People and movement
Priority Services Register: who can join and how to sign up
The Priority Services Register, or PSR, records a household's need for extra help from an energy or water company. Joining is free. Prepare Now explains the options and helps you choose the right provider; you complete registration with the provider. Start before an interruption so companies can record your communication, access and essential support needs.
Published: Updated:
Last checked: 8 November 2026 How we evaluate sources
Your next steps
How to join the Priority Services Register
- Check eligibility: think about what would make an interruption or contact with your provider difficult.
- Choose your nation and utility in the route finder, then contact the provider serving your address.
- Complete its application, ask which other companies will be told and keep confirmation of the help agreed.
What is the Priority Services Register, and is it free?
It is a free support service, rather than an electricity tariff, insurance policy or emergency-response service. A provider uses recorded needs to adapt communication and plan extra help. You can ask about support without buying equipment or changing energy supplier. Some providers use names such as Extra Care or Customer Care for similar arrangements.
Register while supplies are working. An unexpected interruption is a difficult time to explain everything for the first time, although you should still request help if an incident has already started.
Who can join, including people with temporary needs?
Ask if age, disability, a long-term physical or mental health condition, sensory loss, pregnancy, young children or communication difficulties could make disruption harder. Dependence on powered medical equipment is especially important to explain. Temporary needs, including recovery after hospital treatment, can also qualify. Criteria differ between companies: there is no single age threshold that applies to every register.
Describe what would be difficult and what help would make a difference. If a form's categories do not fit, phone the provider. SSEN explicitly allows registration without proof of eligibility; ask other providers what they require.
What help can I get, and what are the limits?
Depending on the provider and your circumstances, help can include accessible updates, a nominated contact, a password for visits, notice of planned interruptions and additional support during an outage. Ask what is available for your particular need, how to request it and whether it is recorded.
Registration does not guarantee uninterrupted electricity, faster restoration to your property, a generator or a home visit. It does not remove energy debts. Keep a separate plan for care, warmth, communication and essential equipment.
UK Power Networks: available priority services (opens in a new tab)GTC: priority services and available support (opens in a new tab)
Can priority services help between emergencies?
Yes. In Great Britain, energy priority services can include help reading a meter, accessible account information, an agreed person receiving communications, assistance when a prepayment meter is not safely accessible and help reconnecting gas. Tell the provider which task is difficult and ask what it can arrange. Services depend on the provider and your circumstances; not every register offers the same help.
Do I register with my supplier, network or water company?
Your energy supplier manages the bill and account. The network operator maintains the local pipes or wires and responds to network interruptions. In Great Britain, both keep registers. Contact separate gas and electricity suppliers separately, and confirm your network has the relevant information. Water priority support is another arrangement.
Some companies can share information with your permission. Ask which organisations will receive it and check confirmation from each relevant service. One completed form does not prove every utility has registered you.
| Organisation | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Energy supplier | Account and communication support. If gas and electricity suppliers differ, contact both. |
| Electricity or gas network | Needs during a network interruption, how updates reach you and what help is available. |
| Water company | Its priority or care register, support during a water interruption and how to request it. |
| Any company sharing your details | Which organisations received them and how each will confirm your registration. |
How do I find the right organisation where I live?
Use the provider routes on this page. Check a recent bill for your supplier; use an energy-industry network finder if you do not know who operates your local network. Do not choose solely from a broad regional description, because some homes use independent networks.
| Where and what | Your route |
|---|---|
| England, Scotland and Wales: energy | Your supplier for account support, plus your electricity or gas network for network-related needs. |
| England and Wales: water | Find your water company with Water UK, then open its priority services page. |
| Scotland: water | Apply to Scottish Water's Priority Services Register. |
| Northern Ireland: energy | Ask your supplier for Customer Care support. For dependence on life-supporting electrical equipment, contact NIE Networks about its Medical Customer Care Register. |
| Northern Ireland: water | Apply to NI Water's Customer Care Register. |
Northern Ireland: nidirect care-register guidance (opens in a new tab)England and Wales: find your water supplier (opens in a new tab)
When should I register or update my details?
| When | Your next action |
|---|---|
| Before you need help | Register while services are working. Keep the confirmation and contact route with your household plan. |
| After moving, switching or a change in needs | Contact the relevant providers. Check address, contact person, communication preferences and agreed support. |
| During an interruption | Report the problem and explain urgent needs, even if already registered. Follow your separate care or equipment plan. |
How do I sign up, step by step?
- First, choose the correct provider and open its joining page, or call the listed support number. Ask for a paper form or accessible assistance if needed.
- Prepare your name, address, postcode and contact details. Have an account reference available if the provider asks for one.
- Explain practical needs: equipment that needs power, difficulty collecting water, mobility or access barriers, or the communication format you need.
- Add an agreed nominated contact if useful. Read the privacy and sharing information, then submit the provider's form or complete its telephone process.
- Save the acknowledgement and ask when and how registration will be confirmed. Opening a link or starting a form is not a completed application.
UK Power Networks: online, telephone and other joining options (opens in a new tab)
What should I say when I phone to join?
Use this example as a starting point, then describe your actual needs: “I would like to join your Priority Services Register. I have difficulty with [practical task] and need [communication or access support]. What can you provide, how will you confirm it, and do I need to contact my network or water company separately?”
If you are calling for someone else, explain your relationship and follow the provider’s consent process. Ask for the answer in a format you can keep. You do not need to send this information to Prepare Now.
| Keep a private call record | Write down |
|---|---|
| Provider and date | Company, contact method and when you spoke |
| Support requested | The practical difficulty and help you asked for |
| Agreed next step | What the provider will do and when to follow up |
| Confirmation | Reference, recorded contact details and any separate applications |
Can I help a relative or nominate a carer?
You can help someone understand the options, prepare information or contact their provider. Explain what information will be shared and obtain their agreement. Check the provider's procedure for applying on someone else's behalf; it may need to confirm consent or your authority.
Agree the role with the nominated person before giving their details. Receiving outage updates is different from managing someone's entire account. Ask the provider which permissions its nomination actually grants.
SP Energy Networks: nomination and permission on its joining form (opens in a new tab)
How do I know registration is complete?
Keep a record of the organisation, submission date and confirmation. Check the recorded telephone number, contact method and support needs. Ask who else has received your information and follow up any missing confirmation directly. Keep provider numbers on paper with your household plan.
If you think you joined previously, ask the company to check your record. An old application, or membership with a former provider, is not reliable confirmation that the current details are correct.
What happens when I move, switch supplier or my needs change?
Tell relevant companies when your address, phone number, nominated contact, equipment or support needs change. After moving, check the organisations serving the new address and confirm support there. When switching energy supplier, ask to join the new supplier's register.
Use an existing member's update route where offered. National Grid provides a details-update form; SP Electricity North West says existing PSR members are already on its renamed Extra Care register.
National Grid: update priority services details (opens in a new tab)SP Electricity North West: Extra Care membership (opens in a new tab)
What should I do during an outage or if medical equipment needs power?
Report the interruption and explain current needs, even if already registered. Follow the backup arrangements agreed with your care team and equipment provider. Discuss battery duration, who to call and a suitable alternative location before an outage; do not wait for an essential battery to run out.
Use the provider's updates and keep your nominated contact informed. Tell the company if you leave the property temporarily. Registration supports your plan; it cannot replace urgent medical help.
Prepare your household power-cut planNorthern Ireland: medical customer care route (opens in a new tab)
What if my details are wrong or promised support is missing?
Contact the provider responsible for that record or service. Explain what is wrong, the support agreed and the outcome you need. Ask it to correct the details and confirm the change. Keep dates and references so you can follow up without starting again.
If the issue remains unresolved, use that organisation’s complaints procedure. Ofgem explains the escalation route for energy suppliers and networks in Great Britain. Water and Northern Ireland services have their own procedures; use the relevant provider’s complaints information. During an outage, report urgent needs through the incident contact as well rather than waiting for a complaint to be settled.
Ofgem: energy supplier and network complaints in Great Britain (opens in a new tab)
Common questions
Can I register for the Priority Services Register on Prepare Now?
Prepare Now helps you select a route and prepare. Complete registration on the provider's own website or by phone. We do not submit an application for you.
Does the Priority Services Register cover water as well as electricity?
Energy and water providers have their own arrangements. Ask what information will be shared and confirm registration with each relevant company.
Can I join if I only need help temporarily?
Yes, providers can support temporary circumstances. Explain your current needs and update the record when they change.
Is Northern Ireland's register the same as the Great Britain PSR?
Northern Ireland uses supplier Customer Care services, NIE Networks' Medical Customer Care Register and NI Water's Customer Care Register. Choose the route relevant to your need.
Is the Priority Services Register the same as help with energy bills?
No. Priority services record support and communication needs. Financial support, payment arrangements and help with energy debt are separate: ask your supplier which assistance is available. Joining a register does not cancel a bill.
Can I register by phone instead of using an online form?
Ask your provider for a telephone, written or accessible route. Have your address and the provider’s requested account details ready for that conversation, and explain the help you need. You do not need to enter those details on Prepare Now.
How long does Priority Services Register registration take?
There is no single processing time for every company. Ask when you should receive confirmation, what happens next and who to contact if it does not arrive. An open form or a tick on this page is not proof that a provider has accepted the registration.
Make your next step practical
Keep preparing
Evidence and service information
Sources behind this guidance
We develop our guidance using the sources below. Check the named organisation for current service details, live warnings and local instructions. Sources checked 8 November 2026.
- Join your supplier's Priority Services RegisterOfgem
- Priority ServicesSSEN
- Sign up to priority servicesUK Power Networks
- Priority Services registration formSP Energy Networks
- Priority Services Register and available supportGTC
- Extra free help: priority servicesConsumer Council for Water
- Priority Services registrationScottish Water
- Customer Care RegisterNI Water
- Additional services from utility companiesUtility Regulator Northern Ireland
- Care registersnidirect
- Complain about your energy supplier or network operatorOfgem