Every business energy quote starts with two numbers. Your MPAN (Meter Point Administration Number) identifies your electricity supply and your MPRN (Meter Point Reference Number) identifies your gas supply. Get them right and the quotes follow. Get a digit wrong and you can end up with a price for the wrong meter, or no price at all. Your bills are the first place to look, and if there isn’t a bill to hand, don’t worry: our Energy Team will track the numbers down for you.
What Is an MPAN and How Do You Read It?
Your MPAN is the number that identifies your electricity supply (it’s in the energy regulator Ofgem’s list of energy terms explained, if you want the official wording). It belongs to the supply point, not to you. You’ll sometimes see it called the supply number, but don’t confuse it with your customer reference number.
The core MPAN is a unique 13-digit number, made up of three parts:
- Distributor ID: The opening digits tell you which distribution area you’re in. IDs 10 to 23 are the regional networks and 24 to 45 are independent network operators.
- Unique identifier: The digits that identify your exit point on the network.
- Check digit: The final digit, which validates the 12 before it.
On a business bill, the 13 digits usually sit on the bottom line of a two-line supply number. The top line tells suppliers more about how the supply works. Under market-wide half-hourly settlement, that top line carries three things: a profile class, a Standard Settlement Configuration ID (replacing the old meter timeswitch code) and a DUoS Tariff ID (replacing the line loss factor class). So if your top line doesn’t match your older bills, that’s the MHHS meter line change at work, not a mistake. A profile class of 00 means the supply is settled half-hourly, which is how half-hourly meters are billed: on what you use in each 30-minute period.
What Is an MPRN Number?
The MPRN is the same thing, but for your gas supply. There’s a unique MPRN for every single gas service in every building.
You’ll usually find it on your gas bill, and it’s one of the meter details we gather before we ask suppliers for gas prices. Got a meter but no MPRN at all? A supplier can start the process of registering the supply and creating one, and we’ll raise that with suppliers for you when we’re arranging your contract.
Got More Than One Building, or More Than One Meter?
If you’ve got several sites, each gas service has its own MPRN and each electricity supply point its own MPAN. It doesn’t stop at one per building, either. A separate supply, such as one for a separate flat or a landlord’s supply, needs its own import MPAN.
That’s where portfolios get messy, and where our multi-site energy management takes the strain. We keep the contract end dates for all your sites on record in one place, and we can link related companies and billing entities so the whole lot is managed together.
No Bill? Leave It With Us
New premises, a lost bill or a supplier that’s gone quiet: it happens to everyone. The numbers aren’t lost, though. The gas records are held by Xoserve, the custodian of Britain’s gas industry data, and on the electricity side your local network operator knows who supplies each connection. Tracking them down is part of what we do when we gather your meter details, so you’re not left chasing industry databases yourself.
Imagine you’re taking on a second café. The previous tenant has left, there’s no bill in the drawer and the lease starts in a fortnight. Send us the address and whatever paperwork you’ve got, and we’ll find the numbers and do the leg work of setting up energy at the new premises.
To speak to suppliers for you, we’ll ask you to sign a Letter of Authority (LOA). Our LOA lets us help you, not make decisions for you. Help with your contracts, bills and supplier queries: yes. Enter into a contract on your behalf: no. Some brokers ask for a “level 2” LOA that lets them sign contracts for you. Ours is a level 1 LOA, so only you can agree a contract.
Why Do These Numbers Count So Much?
Suppliers price each supply point separately, so these numbers are far from a formality. We use the top line of your MPAN to get you quotes when you switch, and it tells you how your site is metered and, for larger sites, which DUoS tariff it’s on.
That’s why we gather your meter details, usage and contract end dates before we ask suppliers for prices. Suppliers almost always need them to quote, and the more accurate they are, the more accurate your quotes will be. A recent bill for each site is all we need to get started.
Final Thoughts: Let Us Find Them for You
Your MPAN and MPRN are what an accurate quote is built on. If they’re on a bill in front of you, that’s great, and if they’re not, we’ll track them down. Either way, get a quote and we’ll compare prices from suitable suppliers for your business electricity and business gas, or call our Energy Team on 01273 914000 and we’ll take it from there.