Find Out Who Supplies Your Gas and Electricity
If you have moved into a new home, lost an old bill or simply cannot remember your energy supplier, finding out is usually straightforward.
Your gas and electricity may be supplied by the same company, but they do not have to be. Therefore, it is worth checking both supplies.
Once you know your supplier, you can find your tariff details, understand what you are paying and decide whether you want to stay or switch.
What Does Your Energy Supplier Do?
Your energy supplier is the company that sells gas or electricity to you and sends you the bill.
This is different from your network operator.
Your network operator manages the pipes, cables and other infrastructure used to carry energy to homes and businesses in your area.
You may need to identify your supplier if:
- You have just moved home
- You cannot find a recent bill
- You want to understand your tariff
- You want to compare energy deals
- You are considering switching
- You need to resolve a billing problem
Start With a Recent Bill or Online Account
The easiest place to start is a recent energy bill.
Your supplier’s name and contact details should normally appear on your:
- Paper bill
- Online bill
- Online account
- Supplier app
- Emails or other correspondence from your supplier
Ofgem recommends checking a recent bill or online account first.
If you pay by Direct Debit, your bank statement may also help you identify the company receiving your payment.
Finding Your Gas Supplier
If you do not have a recent gas bill, you can use the Find My Supplier service.
The service uses information from the gas industry’s Meter Point Administration Service and allows you to search for the gas supplier registered to your property.
You can also find your Meter Point Reference Number (MPRN). This is the unique number used to identify your gas supply point. Ofgem directs consumers who do not know their gas supplier to this service.
Find your gas supplier with Find My Supplier →
I would link that directly here:
Finding Your Electricity Supplier
Finding your electricity supplier works differently.
Electricity supply information is held within the Electricity Enquiry Service (EES), also known as the Electricity Central Online Enquiry Service (ECOES).
ECOES is funded by electricity suppliers and distributors and is governed under the Retail Energy Code. It is primarily an industry service used to support processes such as customer switching.
For consumers, Ofgem recommends finding your local electricity network operator first.
You can do this using the Energy Networks Association postcode search.
Then:
- Enter your postcode.
- Find your local electricity network operator.
- Contact the network operator.
- Ask for the supplier registered to your property.
Your network operator can also help you obtain your Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN), which identifies your electricity supply point.
Find your electricity network operator →
Energy Networks Association — Who’s My Network Operator?
What Is ECOES?
You may come across the name ECOES when trying to understand how electricity supplier information is recorded.
ECOES stands for the Electricity Central Online Enquiry Service. It is also known as the Electricity Enquiry Service, or EES.
The system is used within the electricity industry and contains information used by suppliers, distributors and other authorised organisations. One of its purposes is to support the customer switching process.
You can read more about the service here:
Visit the ECOES Electricity Enquiry Service →
ECOES Electricity Enquiry Service
However, for a household simply trying to find its electricity supplier, follow the Ofgem-recommended network operator route above rather than expecting ECOES to work like the public Find My Supplier gas search.
Supplier or Network Operator?
It is useful to understand the difference.
Your energy supplier sells you gas or electricity. It deals with matters such as your tariff, energy bill and account.
Your network operator manages the infrastructure that carries energy to your property.
For example, you would normally contact your supplier about a billing question.
If you have a power cut, however, you would normally contact your electricity network operator.
Knowing the difference can save you from contacting the wrong organisation.
Just Moved Home?
If you have just moved into a property, find out who currently supplies the gas and electricity.
If the property already has an energy supply, you can choose a new tariff with the existing supplier after moving in or switch to another supplier.
It is also sensible to take meter readings as soon as you move in.
Keep a record of them — ideally including photographs of the meters — so you have evidence of the readings when you became responsible for the property.
If you rent your home, check your tenancy agreement to establish who is responsible for the energy bills.
If you pay the energy bills yourself, you can generally choose your supplier and tariff.
What to Check Once You Know Your Supplier
Finding your supplier is only the first step.
Next, find out which tariff you are currently on.
Look for:
- Tariff name
- Electricity unit rate
- Gas unit rate
- Standing charges
- Tariff end date, where applicable
- Exit fees, where applicable
- Payment method
- Your annual energy consumption
The unit rate is the amount you pay for each kilowatt-hour (kWh) of energy you use.
The standing charge is a daily charge set by your supplier.
Understanding these figures makes it much easier to work out what you are paying and compare your current tariff with alternatives.
Learn how to understand your energy bill →
Link this to your existing Understanding Your Bill guide.
Thinking About Switching?
Finding out who supplies your energy does not mean you need to switch.
First, understand what you currently have.
Look at your tariff, rates, standing charges, energy consumption and any relevant contract conditions.
Then you can decide whether staying with your existing supplier or moving elsewhere is appropriate.
Ofgem says households responsible for paying their energy bills can choose their energy supplier and tariff, although particular circumstances can affect switching.
Learn about switching energy supplier →
Link this to your existing Switch Energy Supplier guide.
In Short
If you do not know who supplies your energy, start with a recent bill or online account.
If you still cannot identify the supplier:
Gas → use the Find My Supplier service.
Electricity → use the Energy Networks Association postcode search to identify your network operator, then contact the operator for your supplier details.
ECOES is important to the electricity industry’s supplier-information and switching infrastructure, but it is not the direct public supplier-finding equivalent of the gas Find My Supplier service.
Once you know your supplier, check your tariff, unit rates, standing charges and energy consumption.
Then you will be in a much better position to understand what you are paying and decide what to do next.
Energility
Understand More. Spend Less. Live Better.