What is a DNO? Your local electricity network explained

Most businesses never think about their DNO until the lights go out or they need a new supply. But your DNO shapes part of every electricity bill you pay, and knowing who it is makes power cuts, connections and supply queries much quicker to sort out.

What is a DNO?

A distribution network operator (DNO) is the company that owns and runs the local electricity network, the underground cables, overhead lines and substations, that carries power from the national transmission network to your premises. It is not your energy supplier.

The Energy Networks Association (ENA) compares the two levels of network to roads. Transmission networks are the motorways, moving large amounts of electricity over long distances from power stations. Distribution networks are the smaller roads that bring it to your street and your building.

Your supplier buys electricity and bills you. Your DNO delivers it, whichever supplier you choose.

What does a DNO do for my business?

Ofgem says you should contact your network operator, not your supplier, if you:

• have a power cut
• need to be connected to the mains, or want an existing connection altered
• need to find out who your electricity supplier is

Ofgem adds that your network operator can give you your MPAN, which is useful if you have no bill. DNOs also charge your supplier for using the network, and that cost is passed on to you.

Who are the DNOs? The 14 regions

Great Britain is split into 14 distribution regions, run by six DNO businesses. The first two digits of the 13-digit MPAN core on your bill, the distributor ID, tell you which region you are in. You can check yours with our MPAN checker.

Distributor ID	Region	Area covered	DNO
10	Eastern	East of England, including East Anglia	UK Power Networks
11	East Midlands	East Midlands	National Grid Electricity Distribution
12	London	Greater London	UK Power Networks
13	Merseyside and North Wales	Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales	SP Energy Networks
14	West Midlands	West Midlands	National Grid Electricity Distribution
15	North East	North East England	Northern Powergrid
16	North West	North West England	SP Electricity North West (formerly Electricity North West)
17	North Scotland	North of Scotland, including the Highlands and Islands	SSEN
18	South Scotland	Central and southern Scotland	SP Energy Networks
19	South East	South East England	UK Power Networks
20	Southern	Southern England, including the Thames Valley	SSEN
21	South Wales	South Wales	National Grid Electricity Distribution
22	South West	South West England	National Grid Electricity Distribution
23	Yorkshire	Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire	Northern Powergrid

Who runs and owns each DNO?

• UK Power Networks (regions 10, 12 and 19). ENGIE completed its acquisition of UK Power Networks in May 2026, announcing on 7 May that completion was expected that day, nearly two months ahead of schedule. ENGIE says UKPN is the UK’s largest DNO, serving 8.5 million customers across three licensed networks.
• National Grid Electricity Distribution (regions 11, 14, 21 and 22). The regional distribution business of National Grid, covering the East and West Midlands, the South West and Wales, with nearly 8 million customers.
• SP Energy Networks (regions 13 and 18). Part of ScottishPower, owned by Iberdrola.
• SP Electricity North West (region 16). Iberdrola completed its majority acquisition of Electricity North West in 2025, and the company took the SP Electricity North West name on 4 August 2025. It says this makes ScottishPower the second largest DNO in the UK, delivering to around 12 million people. You will still see the old name on some industry lists, including the ENA’s.
• SSEN (regions 17 and 20). Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, part of the SSE Group, serving over 3.9 million homes and businesses across central southern England and the north of Scotland.
• Northern Powergrid (regions 15 and 23). Operates two licences, one for the North East and one for Yorkshire, covering the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.

So there are six DNO businesses, but since 2025 two of them share the same owner.

UK DNO map: which region am I in?

In broad terms:

• Scotland is split between SSEN in the north and SP Energy Networks in central and southern Scotland.
• Wales is split between SP Energy Networks in the north and National Grid Electricity Distribution in the south.
• Northern England is covered by SP Electricity North West, Northern Powergrid and, in Merseyside and Cheshire, SP Energy Networks.
• The Midlands, the South West and South Wales are National Grid Electricity Distribution.
• London, the South East and the East of England are UK Power Networks, with SSEN covering the south and Thames Valley.

For a specific address, use the postcode search on the ENA website or Power Cut 105, both of which include an interactive map.

What is an IDNO?

An independent distribution network operator (IDNO) looks after a smaller part of the electricity network than a regional DNO. The ENA lists 19 IDNO businesses, including GTC, ESP, Fulcrum, Leep and Last Mile.

If your site is on an IDNO network, your MPAN should start with the IDNO’s own distributor ID rather than 10 to 23. The ENA’s table lists IDNO distributor IDs from 24 upwards, for example 24 for Independent Power Networks (GTC) and 25 for ESP Electricity. SSEN confirms that IDNOs register and issue their own MPANs.

For new sites, an IDNO can be an alternative to the regional DNO. See our guide to new business energy connections.

What should I do in a power cut?

Call 105. Power Cut 105 says the number is free and connects you to your local network operator wherever you are in England, Scotland or Wales. It adds that reporting online, on your network operator’s website, is the quickest way.

If your electricity is off because of a faulty meter, Ofgem says to contact your supplier instead.

Can my business get compensation for a power cut?

Yes, under guaranteed standards set by Ofgem. For businesses on a non-domestic contract, in normal weather:

Situation	Payment
Off for more than 12 hours, where the fault affects fewer than 5,000 premises	£190
Off for more than 24 hours, where the fault affects 5,000 premises or more	£190
Each further 12 hours without power	£45 (capped at £390 in total where 5,000 or more premises are affected)
Cut off more than four times in a year (1 April to 31 March), for at least three hours each time	£95 extra

Separate rules apply in severe weather. Ofgem says payments are usually made automatically, but you can contact your network operator if you think you are owed one.

How do DNO charges appear on my business bill?

DNOs do not bill you directly. They charge your supplier for using the network, and your supplier passes that cost on in your bill. These are distribution use of system (DUoS) charges.

Northern Powergrid explains how this works in practice:

• Small businesses: network charges are generally not visible. They are built into your bill, and the DNO charges your supplier a daily fixed charge plus time-of-use unit charges.
• Industrial and commercial sites: charges may be shown separately, and can include a daily fixed charge, time-of-use unit charges, a capacity charge for the capacity reserved for you, and reactive power charges.

National Grid Electricity Distribution’s guide explains that unit charges vary by time of day, in red, amber and green bands, and that the times differ between distributors. Our guide to half-hourly meters explains each charge. If you are comparing fixed daily costs across quotes, see business energy standing charges.

How are DUoS charges set?

Northern Powergrid says charges are calculated using common national methodologies under the Distribution Connection and Use of System Agreement (DCUSA): the Common Distribution Charging Methodology for low and high-voltage customers, and the EDCM for extra-high-voltage sites.

Ofgem regulates DNOs through electricity distribution price controls. National Grid Electricity Distribution notes that the next one, RIIO-ED3, is set to begin in April 2028.

Where does my DNO show up on my MPAN?

As well as the distributor ID, the top line of your supply number now carries a DUoS Tariff ID. Under the supply number format Ofgem approved for market-wide half-hourly settlement, this replaced the line loss factor class and shows which DUoS charging arrangement applies to your supply.

Frequently asked questions