List of all 418 Ofgem-licensed gas companies in the UK

An Ofgem-licensed gas company is legally authorised to perform a regulated activity within Great Britain’s gas market. This may include supplying customers, arranging gas transportation, operating pipelines or managing an interconnector. Holding a licence does not necessarily mean the company sells gas directly to homes or businesses.

This directory currently lists 418 Ofgem-licensed gas companies across eight broad licence types. The total includes suppliers, shippers, transporters, interconnectors, private-network operators and the smart meter communications licensee. It therefore contains considerably more companies than a typical list of consumer-facing gas suppliers.

No. Many licensed gas companies do not sell gas directly to customers. Gas shippers arrange for gas to be transported through the network, while gas transporters operate pipelines and distribution infrastructure. Only companies holding an appropriate gas supply licence can directly supply domestic or non-domestic customers.

Gas companies holding a domestic and non-domestic supply licence or a non-domestic-only supply licence may serve businesses. However, a licence does not confirm that a company is currently accepting customers of every size. Businesses should check each supplier’s eligibility rules, available tariffs, minimum consumption requirements and geographical coverage.

A gas company may hold a licence covering gas supply, shipping, transportation, interconnection, private networks or smart meter communications. Transporter licences can also cover distribution networks, independent gas transporters, the National Transmission System and site-specific pipelines. The licence type identifies the regulated activity the company may undertake.

Check the company’s exact legal name against Ofgem’s licence records. You can then use Companies House to confirm its company number, registered address, incorporation date and current status. Trading names may differ from legal company names, so comparing the registration number helps prevent confusion between similarly named businesses.

Yes. A gas company may need separate licences when it undertakes several regulated activities, such as supplying and shipping gas. Large energy groups may also operate through several related legal entities, each holding its own licence. This explains why the same brand or company group may appear more than once.

Businesses can switch gas company, but they should first check their contract end date, notice period and termination charges. Most business energy contracts do not include the 14-day cancellation rights commonly associated with domestic contracts. The new supplier will normally request recent bills, annual consumption and current tariff information.

Gas companies can differ significantly in unit rates, standing charges, contract lengths, payment terms and customer service. Businesses should compare the estimated total annual cost rather than choosing the lowest advertised unit rate. It is also important to examine renewal rules, exit charges, pass-through costs and complaint procedures.

Your gas supply should not be interrupted if your supplier stops trading. Ofgem’s safety-net process transfers customers to another licensed supplier. Business customers can review the new contract and shop around after the transfer, although they should record a meter reading and retain recent bills and account information.