Free Troubleshooter
Why Is My Power Out?
Answer a few quick questions and we'll tell you whether it's a network outage, a fault on your property, or something you can fix yourself — and exactly who to call.
How much power have you lost?
Have a quick look outside — are your neighbours' lights and street lights on?
General guidance only. Never open the switchboard cover, touch damaged cables or fallen lines, or work on wiring yourself. If you see flames, heavy smoke or a fallen power line, call 000 and stay well clear.
The three places your power can fail
Every blackout comes down to a fault in one of three sections — and who fixes it depends on which one:
- The network — poles, wires and substations in the street. Street-wide outages live here, and your distributor (Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy or Essential Energy) restores them free.
- Your service connection — the service line, point of attachment, consumer mains and service fuse between the street and your switchboard. Faults here (blown service fuse, lost phase, damaged neutral) knock out all or half the house while the neighbours stay on. Only a Level 2 Accredited Service Provider can repair this section.
- Your installation — the switchboard and circuits inside the property. Tripping safety switches and breakers live here, and any licensed electrician can fault-find them. We do both, 24/7.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my power out but my neighbours have power?
If the neighbours have power and every switch in your board is on, the fault is almost always in your service fuse, consumer mains or point of attachment — the section between the street and your switchboard. Only a Level 2 Accredited Service Provider is authorised to repair that section, which is why a standard electrician often can't restore your power.
Why is only half my house without power?
Partial power loss usually means you've lost one phase of your supply or the neutral connection is deteriorating. A failing neutral is dangerous — voltages swing, appliances get damaged, and metal fittings can become live. Treat it as an emergency and call a Level 2 electrician rather than waiting for it to fail completely.
Who do I call when the whole street loses power?
Your electricity distributor: Ausgrid on 13 13 88, Endeavour Energy on 131 003, or Essential Energy on 13 20 80. Street-wide outages are network faults and the distributor restores them free of charge. If power returns to the street but not your house, the remaining fault is on your side — that's when you call a Level 2 electrician.
Why does my safety switch keep tripping?
Either an appliance is leaking current to earth, or the fixed wiring is — often from moisture after rain. Unplug everything on the affected circuits and reset: if it holds, plug items back one at a time to find the culprit appliance. If it trips with everything unplugged, the fault is in the wiring and needs licensed fault-finding.
Is it safe to keep resetting a tripped main switch?
No. Reset it once — if it trips again immediately or won't move to ON, there's a live fault and the switch is protecting you from it. Repeatedly forcing it on can overheat wiring and start a fire. Leave it off and call an electrician.
How fast can Sydney Power Group restore power?
We run a genuine 24/7 emergency service across Sydney and are Level 2 accredited on the Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy networks — so we can repair service fuses, consumer mains and point-of-attachment faults ourselves instead of waiting for the network. Call 0466 125 125 any time.