Leader: ‘105’ is a good call by the DNOs

In the winter of 2013/14 thousands of homes and businesses were left without power when storms hit the UK. Chaos ensued – and not just because of the relentlessly hostile weather conditions. Customers, it became very clear, did not know who to call to initiate power restoration.

The furore in the national media about this confusion and the difficult, sometimes dangerous, situation in which it left many customers, was a PR disaster for the power networks. All the more so because it did not even solve the public awareness problem around who should be contacted in the event of a power cut. Research conducted by the Energy Networks Association shows that only 27 per cent of people know they should call their DNO when the lights go out and even fewer can correctly name the network that covers their region.

Looking to resolve this situation and consign the pandemonium of 2013/14 to the history books, the ENA has spent the past two years fast-tracking the creation of a national three-digit emergency number – 105 – which will simplify the process of getting in touch with DNOs when a power cut or outage occurs. Customers won’t have to know which licence area they sit in, they’ll just need to know the three-digit code.

The official launch of 105 on 6 September was hailed as an industry success story. It’s been done in record time – other industries have generally taken around five years to launch similar numbers – and second, because it should raise the profile of networks with customers at a time when Ofgem is placing increasing importance on their relationships with end users.

Not all agree. Some consumer groups have grumbled that the launch of a three-digit number is an expensive exercise that will become redundant when smart meter data can deliver “last breath” and “first gasp” alerts for every home and business in a fraction of the time that it takes for someone to pick up a phone.

However, such alerts are still suffering teething problems and the ability of suppliers to stick with the timeline for national deployment of smart meters is distinctly questionable. Given this, and with extreme weather conditions hitting more frequently, the 105 launch should be a comfort to networks and customers alike as we head into winter. We look forward to seeing more of the public awareness campaign.