Check This First
Before you call anyone, a quick check that can save you a wasted callout: look at your neighbours' houses. If they've still got power and it's just you, that's almost certainly something on your side of the meter — a fault, a tripped safety switch, or damaged wiring — and it's worth a call. If the whole street is dark, that's the electricity distributor's job, not ours, and reporting it to them will get it fixed faster than an electrician can.
What to Do While You Wait
- Switch off what you can — turn off the safety switch or main switch if it's safe to reach, and unplug sensitive appliances.
- Don't touch anything wet, sparking, or visibly damaged. That includes power points, cords, and any exposed wiring.
- Keep clear of the switchboard if there's a burning smell or visible damage — treat it as live until a licensed electrician says otherwise.
- If anyone's in danger, call 000 first. We're the second call, not the first, when there's an immediate risk to safety.
Why It's Worth Calling a Licensed Electrician
Emergency electrical work is exactly where licensing matters most — you're dealing with live faults, not a routine install. A licensed electrician can isolate the fault safely, tell you what's actually wrong instead of guessing, and get the property back to a safe state properly the first time, rather than a temporary fix that fails again next week.