What to Do When Your Power Goes Out

The lights go out. Your first instinct might be to call Ausgrid, or to assume the whole street is affected. But sometimes the cause is closer to home. Here’s how to work out what’s happening and what to do next.

Step 1: Check Your Neighbours

Look outside — do your neighbours have power? If the street is dark, it’s a network outage and you’ll need to report it to Ausgrid (13 13 88). You can also check the Ausgrid outage map at ausgrid.com.au for real-time updates. In a network outage, there’s nothing you can do except wait.

Step 2: Check Your Switchboard

If neighbours have power but you don’t, head to your switchboard. Look for any circuit breakers that have tripped to the middle (off) position, or any safety switches (RCDs) with their test button popped out. Reset tripped breakers by switching them fully off then back on. If they trip again immediately, don’t keep resetting — there’s a fault on that circuit.

If your safety switch has tripped, it has detected a current leakage somewhere. Unplug all appliances on the affected circuit, reset the switch, then plug appliances back in one at a time to identify the faulty one.

Step 3: Check Your Meter

If all breakers look fine but you still have no power, check whether your electricity meter has a fault indicator light. Contact your energy retailer if the meter appears to be the issue.

When to Call an Electrician

Call a licensed electrician if: a breaker keeps tripping after reset, you smell burning or see scorch marks near the switchboard, you have partial power loss (some circuits working, others not), or power is out to just one area of your home. These are signs of a fault that needs professional diagnosis.

Don’t attempt to open or repair your meter box — this is Ausgrid’s responsibility and working near the main supply is extremely dangerous.

Staying Safe During an Outage

Never use petrol generators indoors — carbon monoxide is deadly. Use battery-powered torches rather than candles. Keep your fridge and freezer closed to preserve food for as long as possible. If power is out for more than a few hours, unplug sensitive electronics to protect them from surges when power returns.

Leenderts Electrical provides prompt fault finding and emergency electrical services across Sydney’s North Shore. Call 0407 743 963 any time.