What is an MPAN and where do I find it?
Every electricity supply point in Great Britain has its own identity number: the MPAN, or Meter Point Administration Number. It's sometimes called a "supply number" or "S number". It identifies the supply — the connection to your premises — not the physical meter, which has its own separate serial number and can be changed without the MPAN changing.
Where to find it
Look at your electricity bill — usually the bottom-left of the first or second page — for a boxed grid starting with a large S. The bottom row of that box is your 13-digit core MPAN. It is not printed on the meter itself, which is the single most common place people look first.
Can't find a bill? Your MPAN can be looked up from your postcode via your regional network operator — or skip the homework entirely: give us your postcode and we'll find it as part of your quote.
What the digits mean
The full supply number has two rows. The top row describes how your supply is set up; the bottom row is the 13-digit core that identifies it.
| Part | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Profile class | The first two digits of the top row. 03 and 04 are typical non-domestic supplies; 05–08 indicate maximum-demand metering; 00 means half-hourly. This single number changes how you're priced. |
| Meter time-switch code | How your meter's rates and switching are configured — e.g. whether you have separate day and night registers. |
| Line loss factor | Reflects the cost of getting electricity across the network to your premises. |
| Core (bottom row) | 13 digits: the distributor ID (which regional network you're on), a unique identifier, and a check digit. |
Why quotes start with it
Two businesses on the same street can pay legitimately different prices, because the MPAN encodes the things suppliers price against: region, profile class, and metering setup. A quote produced without the MPAN is an estimate; a quote produced with it is a price. It's also required to actually switch — the incoming supplier registers the MPAN, not your business name.
MPAN vs MPRN vs SPID
Electricity has MPANs. Gas has MPRNs (6–10 digits, on your gas bill). Water has SPIDs. Same idea in each case — the identity of the supply point — and each is on the relevant bill, never on the meter.
The short version: bottom-left of your electricity bill, 13 digits under the big S. Send it with your quote request and the numbers you get back will be real ones. Get an electricity quote →