How to find out who supplies your business premises

Start with the quickest check: any bill or letter

If there is any recent bill, statement, renewal letter or even a direct debit confirmation, the supplier's name is on it. Most also print the meter identifiers you may need later. Look in the filing cabinet, the accounts software and the email inbox for the old supplier's name before trying anything else. If the premises are newly rented, ask the landlord or agent.

No paperwork at all? Gas and electricity are traced separately, so work through them one at a time.

Finding your electricity supplier

Electricity supply is tied to a long number called an MPAN (Meter Point Administration Number). Ofgem's advice, set out on its find your supplier page, is to use the postcode search of the Energy Networks Association to identify your local network operator (the company that looks after the wires), then ask that operator for the supplier's details.

1. Search your postcode on the Energy Networks Association site to see which distribution network operator (DNO) serves the area.
2. Contact that DNO and explain you need to know the supplier for the premises. Give the full address.
3. If you have a meter, note the number on it; the operator may ask for it. The MPAN is also printed on bills; see how to find your MPAN and MPRN.

The DNO is also who you phone about a power cut or a new connection, which is why it is useful to have its details anyway.

Finding your gas supplier

Gas has its own meter identifier, the MPRN. The gas industry's Find My Supplier website lets you search by postcode for free, and there is also a Meter Number Helpline (0870 608 1524) that Ofgem and Citizens Advice list, charged at 7p a minute plus your phone provider's access charge. Ofgem's page above links to the service. Xoserve, which manages central gas industry data, says in its information for gas consumers that it does not deal with consumers directly, so use the Find My Supplier service rather than contacting Xoserve.

1. Go to the Find My Supplier service and enter the postcode or address.
2. Check the result against the MPRN printed on the meter or old bill. Here is where to find your MPRN.
3. Note which network operator the site is on, because it matters for new connections and faults.

If you smell gas, do not spend time looking up suppliers. Ofgem lists the national gas emergency line as 0800 111 999. Leave the building and call.

Reading the numbers on the meter

The meter serial number on the device is not the same as the MPRN or MPAN, so copy both if you can. Some gas supplies run through an independent gas transporter rather than the main regional network; the lookup or your new supplier can confirm which. Each section of an electricity MPAN means something; this explainer decodes the digits.

Worked example: a shop with no paperwork

You take over a unit that was a florist. There is a gas meter in a cupboard and an electricity meter by the door, and no bills.

1. Photograph both meter faces and any labels with numbers.
2. Look up the postcode on the network operator search. This gives the DNO and the gas network.
3. Ring the DNO for the electricity supplier; use Find My Supplier for gas.
4. Tell each current supplier you are the new occupier, with your proof of tenancy.
5. Agree your own contract; see setting up energy for a new business.

The job normally fits in an afternoon, with the delay usually being the DNO's reply.

Why the answer might surprise you

• Different suppliers for gas and electricity. This is common; the two are separate contracts.
• A shared or landlord supply. Your meter may be a sub-meter behind the landlord's. Check what landlords can charge.
• A recent switch. Lookups reflect registered data; changeovers can take a few weeks to appear.
• An empty site. The supplier of record may still be the last tenant's, which is why you could be put on a deemed contract.

What to have ready before you call

• The full address, including any unit number, and the postcode exactly as it appears on post.
• Photos of each meter face showing the reading and serial number, with the date.
• Your lease or proof of when you took over the premises.
• Your company name and registration number, or your own name if you trade as a sole trader.

Lookups work from the registered address, so a unit that has been split, merged or renumbered may not match. If the result does not look right, describe where the meter is (for example, "rear store room of Unit 4B") and ask the operator to check nearby addresses.

When the lookup gives no result

A blank result usually means one of three things: the address is recorded differently, the supply has been disconnected, or the site has never had a supply of that fuel. Try alternative versions of the address first. If there is a meter but no supplier on record, contact the network operator for the area, since a meter may need to be registered before any supplier can bill for it. If there is no meter at all and you need one, you are looking at a new connection, which is arranged through the network operator rather than a supplier.

Writing it down for next time

Once you know who supplies you, record the supplier, the MPAN or MPRN, the meter serial number, the contract end date and the account number in one place. If the business later moves, is sold or changes hands, that single record saves the next person the same search.

Beware of callers who ask for your meter numbers

Be careful about cold callers claiming to be your supplier or "the energy department" who ask for meter numbers. You do not need to confirm anything to a stranger. Find the official lookup yourself and contact suppliers on numbers from their own sites.

Next steps

1. Look for any bill; if none, photograph the meters.
2. Use the DNO postcode search for electricity and the Find My Supplier service for gas.
3. Tell the supplier you are the new occupier and send proof.
4. Compare quotes and agree your own contract.

Biz Energy is not a supplier or broker and receives no commission.