Priority Services FAQs
Who can join the Priority Services Register?
The Priority Services Register is free to join. It helps us to tailor our services to support households who may need extra help during a power cut. You can join the register if you:
- Rely on electricity for medical reasons
- If you use a stair lift, hoist or electric bed
- You have a specific communication need when contacting us
- If you would find an unexpected power cut particularly distressing or difficult to cope with.
Additional Eligibility Capture
Medically dependent
- Heart/lung machine or ventilator
- Dialysis/feeding pump or automated medication
- Sleep apnoea monitor/nebuliser
- Oxygen concentrator
- Refrigerated medicine
Communication needs
- Blind
- Partially sighted
- Unable to communicate in English (language)
- Hearing (including deaf)
- Speech impairment
Other needs
- Pensionable age
- Physical impairment
- Mental health issues
- Careline system installed
- Stair lift /hoist/electric bed
- Temporary impairment eg hospital recovery
- Water dependency (due to health condition)
- Medically dependent showering/bathing
Will my power be restored with more urgency in a power cut if I am registered?
We aim to restore the power to all our customers as quickly as possible.
By joining the Priority Services Register, we will understand more about your individual requirements and be able to provide additional support in the event of a power cut. We could also let you know on updates about planned power cuts that might affect you in advance.
What are the benefits of joining the register?
The Priority Services Register is a free service and it could help you cope better in a power cut. Additional services you can benefit from are:
- a direct number to get straight through to us
- agreeing a password with us before we visit, so you feel safe
- provided special help, if needed, through the British Red Cross
- informed about planned interruptions to your electricity supply
- kept up-to-date as much as possible in the event of an unplanned cut
- provided free 24 hour power cut alerts and text updates to medically dependent customers
You will share my registration with other utilities, how does this benefit me? Will you share my information with marketing companies?
We are committed to helping those customers who need it most and we want to make it easier for our customers to sign up for priority services and to get help from other utilities such as energy suppliers and water companies.
Sharing your details with other utility providers can make life a little easier with you having just one point of contact and you won’t have to register more than once for other services - such as with water companies.
Also, in an emergency situation, we may share your details with trusted charities who may offer specific support for you. Be assured, we will never use your details for marketing purposes.
I have read about you working with Fuel Poverty Partners – what does this mean?
We have developed long standing partnerships with impartial, independent organisations who can provide wider support to our customers. By letting us know about your circumstances, we may be able to provide further help and we’d let you know about this when you join the register.
Our network of partners can provide advice and guidance to help you make savings going forward. But if the time isn’t quite right for you when you join – you can simply join the register and let us know at any point if or when you would want to access this service. It could help you with:
- Income and benefit support
- Energy and tariff advice
- Energy efficiency
- Grant /heating solutions
- Ways to save advice
- Health and wellbeing