland | SP Energy Networks |
| 19 | South Eastern England | UK Power Networks |
| 20 | Southern England | Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks |
| 21 | Southern Wales | National Grid Electricity Distribution |
| 22 | South Western England | National Grid Electricity Distribution |
| 23 | Yorkshire | Northern Powergrid |
Northern Ireland is absent from that list because it runs on a separate network under NIE Networks.
Ownership changes hands. The table matched the ENA lookup on 10 August 2026. If the ENA page ever disagrees with us, believe the ENA page.
The distributor ID on your MPAN
Your bill can name your DNO without any lookup at all.
Find the long electricity supply number, usually printed in a box of its own as two rows of digits. The bottom row is the MPAN. It is built from a distributor ID, a unique reference number and a check digit (Ofgem REC decision, November 2023, checked August 2026). So the first two digits of that bottom row are your distributor ID. Read them against the table above.
The top row holds settlement data, the profile class, meter timeswitch code and line loss factor class (Ofgem, same decision). Your DNO is on the bottom row.
SSEN's own worked example opens with 17, which is Northern Scotland (SSEN, August 2026). The full walkthrough of both rows is in our guide to MPAN and MPRN numbers.
DNO vs IDNO
Some newer estates and business parks sit on an independent distribution network operator, an IDNO. A private company built the local wires there and still owns them, plugged into the regional DNO's network. The ENA list covers the 14 regional areas only, so on a recent build, ask your landlord or your supplier which network your connection sits on.
When you actually need your DNO
Three moments, mostly.
A power cut. Ring 105, or 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland. Your supplier cannot fix a cut. The DNO can.
A new connection. New premises, or a bigger supply for a bank of EV chargers. The DNO does the work on the network side and quotes for it, while your supplier arranges the meter. How that splits is set out in our guide to business electricity meter installation. Costs and lead times vary by operator and by job, so we are not going to print a figure we can't stand behind.
Moving a meter. The same split applies. Start with the DNO if the work touches anything on the network side of the meter.
The lookup itself is free. You don't need a broker for it, and we don't charge for it. Where we earn our keep is the rate you pay per kWh once the supply is live, so get a quote when your renewal comes round.
Questions people ask us
- How do I find out who my DNO is?
Postcode into the ENA's "who is my network operator" page, or read the first two digits of the bottom row of your MPAN (ENA and Ofgem, checked August 2026).
- How do you contact your DNO?
For a power cut, dial 105 in England, Wales or Scotland, free of charge (ENA, August 2026). Northern Ireland is 03457 643643 (NIE Networks, August 2026). For connections and meter moves, use the operator's own contact page, which the ENA lookup links to.
- Is my DNO the same as my supplier?
No. The supplier bills you for electricity. The DNO owns the network that delivers it (SSEN, August 2026). Ofgem sends people to the ENA search tool when they need to tell the two apart (Ofgem, August 2026).
- Can I change my DNO?
No. Your operator is set by where the premises are. The supplier on the bill is the part you get to choose.
- Who is my gas DNO?
Gas doesn't have DNOs. Gas travels through separate distribution networks with their own operators and their own emergency line, printed on your gas bill.
Sources, all checked 10 August 2026 unless stated: Energy Networks Association (the "who is my network operator" lookup, the 105 service page and the power cut page); NIE Networks; SSEN ("Who is my distributor?", "What is an MPAN?" and the MPAN process document for demand customers); Ofgem ("Finding your energy supplier or network operator", and the November 2023 decision on REC Change Proposal R0083 for the structure of the supply number).