The Priority Services Register: free extra help in an emergency

What the Priority Services Register is

The Priority Services Register (PSR) is a free, voluntary support service that energy suppliers and network operators are required to run under their Ofgem licence — and there are parallel free schemes for water companies and, increasingly, telecoms providers. It gives people in vulnerable circumstances extra, non-financial help with access, safety and communication during a power, gas or water problem. It's one of the most useful and least-known bits of the UK's safety net.

It isn't a benefit or a discount — it's practical support, like advance warning of a planned power cut or bottled water delivered if your supply fails and you need it for medical reasons.

Who's eligible — it's broader than you'd think

Eligibility is wide and needs no proof of a specific condition. You can join if you have reached State Pension age, are pregnant or have children under five, live with a disability or a long-term physical or mental-health condition, rely on mains-powered medical equipment, have sight, hearing or smell impairment (so might not detect a gas leak), or find it hard to read or speak English.

It also explicitly covers temporary situations — recovering from an injury or a hospital stay, a recent bereavement, or a job loss. If your circumstances change, you can join or leave at any time.

What help you actually get

From energy providers, PSR support includes — wherever possible — advance notice of planned power cuts, priority support in an emergency, regular meter readings, and an identification and password scheme so you can be sure a caller at your door is genuine. You can also nominate someone to receive your bills and communications, get information in accessible formats like large print or Braille, and have a prepayment meter moved if you can't safely reach it.

From water companies, the register can arrange an emergency water supply (including bottled water) if you have no water and can't get to a collection point or need it for medical reasons such as home dialysis — and they'll try to schedule any planned shut-off so it doesn't fall on a dialysis day.

The catch: you have to register in a few places

The one thing to know is that it isn't a single sign-up. You need to register separately with your energy supplier and with your electricity (and gas) network operator, and separately again with your water company — and to re-register when you switch supplier. The Energy Networks Association's one-stop site, thepsr.co.uk, lets you enter your postcode and be pointed to your local network operator's registration page, which makes the energy side much quicker.

It takes a few minutes and it's free. For an elderly relative or anyone reliant on powered medical kit, it's one of the highest-value calls you can make on their behalf.

The link to the digital landline switchover

The PSR matters more than ever as the old analogue phone network is switched off. Under the migration to digital landlines, Ofcom requires providers to give at least one hour of battery backup during a power cut — free to customers identified as vulnerable — and to identify and protect people who rely on telecare or personal alarms. Being on the register, and telling your phone provider you're landline-dependent, is how you make sure that support reaches you.