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uk Home & property emergencies

What to do if…
you lose power in part of your home and the breaker panel looks normal

Produced and maintained by PanicStation.org Published: Last reviewed: Editorial policy UK guide

Short answer

Treat partial power loss as a possible electrical fault. Stop using the affected area, do one careful reset only if it is safe, and if power does not return or anything seems unsafe, contact the right help rather than repeatedly trying switches.

Do not do these things

  • Don’t remove the cover of the consumer unit, meter box, sockets, or switches.
  • Don’t touch anything damaged, wet, hot, sparking, buzzing, or smelling of burning.
  • Don’t repeatedly switch breakers, RCDs, or RCBOs on and off.
  • Don’t keep using appliances on the affected circuit to “see what happens”.
  • Don’t use candles as your main lighting if you can use a torch or phone light instead.
  • Don’t run any fuel-burning generator, BBQ, camping stove, or outdoor heater indoors or in a garage.

What to do now

  1. Pause and scan for danger signs. If you smell burning, hear buzzing or crackling, see smoke or sparks, notice scorch marks, or find a socket or switch that feels hot, move away from that area. If there is fire, smoke, or immediate danger, call 999.
  2. Switch off only if it is clearly safe. If the consumer unit main switch is dry, cool, undamaged, and easy to reach without going near danger, switch the power off at the main switch. Do not touch the consumer unit if it looks damaged, is wet, is hot, is sparking, or is making noise.
  3. Check whether this may be wider than your home. Look for power in another part of the home. If it is easy and safe, ask a neighbour whether they have power or check whether nearby homes or street lighting seem affected.
  4. Reduce the load before any reset. Unplug or switch off appliances in the affected area, especially the last appliance used before the power went off, and high-load items such as a kettle, microwave, heater, washing machine, or tumble dryer.
  5. Do one careful consumer unit reset check. A breaker, RCD, or RCBO can sometimes look on when it has tripped. Look for any switch slightly out of line. For the switch that appears to feed the dead area, push it fully to OFF, then back to ON once. If it trips again or will not stay on, leave it off.
  6. Check for a local reset device. Some garage, outdoor, kitchen, shed, or outbuilding sockets may be fed through a separate RCD spur, fused spur with reset, RCD unit, or plug-in RCD adapter. If you find a reset button clearly linked to the affected sockets, press Reset once. If it trips again, stop.
  7. Do not press test buttons during the fault. A TEST or T button on an RCD or RCBO is meant to deliberately cut power for testing. That can wait until the situation is stable.
  8. If power is still out in part of the home, report it or get help. In England, Scotland, and Wales, call 105 to reach your local electricity network operator and report a partial outage, especially if roughly half the home is affected or neighbours are also affected. If you rent, tell your landlord or agent promptly that part of the electrical supply has failed and that you have stopped using the affected area.
  9. Keep the affected area quiet. Leave non-essential items unplugged or switched off so they do not suddenly restart under load if power returns.
  10. If someone relies on powered medical equipment, act early. Move them to the safest powered area if there is one, use any agreed backup plan, and contact family, a carer, the equipment provider, or the network operator for support. Call 999 if there is immediate medical danger or essential equipment cannot be kept working safely.

What can wait

  • You do not need to work out whether the cause is a failed circuit, loose connection, damaged socket, supply issue, or appliance fault right now.
  • You do not need to remove faceplates, open sockets, trace wiring, or inspect inside the consumer unit.
  • You do not need to decide on repairs or get quotes until the immediate safety checks are done and the fault has been reported or assessed.
  • You do not need to test RCD buttons while part of the home is still without power.

Important reassurance

A partial power loss with a normal-looking consumer unit can happen without meaning the worst has happened. It is still worth treating it seriously: one safe reset attempt, then stopping and contacting the right help, is a calm and protective approach.

Scope note

These are first steps only to reduce immediate risk and avoid making the fault worse. A qualified electrician, landlord, agent, or electricity network operator may be needed to identify and fix the underlying problem.

Important note

This is general information, not professional electrical, legal, medical, financial, therapeutic, or other professional advice. If there is heat, burning smell, smoke, sparks, fire, shock risk, or immediate danger, move away from the area and seek emergency help.

Additional Resources

Closely connected guides that may be useful during the same situation or its immediate aftermath.

About this guide

This guide was produced and is maintained by PanicStation.org using its published editorial process. Official and specialist sources are checked where relevant, and AI-assisted tools may be used for drafting, organisation, and consistency checks. The site operator remains responsible for publication, revision, and removal decisions.

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