Power cut at home: your fault or the network?

Two quick checks tell you who to call.

The answer in 2 lines. First look at your consumer unit (fuse box) without opening it: if a switch has flipped down, the problem is inside your home. If nothing has moved and your neighbours or the street lights are also off, it is the network: call 105, free, 24 hours a day, or check your network operator's website. Your energy supplier does not fix power cuts; the network operator does. Unplug sensitive devices and keep the freezer shut. A network fault is fixed at no cost to you; a fault inside your home is for a registered electrician.

The first 3 steps

Look at your consumer unit without opening it: has the main switch or any trip switch flipped down?
Look outside: are your neighbours, the stairwell or the street lights off too? If so, it is probably the network: call 105.
Unplug sensitive devices (computer, router, TV) until the power returns, and keep the fridge and freezer closed.

Stop: danger

Burning smell, smoke or crackling at the consumer unit or meter: do not reset anything and touch nothing. Smoke or flames: get out and call 999.
Fallen power line or damaged pole or substation: stay well away, keep others back, and call 105 (or 999 if someone is in danger).

Your home or the network?

A switch has flipped down at your consumer unit: a problem in your home (an appliance, an overload, a fault). Reset once; if it trips again, see our guide on a trip switch that keeps tripping.
Nothing has moved and the neighbours are dark too: a network power cut. Call 105 or check your network operator's power cut map.
Nothing has moved but the neighbours have power: possibly the main fuse, the meter or your supply cable. Call 105; never open the meter or the sealed main fuse.

What not to do

Opening the meter, the sealed main fuse ("cut-out") or an outside meter box: they belong to the network and your supplier.
Leaving everything plugged in: a surge when the power returns can damage devices.
Opening the freezer every hour to check: it stays cold longer when closed.

Good to know

105 is free and puts you through to your local electricity network operator, whoever your energy supplier is.
If someone at home depends on medical equipment, is older, disabled or has young children, join your supplier's free Priority Services Register for extra help during power cuts.
In Northern Ireland the network is run by NIE Networks; check its website or your bill for the number to call.

Can you get a payment?

Network operators must meet guaranteed standards. If a power cut lasts longer than the limits set by Ofgem, the energy regulator, you may be entitled to a fixed payment; the amount and how to claim are set out on Ofgem's page "Check if you can get a payment for a power cut". We have not quoted the amounts here because they are reviewed regularly: check Ofgem for the current figures.

On a stormy evening in Sheffield, everything goes dark at Daniel's house. His consumer unit has not moved and the whole street is out. He calls 105, hears that engineers are on the way, unplugs his TV and router, and leaves the freezer shut.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on 18 October 2026, for England. Confidence: high for the 105 number and the checks; medium for how long a repair takes, which depends on each fault. Payment amounts are not quoted: see Ofgem. This guide describes common cases, not a diagnosis.