What to Do When Your Power Goes Out at Night

Short answer: first check whether neighbouring properties still have power to work out if it’s a local outage or something affecting your home specifically. If it’s just your property, check your fuse board for a tripped switch and safely try resetting it once. If it trips again immediately, or you can’t identify the cause, avoid repeatedly resetting it and call an emergency electrician.

Step 1: Work Out If It’s Just Your House

Look out of a window to see if streetlights and neighbouring homes still have power. If the whole street is dark, it’s likely a wider power cut affecting the local network, not a fault with your electrics. In this case, the fix isn’t something an electrician can resolve, since it’s down to your electricity network operator.

If neighbouring properties still have lights on and it’s just your home affected, the fault is almost certainly within your own installation, and the fuse board is the place to check next.

Step 2: Check for a Wider Power Cut First

If it does look like a wider outage, you can check your network operator’s website or power cut helpline, usually reachable on 105 from any phone in the UK, which connects you to your local electricity distributor regardless of who you pay your bill to. This will confirm whether it’s a known outage and give an estimated restoration time, and it’s a faster route to an answer than assuming it’s your own wiring.

Step 3: If It’s Just Your Property, Check the Fuse Board

Locate your fuse board and look for any switches in the “off” or middle position rather than fully up. If you find one, and you’re comfortable doing so safely, you can try switching it back on once. If it stays on, the power should be restored to that circuit.

If it trips again immediately, or as soon as you switch on a particular appliance, that’s telling you something. Don’t keep resetting it repeatedly, since this can be a sign of an active fault rather than a one-off.

Step 4: Try to Identify What Might Have Caused It

Think back to what happened just before the power went. A specific appliance being switched on, a storm or heavy rain, or recent work on the property can all be useful information for whoever comes out to look at it. This isn’t essential, but it can help narrow down the cause more quickly.

When to Call an Emergency Electrician

The board keeps tripping immediately after resetting

This points to an active fault rather than a simple overload, and repeatedly resetting it isn’t a safe long-term approach.

You notice a burning smell, buzzing, or visible damage at the board

Any of these alongside a power loss should be treated as more urgent than a simple trip, and it’s worth calling for help straight away rather than waiting until morning.

Only part of the house has lost power

If some circuits are working and others aren’t, this usually points to a specific circuit fault rather than a wider issue, and is worth having looked at properly.

You’re not confident using the fuse board yourself

If you’re unsure which switch is which, or uncomfortable touching the board at all, it’s entirely reasonable to leave it and call for help rather than guessing.

It’s happened more than once recently

A power loss that keeps recurring, even if it resolves itself each time, usually indicates an underlying fault that’s likely to get worse rather than go away on its own.

What Not to Do

Avoid repeatedly flicking a tripped switch back on if it won’t stay on, since this doesn’t fix the underlying issue and can make an existing fault worse. Avoid using candles as a light source if you can help it, given the fire risk, and use a torch or phone light instead. If you can smell burning or see any damage at the fuse board, don’t attempt to reset anything yourself, and treat it as an emergency.

Staying Prepared for Future Outages

Keeping a torch, phone power bank, and your electrician’s number somewhere easy to find (rather than only saved on a phone that may also have lost charge) makes a night-time power loss considerably less stressful when it does happen. If outages or trips have become a recurring issue in your home, this is usually a sign the underlying installation is worth a proper inspection rather than something to keep working around.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if a power cut is just my house or the whole street?

Check if neighbouring properties and streetlights still have power. If they do, the issue is specific to your property. If they don’t, it’s likely a wider network outage.

Who do I call for a power cut affecting my whole street?

Call 105, a free number that connects you to your local electricity network operator regardless of who supplies your energy, for information and updates on wider outages.

Is it safe to reset a tripped fuse board myself?

It’s generally safe to try resetting it once if you’re comfortable doing so. If it trips again immediately, stop and call an electrician rather than repeatedly resetting it.

Why does my power keep going out at night specifically?

This can sometimes be linked to higher household electricity use in the evening, such as heating, cooking, and multiple appliances running at once, putting more strain on a circuit that’s already close to its limit.

Should I call an emergency electrician straight away or wait until morning?

If the board keeps tripping, you notice a burning smell, buzzing, or damage, or only part of the house has power, it’s worth calling straight away rather than waiting.

Emergency Electrician Cover

I provide 24/7 emergency call-out cover across Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, including Aldershot, Farnborough, Farnham, Camberley and Fleet. If you’re dealing with a power loss that isn’t resolving itself, call: 07538 379157.