Total power loss? Here’s what it usually means

Guidance last checked on 3 October 2026 against UK safety regulation and the sources behind our service pages.

If your neighbours and the street lights are out too, it is probably a power cut: report it online to your local network operator, or call 105 free. If only your home is affected, check the fuse box, but don't touch it if it is wet, scorched, smells of burning or is crackling: leave it for an electrician, and if there is smoke or fire, get everyone out and call 999. Otherwise, switch a tripped switch back on once, with your appliances unplugged. If it trips again, leave it off and call an electrician. If nothing has tripped and any prepayment meter has credit, report it as a power cut too.

Total power loss: the questions people ask

How do I know if it's a power cut?

Ask a neighbour, or look outside. If nearby homes have no lights, or the street lights are off at night, it is probably a power cut in your area, and the thing to do is report it to your local electricity network operator. If your neighbours still have power, look at your fuse box next, because a switch that has tripped in your own home may have cut the power instead.

How do I reset a tripped fuse box?

The fuse box, also called the consumer unit, has a main switch and trip switches that cut the power when they detect a fault. If it is dry and undamaged, switch off or unplug your appliances, then push the tripped switch back to on, once. If the power comes back, an overloaded circuit or a faulty appliance may have tripped it. If it trips again, stop: leave it off, keep the appliances unplugged and call an electrician.

Why is my power off when my neighbours still have power?

Start with your own home: check the fuse box for a tripped switch, and check that a prepayment meter still has credit, because once the credit runs out the power stays off until you top up. If neither is the cause, report it to your network operator anyway. Homes in the same street are often supplied by different cables, so the cable to your home can fail while your neighbours' still works.

Who do I call in a power cut?

Your local electricity network operator, the company that runs the cables and substations in your area. It is not your energy supplier, the company that bills you, and fixing a power cut is the network operator's job, not an electrician's. Report it on the network operator's website, which powercut105.com finds by postcode, or call 105, free and open day and night. If your meter itself is faulty, contact your energy supplier instead.

Why has my heating gone off in a power cut?

Gas boilers and heat pumps won't work without electricity, the Energy Networks Association warns, so the heating goes off until the power comes back. Keep warm with layers, a hat, gloves and blankets, and close the curtains and the doors to rooms you aren't using. Keeping warm matters most for anyone who is unwell, less mobile or very young, so check on them first.

What should I do while the power is off?

Switch appliances off at the wall, apart from the fridge and freezer, and keep their doors closed. Leave one light switched on so you know when the power is back. Use a torch rather than candles, keep a mobile phone charged, and check on neighbours who may need help, especially anyone who relies on medical equipment that runs on electricity.

What to do, in order

1. Check whether your neighbours have power
Ask a neighbour, or look outside. If nearby homes have no lights, or the street lights are off at night, it is probably a power cut in your area: go straight to reporting it. If they have power, check your fuse box next.
2. Check the fuse box for a tripped switch
Find the fuse box, also called the consumer unit, and check whether the main switch or any trip switch is off. If it is wet, scorched, smells of burning or crackling, don't touch it; if there is smoke, get everyone out and call 999.
3. Unplug your appliances, then switch it back on once
Switch off or unplug your appliances, then push the tripped switch back to on, once. If the power comes back and the switch stays on, an overloaded circuit or a faulty appliance may have tripped it.
4. Leave it off if it trips again
If the switch trips again straight away, or won't stay on even with everything unplugged, don't keep resetting it. Leave it off, keep the appliances unplugged and book an electrician: there is likely a fault in an appliance or in the wiring itself.
5. Check a prepayment meter has credit
If nothing has tripped and you have a prepayment meter, check its display for credit: once the credit runs out, the power stays off until you top up. If you can't afford to top up, talk to your energy supplier.
6. Report it to your local network operator
If nothing has tripped and the meter has credit, report a power cut online to your network operator, which powercut105.com finds by postcode, or call 105 free. Do this even if your neighbours have power: your own supply cable can be faulty.
7. Switch appliances off and leave one light on
Until the power is back, switch appliances off at the wall except the fridge and freezer, and keep their doors closed. Leave one light switched on so you know when the power returns, and use a torch rather than candles.

What not to do

Don't keep switching the main switch or a trip switch back on if it trips again straight away — leave it off and book an electrician; a switch that won't stay on is likely cutting the power because of a fault
Don't touch a fuse box that is wet, scorched, smells of burning or is crackling — leave it for an electrician, and if there is smoke or fire, get everyone out and call 999
Don't open or tamper with the cut-out, the box beside the meter that the incoming power cable runs into, the main fuse, or the meter itself — none of them is yours or an electrician's to open: the cut-out is your network operator's, and the meter is your energy supplier's
Don't go near a fallen power line or damaged electricity equipment — keep everyone well away, call 999 if anyone is in danger, then report it on 105
Don't use candles to heat a room, and use a torch rather than candles for light; never use a barbecue indoors or on a balcony, or a portable generator indoors — both give off carbon monoxide
Don't book an electrician for a power cut: if your neighbours and the street lights are out too, or nothing in your fuse box has tripped and any prepayment meter still has credit, report it online to your local electricity network operator (powercut105.com finds yours by postcode) or call 105 free, day or night — fixing a power cut is the network operator's job
If you smell gas, or a carbon monoxide alarm sounds: don't smoke, light a flame or touch light switches, open the doors and windows, turn the gas off at the meter if you can reach it safely and it isn't in a cellar or basement, get everyone out, and call the National Gas Emergency Service free on 0800 111 999 before anything else — before calling us

When to request help

Request an electrician for a fault inside your home: a main switch or trip switch that trips again as soon as you reset it, or won't stay on even with everything unplugged, or a fuse box that is scorched or smells of burning. A power cut, a faulty meter or a fault on the network's side is not an electrician's job. If you rent, tell your landlord or letting agent before booking: your landlord must make sure the electrical system is safe. Treat it as a same-day job if the fuse box is scorched or smells of burning, or if the fault leaves you with no heating in cold weather or with vulnerable people at home. The Hero Agreement requires an electrician to hold competent person scheme registration, such as NICEIC or NAPIT.

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