Last Updated on September 23, 2026
The company you pay for energy is not the company that runs the wires and pipes. In a power cut or a gas escape, calling the one on your bill wastes time. Here is who to call.
The mistake
Calling your energy supplier when the power goes off.
The Energy Networks Association puts the difference plainly. Your supplier is “the company you pay to use electricity”. Your network operator “maintains the wires that bring electricity to your home or business.”
The supplier bills you. The network operator fixes the fault. Call the network, not the bill.
Power cut
Call 105. It is free, and it connects you to your local electricity network operator in England, Scotland and Wales.
In Northern Ireland, the Energy Networks Association gives 03457 643643.
To find out who your network operator is, use the postcode lookup on the Energy Networks Association’s “Who’s my network operator?” page. Your electricity bill also shows a Distributor ID, which the same page matches to an operator.
If you smell gas
Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. Cadent describes it as free and available 24 hours a day.
Cadent’s advice while you wait:
- open doors and windows
- turn off the gas at the mains tap, near the meter
- do not switch lights or power on or off
- do not light a flame or use anything that could spark
The Health and Safety Executive says the operator of the local gas distribution network will usually be the one who attends.
If anyone is in danger, call 999.
Water leak or supply problem
Contact your water company directly. Ofwat publishes contact details for each water and sewerage company in England and Wales, and points to a postcode checker run by Water UK, the trade body.
Ofwat says it “does not usually handle individual complaints”. Go to the company first.
Businesses have one extra layer. Ofwat says most businesses in England can choose who provides their water retail services, and those retailers “are not tied to specific parts of the country”. So, as with energy, the firm that bills a business may not be the firm that runs the pipes.
Quick reference
| Problem | Who runs the network | Who to call |
|---|---|---|
| Power cut | Your electricity network operator | 105 (Northern Ireland: 03457 643643) |
| Smell of gas | Your gas distribution network | 0800 111 999 |
| Water leak or no supply | Your water company | The water company, from Ofwat’s list |
Which company is yours?
Our directory lists the network companies by their legal names, with their regulator records: the regional electricity companies (for example UK Power Networks’ London Power Networks and the four National Grid Electricity Distribution companies), the gas networks such as Cadent and Northern Gas Networks, and water companies. See all utilities.
Takeaway: save 105 and 0800 111 999 in your phone today.
Method. Official and network company pages only: the Energy Networks Association, Cadent, the Health and Safety Executive and Ofwat. Each read on 23 September 2026.
Limits. Numbers and arrangements can change. Check your own bill and your network operator’s website. This guide covers Great Britain in the main; Northern Ireland arrangements differ beyond the power cut number shown. It is not safety advice for any specific situation.
Sources, each read on 23 September 2026: Energy Networks Association, who’s my network operator? · Cadent, what to do if you smell gas · HSE, deferred repairs to public reported gas escapes, updated 16 March 2023 · Ofwat, contact details for your water company
If a fact here is wrong, tell us and we will check it against the source. Corrections, right of reply and removals: whito.co.uk/corrections/.
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