Priority Consumers
Find out what a Priority Consumer is and how we manage the Priority Consumer process on behalf of the industry.
What is a Priority Consumer?
Priority Consumers are certain gas Supply Meter Points (SMPs) for Industrial and Commercial sites. During a national gas emergency, these sites are lower on the list of sites that are directed to cease taking gas.
This is set out in the Uniform Network Code, section Q1.7.1.
Being registered as a Priority Consumer does not guarantee a site receives an uninterrupted gas supply during a gas emergency. It only changes the priority under which the site is considered eligible.
Looking for the Priority Services Register (PSR)?
The Priority Services Register is a multi-utility service that provides support to people in vulnerable situations.
This is for domestic consumers only and you will need to know who your energy supplier or network operator is before applying.
You can find out who supplies your gas by using our Find My Supplier service.
To find out more about the Priority Services Register, visit the Ofgem website below.
Who can apply for the Priority Consumer process?
Only Gas Shippers can make applications for updates to the Priority Consumer List via this process.
There are three Priority Consumer categories
As designated by the Secretary of State, the Priority Consumer List should be based on the following classes (categories) of relevant customers:
- Category A: Relevant customers where a failure in the supply to their premises could put lives at risk
- Category B: Relevant customers for which the sudden loss of gas causes or threatens to cause serious damage, for an unacceptably prolonged period, to human welfare, the environment or the security of the United Kingdom that cannot be reasonably mitigated*
- Category C: Relevant customers taking over 2 million therms (58.6m kWhs) per annum for which the sudden loss of gas would result in repair or replacement costs accounting to 10% or more of the Site Fixed Tangible Asset Value
*Only applications for Categories A and C can be made directly with Xoserve. If you need to make a Category B request you must contact the appropriate governmental department pertaining to the site in question – that governmental department will then arrange for the request to be processed on your behalf.
Any Category B requests received directly will be rejected.
How to add a Supply Meter Point (SMP) to the Priority Consumer List
A Priority Consumer Application Form must be submitted to the Central Data Service Provider (CDSP) by a Gas Shipper (Categories A and C only).
If you are a representative of an Industrial or Commercial site that you believe needs to be on the Priority Consumer List, please contact your Gas Supplier. Your Gas Supplier can either:
- validate whether your site is already on the Priority Consumer List
- advise whether or not you are eligible to be added to the Priority Consumer List
- arrange an application via their Shipper
You can find out who supplies your gas by using our Find My Supplier service.
Download the Priority Consumer Application Form below to request an SMP to be added to the Priority Consumer List (Categories A and C only). The SMP will need to be assigned to one of the government-directed categories.
Download the Priority Consumer Application Form
Once completed with all the relevant information, Gas Shippers will need to send the form to priorityconsumers.cpm@xoserve.co.uk
Common queries
Priority Consumers are certain gas Supply Meter Points (SMPs) for Industrial and Commercial sites. During a national gas emergency, these sites are lower on the list of sites that are directed to cease taking gas.
The Priority Services Register is a multi-utility service that provides support to people in vulnerable situations. This is for domestic consumers only and you will need to know who your energy supplier or network operator is before applying.
To find out more about the Priority Services Register, please visit Ofgem’s website.
If you are a representative of an Industrial or Commercial site that you believe needs to be on the Priority Consumer List, please contact your Gas Supplier.
Your Gas Supplier can either:
- validate whether your site is already on the Priority Consumer List
- advise whether or not you are eligible to be added to the Priority Consumer List
- arrange an application via their Shipper
You can find out who supplies your gas by using our Find My Supplier service.
The Priority Services Register (PSR) is a multi-utility service that provides support to people in vulnerable situations.
This is available to domestic consumers only and you will need to know who your energy supplier or network operator is before applying.
You can find out who supplies your gas by using our Find My Supplier service.
To find out more about the Priority Services Register, visit the Ofgem website below.
Related links
Priority Consumer Application Form
Once completed, please send to priorityconsumers.cpm@xoserve.co.uk
Find out more
View our dedicated e-learning modules to learn more about the Priority Consumer process.