ECOES
What is ECOES?
ECOES, the Electricity Central Online Enquiry Service, is the central industry database that holds the key reference details for every electricity supply point in Great Britain. A lookup confirms a supply’s MPAN, its current registered supplier and its meter details. It is used by suppliers, brokers and other accredited parties rather than by the public, and it is the electricity counterpart to Xoserve, which holds the equivalent information for gas. It is the system relied on to identify a supply when bills or paperwork have gone missing.
On this page
ECOES is a behind-the-scenes industry system that most business owners never use directly but rely on indirectly. It’s the central reference for electricity supply points in Great Britain, and it’s what makes a switch or a move possible when the basic details have gone missing.
What ECOES is
ECOES stands for the Electricity Central Online Enquiry Service. It’s a central database that holds the key reference details for every electricity supply point in Great Britain. Think of it as the industry’s address book for electricity meters: given a supply, it can tell you who supplies it, what the supply number is, and what sort of meter is fitted.
It exists because the electricity market has many players, suppliers, network operators, meter operators, and they all need a single agreed source of truth about each connection. ECOES is that source for the data points that matter when a supply changes hands.
What it tells you
An ECOES lookup returns the essentials about a supply: its unique supply number, the current registered supplier, the meter details including the meter serial number, and the parties that look after the meter, such as the meter operator. It will also show whether the meter is settled on a half-hourly or non-half-hourly basis and its profile class.
That bundle of facts is exactly what’s needed to set up a new contract or arrange a switch. Without it, a supplier can’t reliably identify the supply they’re being asked to take on.
ECOES and your MPAN
The single most useful thing ECOES provides is the MPAN, the Meter Point Administration Number, which is the unique reference for an electricity supply point. It’s the electricity equivalent of a supply’s fingerprint, and you need it to switch supplier or set up a contract.
If you’ve lost your MPAN and have no bill to read it from, an ECOES enquiry against the property is how it gets recovered. That’s often the first step when someone takes on a site and finds no usable paperwork at all.
Who can use it
ECOES is an industry tool, not a public website you can browse. Access is for licensed market participants and accredited parties, such as suppliers, brokers and meter operators, who use it to administer supplies. As a business owner you won’t query ECOES directly.
What that means in practice is that you ask someone with access to look it up for you. A broker or a prospective supplier can run the enquiry as part of getting you a quote or arranging a switch, which is usually how the details reach you.
The gas equivalent
ECOES is electricity only. Gas has its own central system, run by Xoserve, which performs the same kind of role for gas supply points: confirming the supply number, the registered supplier and the meter behind a gas connection.
So if you’re tracking down details for a dual-fuel site, ECOES handles the electricity side and Xoserve handles the gas. Between them they cover the reference data for both meters at a property.
When it is useful
ECOES earns its keep in a handful of situations: moving into premises with no bills, taking over a supply at a site change, switching supplier when you don’t have your supply number to hand, or simply working out who currently supplies a property. In each case the underlying problem is the same, missing details, and ECOES is where they’re recovered.
It’s also useful for confirming meter type before a quote, since a supply on a half-hourly meter is priced differently from one that isn’t.
How to get your details
Because you can’t access ECOES yourself, the route is to ask a party who can. When you request a quote or start a switch, a broker or supplier can run the enquiry against your property and confirm the supply number, current supplier and meter details for you.
It’s worth having the property address and, if you have it, any old reference to hand, as it speeds up the lookup. Once the details are confirmed, the rest of the switch or contract setup can proceed normally.
Why it matters for you
You’ll rarely think about ECOES, but it removes a common roadblock. The lack of a supply number or an unknown current supplier is one of the most frequent reasons a switch stalls, and ECOES is what unblocks it. Knowing it exists means missing paperwork no longer prevents a switch.
For the wider picture of how a supply is identified, metered and priced, our business electricity page sets out the moving parts, and the related terms below cover the individual references ECOES brings together.
Frequently asked questions
What is ECOES?
ECOES is the Electricity Central Online Enquiry Service, a central industry database holding the key reference details for every electricity supply point in Great Britain, including the supply number, current supplier and meter details.
What does ECOES stand for?
It stands for the Electricity Central Online Enquiry Service.
What information does ECOES hold?
An ECOES lookup returns the MPAN for a supply, the current registered supplier, the meter serial number, the meter operator, and whether the meter is half-hourly or non-half-hourly along with its profile class.
Can the public access ECOES?
No. ECOES is for licensed market participants and accredited parties such as suppliers, brokers and meter operators. A business owner cannot query it directly and instead asks someone with access to look it up.
How do I find my MPAN using ECOES?
If you have no bill to read your MPAN from, a party with ECOES access, such as a broker or a prospective supplier, can run an enquiry against your property to recover it. That is often the first step when taking on a site with no paperwork.
Is there a gas equivalent of ECOES?
Yes. Gas supply points are handled by Xoserve, which performs the same role for gas as ECOES does for electricity, confirming the supply number, registered supplier and meter details.
How do I find out who supplies my electricity?
An ECOES enquiry against the property returns the current registered supplier. Because you cannot access ECOES yourself, a broker or supplier runs the lookup for you, often as part of providing a quote.
Do I need ECOES to switch supplier?
Not directly, but the details ECOES holds, especially the MPAN and meter information, are needed to arrange a switch. If you already have your supply number and a recent bill, the lookup may not be necessary.
Is using ECOES free for me?
You do not use ECOES yourself, so there is no charge to you. The party with access, such as a broker, runs the enquiry as part of quoting or arranging a switch.
What is the difference between ECOES and the meter serial number?
ECOES is the database; the meter serial number is one of the details it holds. The meter serial number identifies the physical meter, while the MPAN identifies the supply point itself, and ECOES links the two together.
When would a business use ECOES?
Typically when moving into premises with no bills, taking over a supply, switching without the supply number to hand, or working out who currently supplies a property. In each case the details are missing and ECOES is where they are recovered.
How is ECOES different from Xoserve?
ECOES covers electricity supply points and Xoserve covers gas. For a dual-fuel site, ECOES handles the electricity details and Xoserve handles the gas, so between them they cover both meters at a property.
Retail Energy Code data standards · Elexon Balancing and Settlement Code guidance (elexon.co.uk) · Ofgem (ofgem.gov.uk)