What is 105, and when should I call it?

105 is the free number for reporting a power cut in England, Scotland and Wales; in Northern Ireland the number is 03457 643643 (GOV.UK Prepare, checked 30 August 2026). It reaches the electricity network operator for your area, the people who fix the wires, rather than the emergency services.

The slightly longer answer

When the lights go off, most people reach for the bill and ring the company named on it. GOV.UK’s Prepare campaign points elsewhere: report a power cut to your local network operator, and if you cannot do that online, “call 105 for free in England, Wales and Scotland” (checked 30 August 2026).

The same guidance gives 03457 643643 for Northern Ireland. Both numbers do the same job: they put you through to the organisation responsible for the wires in your area, rather than the company that sends your bill. Ofgem draws the same line, describing your network operator as “the company responsible for the wires that carry energy to homes and businesses”, and saying that if you have a power cut “you should report it to your network operator” (checked 30 August 2026). Electricity North West, one of those operators, tells customers plainly: “Simply call us on 105”, and says it is open “24 hours a day, 365 days a year” (checked 30 August 2026).

You can use it for damage as well as darkness. Electricity North West’s power cuts page asks customers to ring the same number to report “damage to our equipment” (checked 30 August 2026), so a leaning pole or a cable down after a storm has somewhere to go.

What 105 is not is the emergency services. If someone is hurt, or there is a fire, that is a 999 call first and a 105 call afterwards. Prepare’s own line on hazards is blunt: “Keep away from hazards such as power lines. Electricity at high voltages can jump gaps with no warning.”

Save both numbers in your phone and write them somewhere that does not need charging. Then, if anyone in your home needs extra help when the power goes off, put the phone down and sign up to the Priority Services Register instead, which is the thing that changes what happens next time. The rest of the sequence is in what actually happens in a long power cut.

Related questions

Is 105 free to call?

Yes. GOV.UK’s Prepare campaign says to “call 105 for free in England, Wales and Scotland” (checked 30 August 2026). It is a memorable three-digit number rather than a premium line, and it is answered by the electricity network operator covering your address.

What is the power cut number in Northern Ireland?

03457 643643. GOV.UK’s Prepare campaign lists both numbers: “105 in England, Scotland and Wales and 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland” (checked 30 August 2026). Prepare also notes that Northern Ireland’s equivalent of the Priority Services Register is called a Customer Care Register. Save whichever applies to you.

Should I call 105 or my energy supplier?

Call 105. Ofgem says that if you have a power cut “you should report it to your network operator”, the company “responsible for the wires that carry energy to homes and businesses”, not the supplier that bills you. Its one exception: “If you lose power because of a faulty energy meter, contact your energy supplier” (checked 30 August 2026).

Can I report a fallen power line on 105?

Yes. Electricity North West asks customers to call 105 to report a power cut or “damage to our equipment” (checked 30 August 2026). Keep well back. Prepare’s guidance is to “keep away from hazards such as power lines” because “electricity at high voltages can jump gaps with no warning”. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 999 first.

Does calling 105 get me on the priority list?

No, those are separate. The Priority Services Register is “a free service to help people who have additional needs” (GOV.UK Prepare), kept by your supplier and your network operator, and it covers anyone who needs “to use medical equipment that requires a power supply” (Ofgem, checked 30 August 2026). Join before the next cut.

Sources & review

• UK Government, Prepare campaign: Power cuts. Checked 30 August 2026. The free 105 number for England, Wales and Scotland, the 03457 643643 number for Northern Ireland, the instruction to report to your local network operator, the power line hazard wording, the Priority Services Register as “a free service”, and the Northern Ireland Customer Care Registers.
• UK Government, Prepare campaign: Get prepared for emergencies. Checked 30 August 2026. Writing the power cut number down in advance.
• Ofgem: Plan for a power cut. Checked 30 August 2026. Reporting a power cut to your network operator, the definition of a network operator, and the faulty-meter exception that sends you to your supplier instead.
• Electricity North West: Power cuts. Checked 30 August 2026. A network operator’s own page confirming that 105 reaches them, “24 hours a day, 365 days a year”, for power cuts and damage to their equipment.
• Ofgem: Join your supplier’s Priority Services Register. Checked 30 August 2026. Who qualifies, including people using medical equipment that needs a power supply, and that both the supplier and the network operator keep a register.
• Power Cut 105: powercut105.com. Both Ofgem and Prepare point here to find your network operator and your load block letter. The site returned HTTP 403 to our automated check on 30 August 2026, so no claim on this page rests on it.

Awaiting editorial review (reviewedBy: TBC).