A DNO (Distribution Network Operator) owns and runs the local electricity cables and substations that deliver power to your home or business. They operate the low-voltage and medium-voltage network in a defined region.
Your energy supplier sells you electricity and sends your bill. Your DNO maintains the wires, connects new supplies, and approves or records embedded generation (such as solar and batteries) on their network.
If you are installing solar or a battery that can export, your installer usually notifies or applies to your local DNO. That is separate from choosing an export tariff (SEG) with a supplier.
List of UK DNOs
Great Britain has six DNO groups, each holding one or more licence areas (14 areas in total). Northern Ireland has a separate network operator.
UK Power Networks
- Eastern England
- London
- South East England
National Grid Electricity Distribution
Formerly Western Power Distribution (WPD).
- East Midlands
- West Midlands
- South West England
- South Wales
Northern Powergrid
- North East England
- Yorkshire
Electricity North West (ENWL)
- North West England (Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire)
SP Energy Networks
- SP Manweb: Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales
- SP Distribution: Central and Southern Scotland
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution
- SSEN North: North Scotland
- SSEN South: Central Southern England (including Hampshire, Dorset, and parts of Wiltshire and Oxfordshire)
Northern Ireland
- NIE Networks (part of ESB Group): electricity distribution in Northern Ireland
There are also IDNOs (Independent Distribution Network Operators) that own private networks (for example on new housing estates). Most homes are served by one of the groups above. Your MPAN shows which distribution area applies.
How to find your DNO
Check your electricity bill, your supplier’s website, or the Energy Networks Association postcode tool. Your installer’s G98 or G99 paperwork goes to the DNO for your supply point.
DNO and solar monitoring
The DNO’s role is connection and compliance on the network, not day-to-day monitoring of your inverter. Once your system is connected, Fox ESS owners on Fox Cloud can track generation, battery, and grid import/export in Check My Solar when the plant reports meter data.
FAQ
Is my DNO the same as my electricity supplier?
No. You can switch supplier while your DNO (the local network company) stays the same.
Do I contact the DNO when my solar stops working?
Usually not first. Contact your installer or inverter manufacturer for faults. Contact the DNO for supply outages, new connections, or export/connection paperwork.
What is a DSO?
DSO (Distribution System Operator) is the wider role some DNOs are moving toward, including more active management of local generation and flexibility. For most homeowners, DNO is still the term on connection forms.