Half the House Has No Power — Who Do I Call?

Electrician or electricity distributor?

An electrician assesses electrical problems within a property. Your electricity distributor handles the network that supplies the property. If you have been told there is an outage in your area, use the distributor’s outage information or faults contact before arranging a private visit. Let them know if your supply is only partly affected.

Your electricity retailer sends the bill, but it may not be the company responsible for the local poles and wires. Energy Made Easy explains where to find the distributor’s faults number on that bill. If you cannot identify the distributor, ask your retailer for its contact details.

Neighbours having power does not establish the cause of your problem. Likewise, a reported area outage does not explain every electrical fault at a property. Describe what you know to the distributor or electrician and follow their advice about who needs to attend. This page does not decide which equipment has failed.

Describe what still works and what does not

“Half the house” is a useful starting description. Add the rooms or areas affected, whether lights or power points stopped working, and whether power has returned. Share observations you already have; there is no need to operate appliances, open equipment or reproduce the fault to complete this form.

Mention when the problem started and whether it has happened before. If it followed a known outage, recent electrical work or severe weather, include that as context rather than a diagnosis. Tell the business if someone has already attended and share any job reference or written findings.

If you already know that a safety switch repeatedly trips, our separate safety-switch page covers arranging help for that symptom. You can still use this page when the device is unknown. An electrician can assess the installation without you having to identify the protective device first.

When you need someone urgently

For fire, smoke or immediate danger, move away and call 000. Do not wait for a reply to a quote request. Keep away from damaged electrical equipment and leave electrical work to a licensed electrician. The Energy Safe Victoria guidance below explains why household electrical work is not a DIY task.

If you need urgent attendance without an immediate emergency, phone the business and describe the situation. Ask whether someone can attend your actual suburb, when they expect to arrive and what the callout involves. A directory result, opening-hours label or sent enquiry does not reserve an appointment.

What to ask before agreeing to a visit

Ask whether the business handles partial power loss and how the initial assessment is charged. Confirm any callout fee, included investigation time, after-hours charges and GST. Find out how extra time or repairs will be approved if the cause is not apparent at the first inspection.

Check the electrical licence applicable in your state or territory and ask who will attend. If further repairs are recommended, request an explanation of the findings and a written scope. A loss of power does not, on its own, establish that the entire switchboard needs replacing.

If you rent or live in a managed building, tell your property manager or building manager what has happened and ask who is arranging attendance and access. Share any existing booking before requesting another visit. Responsibilities vary; the questions on this page do not decide who must pay.

Send the same brief to the electricians you choose

Choose your job suburb, or use an available saved location, to see local electricians. The questions are optional and your answers travel with the request. Select the businesses you want to contact, review the recipients and add any details about access, the affected rooms or an earlier attendance.

If you report an area outage, the page shows the distributor contact route first. You can return to the electricians if you still need a private assessment. Changing answers or location clears the previous business selection so you can review the right recipients for the current brief.

Use the quote request for arranging and comparing work. Confirm attendance directly when the job cannot wait. If no businesses appear for your search, use the directory or another nearby suburb and confirm service coverage; the page does not invent local results.