Anyone caught in a power cut will be able to dial 105 to get help and advice from April 2016, the telephone regulator, Ofcom, has announced.
A new service being developed by the energy industry will provide a single helpline number for householders anywhere in Britain to report a power cut or safety concern or get information during a blackout.
Currently, consumers are supposed to contact their local electricity network operator if there is a problem. However many do not realise and contact their energy firm instead, or do not readily know the 11-digit contact number for the local operator.
Ofcom said because electricity was regarded in UK law as one of the “essentials of life”, and because potential callers could be stuck in the dark, it was appropriate for the service to have an easy-to-remember three-digit number.
The helpline will connect callers, wherever they are based, to the appropriate network operator.
Only numbers that begin 10- or 11- can be designated as three-digit numbers for new services.
Some are already in use, such as 101 for non-emergency calls to the police and the NHS’s 111 number. A further 13 three-digit numbers are now available for future allocation.
During the severe storms that affected the UK in the winter of 2013, electricity supplies to 750,000 homes were disrupted, and in December 2013, 800,000 calls were made about the problems.
Jonathan Oxley, Ofcom’s group competition director, said: “The new helpline will provide clear value to members of the public, often in difficult and stressful situations where it may be hard for a caller to look up a long number.
“Three-digit numbers are memorable and quick to dial, and we are pleased to make available the new number, 105.”
