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.

Some electricity networks go further for people on their register. SSEN, the network for the north of Scotland and central southern England, is giving free home battery packs to some customers who rely on powered medical equipment, and they don't have to apply; UK Power Networks says it may offer a free hotel overnight in certain scenarios. See power cut compensation for what networks may do in a long cut.

How to sign up: one form in Great Britain

You no longer need to sign up in several places. In England, Scotland and Wales, enter your postcode at thepsr.co.uk, the energy networks' joint site, and it sends you to your electricity network operator's form. The site says that by telling them once, your details are updated with your energy supplier (the company you pay your bills to) and your regional electricity, gas and water networks. Water was added later: since 31 March 2023, it says, electricity companies have been sharing Priority Services details with water companies where possible. Where the form asks if you're happy for your details to be shared with other companies, tick yes, and check your supplier has you too.

Two checks are still worth a couple of minutes. Ofgem's guidance says that if you have a different supplier for your gas and your electricity you'll need to contact them separately, and that if you switch supplier you'll need to ask to join the new one's register. And because the water link works "where possible", the Consumer Council for Water still tells people to contact their water company to register, so ask yours to confirm you're on its list, especially if you'd need bottled water delivered when the supply fails.

Northern Ireland has its own route, because the one-form promise covers England, Wales and Scotland only. The Consumer Council says your electricity and gas suppliers there must each keep a Customer Care Register for customers who are of pensionable age, chronically sick, or blind, partially sighted, deaf or hearing impaired, so contact your suppliers to join. NIE Networks' own register is for people who rely on electricity for healthcare needs; if that's you, join it too, and your calls will get priority in a power cut, with updates while the cut lasts. Join online, by WhatsApp or Facebook Live Chat, or through its Customer Helpline on 03457 643 643. Its paper form also has a separate section for joining NI Water's Customer Care Register at the same time.

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.