Loss of Electricity

In the case of loss of electric light or power

Your fuse box, or consumer unit, will either have fuses or trip switches. Modern electric circuits are fitted with a circuit breaker fuse system; if a fault develops, a switch is tripped and the circuit is broken. 

Setting a trip switch

Open the cover on the consumer unit to see which switches have tripped to the OFF position. Put them back to the ON position.

If tripping occurs again, it is probably being caused by a faulty appliance. You need to identify which circuit is affected and which appliance on that circuit is causing the problem.

Which appliance is faulty?

Go around the house noting which set of lights or sockets are not working. Unplug all appliances on that problem circuit and switch off any immersion heaters (if you have one). Switch the tripped switch to the ON position and plug in the appliances one by one until the trip goes again. Leave that appliance unplugged, and have it repaired by a qualified electrician.

What causes it to trip or blow a fuse?

– An overloaded circuit
– Too many appliances being used at the same time
– A faulty or misused appliance
– Overfilled kettles
– Unclean toasters
– Cooker rings worn out or cracked
– Faulty immersion heaters
– Faulty connections on leads to appliances e.g. televisions or stereos etc.
– Light bulbs blowing

What If there is a power cut in my area?

If you suspect that there is a power cut in your area, for example if your neighbour's home has lost power too, you can check using the following options:

• Call 105 to reach the national 24 hour electrical supply emergency line
• Tenants in the Scottish and Southern Energy supply region can check online here*
• Tenants in Scottish Power supply region can check online here*

* = note you will require mobile data connectivity as your broadband will likely be offline when a power cut has occurred.