Who Is My Network Operator?
This free interactive tool for UK business premises finds your electricity, gas and water network operators from one postcode: your Distribution Network Operator, your gas transporter and your water wholesaler. It explains the difference between your network and your supplier, then helps you confirm exactly who supplies each meter.
Free interactive network operator lookup
Enter a UK business postcode to find your electricity, gas and water network operators in one search.
For UK business premises only. We never look up or cold-call domestic customers.
How this helps your business
To find your network operators, enter your postcode in the tool above: it returns your electricity Distribution Network Operator (DNO), your Gas Distribution Network (GDN, the gas transporter) and your regional water and sewerage wholesaler in one search. All three are monopolies fixed by your location, so unlike your supplier you cannot switch them. Knowing them is the first step to confirming the companies you actually can change.
This is the distinction that trips up most businesses. The DNO owns the cables and substations that bring power to your business electricity meter, identified by the first two digits of your 21-digit MPAN. The GDN owns the pipes that carry business gas to your premises, identified by your LDZ. The water wholesaler owns the mains and treats your business water and sewerage, fixed by your postcode area. None of the three bills you. Your supplier (electricity and gas) and your retailer (water) are separate companies that invoice you, and those are the ones you can change.
Once you know your networks, the next step is confirming the registered supplier or retailer, the contract end date and the current rate. If you have just moved into a premises or your contract has lapsed, you may be on a deemed or out-of-contract rate inherited from the previous occupier, usually the most expensive option there is. Purely Energy retrieves all of it for you free of charge through a Letter of Authority, which lets us query the regulated industry databases on your behalf.
We manage energy and water across 2,000+ UK sites and more than £100M of annual spend for over 500 business clients, with 30+ suppliers on our panel. Because we work for you, not the suppliers, and take no hidden commissions, we tender your contracts to secure typical savings of 15 to 30%. Need the full picture of every region? Our UK energy network lookup maps every DNO and GDN in the country. Need your actual supplier? Use the dedicated electricity supplier finder, gas supplier finder and water supplier finder. When you are ready, request a business quote and our team will confirm your suppliers and call you back during business hours.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a network operator?
- A network operator owns and maintains the physical infrastructure that delivers a utility to your premises. For electricity it is the Distribution Network Operator (DNO), for gas it is the Gas Distribution Network (GDN, also called the gas transporter), and for water it is the regional wholesaler. All three are monopolies fixed by your location. They keep the supply flowing and respond to faults, but they do not bill you and you cannot switch them.
- Is my network operator the same as my supplier?
- No, and this is the distinction that trips up most businesses. The network operator owns the cables, pipes or mains. Your supplier (electricity and gas) or retailer (water) is the separate company that buys the commodity, invoices you and that you can switch. The first two digits of your electricity MPAN identify your DNO region, not your supplier, and the water wholesaler on your postcode is not the retailer that bills you.
- How do I find my electricity network operator (DNO)?
- Enter your postcode in the tool above and it returns your Distribution Network Operator and MPAN distribution ID instantly. There are 14 DNO regions in Great Britain run by six groups. Your DNO is also identifiable from the first two digits of the 21-digit MPAN on your electricity bill. The DNO holds the record of which supplier is currently registered against your meter, which is how a supplier can be confirmed when you have no bill.
- How do I find my gas transporter (GDN)?
- The tool above returns your Gas Distribution Network and Local Distribution Zone (LDZ) from your postcode. Great Britain has four main GDNs (Cadent, Northern Gas Networks, SGN and Wales & West Utilities) plus several independent gas transporters that operate newer networks. The GDN maintains the pipes and the emergency service on 0800 111 999, but the company that bills you for the gas is your supplier, identified by your MPRN.
- How do I find my water wholesaler?
- Your water and sewerage wholesaler is a regional monopoly set by your postcode, for example Thames Water, Severn Trent, United Utilities or Scottish Water. The tool above maps your postcode area to the likely wholesaler. Since the English non-household market opened on 1 April 2017 (Scotland in 2008), your water retailer (the company that bills you) is separate and switchable, even though the wholesaler that treats and delivers the water cannot change.
- Can a business switch its network operator?
- No. The DNO, GDN and water wholesaler are regional monopolies, so they are fixed by where your premises sits and cannot be changed. What you can change is the supplier or retailer that bills you: electricity and gas suppliers, and your water retailer in England and Scotland. Knowing your network operators is the starting point for confirming those suppliers and tendering your contracts at the right time.
- Is this network operator lookup free?
- Yes. The interactive tool is completely free and instantly returns your electricity, gas and water network operators from your postcode. Having Purely Energy then confirm your actual registered suppliers, water retailer, contract end dates and current rates via a Letter of Authority is also free and carries no obligation. We are a B-Corp certified consultancy that works for you, not the suppliers, with no hidden commissions.
Confirm your supplier and start saving
Tell us your business postcode and we will confirm your registered electricity and gas suppliers, your water retailer, contract end dates and current rates, then show you what you could save. For UK business premises only.