Power Out? How to Tell If It Is the Network or Your House

The lights go out and the first question is always the same: is it just us, or is it the whole street? Spring on the Peninsula brings wind, and wind brings down branches and powerlines. Which kind of outage you have decides who you call and what is safe to do while you wait.

Start with the street, not the switchboard

Emergency Victoria puts the first check plainly: look at whether a neighbour has also lost power, and if the neighbour still has power, check whether your safety switch has tripped.

• Look out the window for streetlights, neighbours' lights, and traffic lights on the main road.
• Whole street dark, or a run of houses dark, points to a network fault. Nothing you do at your board will bring it back.
• Only your house dark points to something on your side of the meter.

That one look saves you standing at the meter box in the rain for no reason.

A network outage belongs to your distributor

The poles, the wires, and the meter are the responsibility of an electricity distributor, which is a different company from the retailer that sends you the bill. Energy Safe Victoria lists five distributors for Victoria: CitiPower, Powercor, AusNet Services, Jemena and United Energy, with a faults number for each. Which one covers your address depends on where you live.

Energy Safe Victoria's advice is to call your electricity supply company to let them know your power is out. While you wait, it also advises switching off appliances, because they could start a fire if the power returns when nobody is home.

Solar will not keep the lights on

This one surprises people every storm season. Emergency Victoria states it plainly: if you have solar panels, your power will still go out unless you have a battery storage system set up for off-grid operation. A normal grid connected system is not a backup supply.

Energy Safe Victoria also advises shutting down the solar system using the safe isolation procedure at the inverter during an outage. If the panels or the inverter look damaged, leave them alone and get a licensed electrician to make the system safe.

If only your house is out

Take a torch to the board and look, without touching anything you do not need to touch.

• Check the main switch, then each safety switch and circuit breaker. A tripped device sits out of line with the ones beside it.
• If a safety switch has tripped, unplug the appliances on that part of the house and reset it.
• If it holds, plug things back in one at a time until you find the one that trips it again.

Stop and call a licensed electrician if the board is wet, damaged, warm, buzzing, or smells burnt. Energy Safe Victoria is direct about this after weather: do not touch the switchboard if it is damaged by the weather, and call a licensed electrician after the storm.

Also stop if the main switch will not stay on, or if every device is in the on position and there is still no power. That points at the supply into the house or the fixed wiring, and neither is something to open up. Removing covers or panels at a switchboard is licensed work in Victoria.

Fallen powerlines are the real danger

Energy Safe Victoria's storm guidance is worth knowing before you need it.

• Fallen powerlines can carry current that kills. Stay at least eight metres away, which is about two car lengths.
• Stay clear of anything a line may be touching, including vehicles, metal fences and water.
• Report the location to your electricity supply company and to the police.
• If lives are in danger, call 000.

Before a storm, Energy Safe Victoria suggests unplugging outdoor appliances and storing them dry, moving appliances up high if flooding is likely, and knowing where and how to turn off your power. If lights are flickering during a storm, do not touch the switchboard or anything metal in the house.

Turning it all back on

Energy Safe Victoria sets out an order for restoring power, and it is worth following rather than flipping everything at once.

1. Unplug or turn off all appliances and equipment before switching the power back on.
2. Turn on the main switch.
3. Turn on each circuit breaker one at a time.
4. Test each safety switch with its test button, then reset it and test it again.

Then plug appliances back in a few at a time. If a safety switch will not hold once things go back on, something has likely taken in water or been damaged, and that is a fault worth chasing rather than living around.

What to do next

Check the street before you check the board. If it is a network outage, report it to your distributor and leave the wires to them. If your house is the only dark one, if the board is wet or damaged, or if a switch will not stay on with everything unplugged, that is the point to stop and call a licensed electrician.