UK Power Networks Named Top UK Utility for Service

Who ranked them, and what "top 10" most likely means

The ranking comes from the Institute of Customer Service (ICS), an independent professional membership body for customer service that has compiled the UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI) twice a year since 2008. The July 2026 edition is based on an online survey of more than 15,000 consumers, comprising around 59,500 individual customer-reported experiences across 277 organisations and 13 sectors, and was launched around the Institute's members' meeting on 8 July 2026. Energy Live News reported on 9 July 2026 that UK Power Networks was named among the UK's top 10 performers for customer service in this edition. Checked against the sector leaders confirmed by ICS itself, the most likely reading is that UK Power Networks' placement refers to its standing as leader of the Utilities sector specifically, a position it has held every year since 2022, rather than a place among the UK's top 10 organisations overall.

Confirmed sector leaders, July 2026

The Institute of Customer Service names a leading organisation for each of the 13 UKCSI sectors. Four are confirmed from the July 2026 edition: Nationwide leads Banks & Building Societies with 87.3, the sector that overtook Retail as the UK's best-performing sector for the first time since the UKCSI began in 2008. John Lewis, on 87.1, leads Retail. Jet2holidays, on 85.7, retained its position as Best in Tourism. Jet2.com, on 83.8, was named the highest-rated organisation in Transport. Detailed sector reports for the remaining nine sectors, including Utilities, are paid Institute of Customer Service member content and were not publicly available at the time of writing. UK Power Networks' most recently confirmed UKCSI result is 83.8 from January 2026, when it led the Utilities sector; its specific July 2026 utilities result has not yet been published.

UK Power Networks' own track record: top utility since 2022

Separate from the sector leaders above, UK Power Networks' own run within the utilities sector is well documented. It topped the utilities sector with a score of 86.5 in July 2022, was named joint number one utility with Octopus Energy at 80.6 in July 2025, and topped the utilities sector again with 83.8 in January 2026. Across every UKCSI edition traced back to 2022, UK Power Networks has ranked first or joint first among utilities, a run unmatched by any other organisation in that sector, even though the utilities sector as a whole consistently scores below the UK all-sector average.

What the UKCSI actually measures

The UKCSI scores organisations across five dimensions: customer experience, complaint handling, customer ethos, emotional connection and ethics. Scores are drawn from tens of thousands of customer-reported experiences collected on a rolling basis, rather than a single survey moment. The utilities sector has consistently scored below the UK all-sector average in every UKCSI edition, which is why the sector-leader claim, rather than a cross-sector top 10 claim, is the one UK Power Networks' figures actually support.

The other measure: Ofgem's Broad Measure of Customer Satisfaction

The UKCSI is an independent, voluntary survey run by ICS. UK Power Networks is also assessed by its regulator, Ofgem, through the Broad Measure of Customer Satisfaction (BMoCS), a separate, regulator-run metric introduced in 2012 that scores customers out of 10 on the service they received. UK Power Networks reported a BMoCS score of 94% for 2023/24, up from 93.8% the previous year, and says Ofgem ranked it the top-performing Distribution Network Operator on that measure. The two metrics are not directly comparable, but both point in the same direction.

UK Power Networks is not an energy supplier

A common point of confusion is worth addressing directly. UK Power Networks does not sell electricity to households and does not appear on anyone's energy bill as a supplier. It is a Distribution Network Operator (DNO), the company that owns and maintains the physical cables, substations and infrastructure that carry electricity to homes and businesses across London, the East of England and the South East. Every household in that region is served by UK Power Networks regardless of which energy supplier, such as Octopus Energy, British Gas or E.ON, they choose to buy electricity from. Customer satisfaction with a DNO therefore mostly reflects experiences such as power cut response, new connections and fault repairs, not billing or tariffs.

What this means for households and businesses on the network

Because a DNO cannot be switched the way an energy supplier can, a UKCSI or BMoCS score is one of the only ways households and businesses in UK Power Networks' area can benchmark its service against other UK organisations, since choosing an alternative provider is not an option. For anyone experiencing a power cut, UK Power Networks' own contact channels, rather than the customer's energy supplier, are the correct point of contact.

Frequently asked questions

Is UK Power Networks actually in the UK's top 10 for customer service, or just among utilities?

The confirmed July 2026 UKCSI sector leaders are Nationwide (Banking), John Lewis (Retail), Jet2holidays (Tourism) and Jet2.com (Transport), none of them utilities. UK Power Networks' well-evidenced claim is that it leads the Utilities sector, a title held every UKCSI edition since 2022, though its specific July 2026 utilities score has not yet been published. There is no public evidence of UK Power Networks appearing in a cross-sector top 10 for this edition.

Who ranks UK Power Networks for customer service, ICS or Energy Live News?

The Institute of Customer Service (ICS), an independent professional membership body, produces the ranking as part of its UK Customer Satisfaction Index (UKCSI), based on surveys of more than 15,000 consumers. Energy Live News reported ICS's July 2026 result; it did not conduct the survey or compile the ranking itself.

What is UK Power Networks, and is it the same as my energy supplier?

No. UK Power Networks is a Distribution Network Operator (DNO), the company that owns and maintains the electricity cables and infrastructure across London, the East of England and the South East. It is not an energy supplier and does not bill households directly; every household in its area is served by UK Power Networks regardless of which supplier they buy electricity from.

How has UK Power Networks performed in past UKCSI results?

UK Power Networks has ranked first or joint first among utilities in every UKCSI edition tracked back to July 2022, including a score of 86.5 in July 2022, 80.6 (joint with Octopus Energy) in July 2025, and 83.8 in January 2026. Its specific July 2026 utilities-sector result has not yet been published.

Can I switch away from UK Power Networks if I am unhappy with the service?

No. Unlike an energy supplier, a Distribution Network Operator cannot be switched. UK Power Networks holds the licence to operate the electricity network across its region, and every household and business there is served by it regardless of preference.