There are numerous different reasons why the electricity supply in your home may go out at any given time. Although relatively rare, when this happens because of bad weather, you should visit the Utility Bidder website to find out what to do.
Did you pay your bills?
A common question to ask if your electricity has gone off. If you don’t pay your utility bills, your gas and electricity provider will cut your energy supply off. They should provide you with notice that they intend to disconnect you. Although energy firms are not known for providing excellent standards of customer service, they should be able to arrange instalment payments or help you get back on track with your bills before they cut you off.
You can get your electricity supply back on again by coming to an agreement with the power company.
Do you have a prepayment metre?
The problem with your electricity supply could be as simple as a lack of cash in the prepayment metre. Check that you have topped up the metre; if the metre has run out of money, your electrics should turn back on again the moment you put some more cash in it. If the metre is faulty, then contact your landlord or your energy supplier to get it fixed.
Is there a power cut?
If the electricity has gone off in your house, take a look outside. Are your neighbours also experiencing a power outage? If so, your local area may have lost its electricity supply. Your network operator may be able to give you a rough estimate of the length of the power cut.
You might be able to find information about local power cuts on the internet – if you managed to reach this webpage, you could see whether anyone in your local area is posting Twitter or Facebook statuses about the electricity outage.
Have your fuses tripped?
If your electricity cut out when you turned on a light switch or electrical appliance, this strongly suggests that your fuses have tripped. Fuses can trip at any time, however, so if you do not know why you have no electricity supply, it’s worth taking a look at the fuse box.
When fuse boxes detect a problem, such as an unusual power surge, residual current devices ‘trip’ and cut off the power supply to the rest of the house. All your switches should be pointing upwards; if one is down, then flick it back on again.
If you flick the switch and it will not stay upright, then the faulty switch or appliance may still be plugged in and turned on, and your residual current devices are still trying to protect you. Unplug the broken appliance or turn off the faulty switch and try again.
Cannot resolve the problem?
If you cannot fix the problem by yourself, there may be something wrong with your electricity supply, and you will need the help of a qualified, Part P approved electrician.
