Emergency call-outs: what to do before we arrive
What counts as an electrical emergency, the safe checks to make before calling, and how a call-out visit and pricing actually works.
Some situations need an electrician immediately, and some can wait until tomorrow at a much lower cost. Knowing which is which saves money, and there are a few safe checks that occasionally solve the problem before anyone is dispatched.
If you smell burning, see scorch marks or hear arcing, stop reading and isolate the main switch.
- Burning smells, scorching or arcing — isolate and call immediately
- Total power loss — check whether neighbours are also off
- One circuit dead — safe to leave off overnight in most cases
- Never repeatedly reset a breaker into a fault
Checks that are safe to do yourself
Look at the board and note which device has operated. Check whether neighbouring properties have power — a whole-street outage is a network fault, and the network operator attends free of charge on 105.
Unplug everything on the affected circuit, then try the breaker once. If it holds, plug items back one at a time; a failing appliance is the most common cause.
What we do on arrival
Triage first, usually on the phone before setting off — a fair number of calls are resolved without a visit. On site we isolate, diagnose by measurement, make safe, and give a fixed price for the repair before doing it.
How call-out pricing works
The attendance covers diagnosis and making safe. Any repair is priced separately and agreed before it starts, so you are never presented with an open-ended bill at the end.
Common questions
Is a power cut an electrician job?
Not if the whole street is off — call 105 for the network operator first. We'll tell you if that's the likely cause.
Can you attend the same day?
Same-day attendance is our aim for genuine emergencies across our coverage area.
What if it can wait?
We'll say so and book a normal appointment at a normal rate rather than charging emergency attendance.
Get a fixed price
Describe exactly what happened just before the power went — that detail alone often narrows the fault down over the phone.