Power Cut at Home What to Do Step by Step in Aldershot

Published September 2026 | Power cut at home what to do step by step

We asked our Electrician engineers the questions Aldershot homeowners ask most about power cuts - from the moment the lights go out to knowing when you need a professional on-site.

What should I do the moment my power goes off?

The first sixty seconds after a power cut are the most useful for gathering information - and the most likely time to make a mistake. Our engineers see a lot of unnecessary panic at this stage, with people reaching straight for the fuse box or calling the wrong number before they've figured out what's actually happened.

Here's the order to follow:

1. Don't rush to the fuse box. Give it ten seconds and assess the situation.
2. Think back to what you were doing just before the lights went out. Were you running the kettle, electric shower, or tumble dryer? A high-draw appliance can trip a circuit.
3. Look out of the window. Are your neighbours' lights on?
4. Switch on your phone torch but keep it brief - battery life matters in an extended outage.
5. If you have a smart meter, check the in-home display. Many will indicate a supply interruption from the network side.
6. Only then move to your consumer unit (fuse box) and check for tripped switches.

The goal at this stage is diagnosis, not action. Rushing to reset a tripped breaker before you know what caused it means you'll likely trip it again - or in rare cases, expose yourself to a genuine electrical hazard. Gather information first, then act.

How do I know if the outage is on my street or just my house?

This is the single most important question to answer early on, because it determines who is responsible and what needs to happen next. A network-wide outage is the responsibility of your Distribution Network Operator (DNO) - the company that owns the cables and infrastructure in your area. In Aldershot and across Hampshire, that's typically Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN). Neither your energy supplier nor you are responsible for repairing it.

An internal fault - anything from your meter inward - is your responsibility, and you'll need a qualified electrician.

To work out which situation you're in:

• Step outside and check whether neighbouring properties have lights on. If they do, the fault is almost certainly inside your home.
• Open your fuse box. If any circuit breakers have flipped to the "off" or halfway position, that points to an internal trip rather than a supply loss from the street.
• Your smart meter's in-home display will often show "no signal" or a disconnection warning if the external supply is gone.
• Ask a neighbour directly. It takes thirty seconds and tells you everything.

If it's just your house, the cause is internal and you need to investigate further. If the whole street is out, call 105.

What is the 105 number and when should I call it?

105 is the UK's national power cut helpline. It's free to call from any phone - including mobiles with no credit - and connects you directly to your local Distribution Network Operator based on your location. You don't need to know who your DNO is. The system routes your call automatically.

Call 105 when:

• You've confirmed your neighbours are also without power
• Your fuse box looks untouched - nothing has tripped - but you have no supply
• You suspect damage to the external supply cable running to your property (common after storms or following nearby roadworks)

When you call, an operator logs your outage and gives you an estimated restoration time if one is available. They can also flag your address on the Priority Services Register (PSR) - a scheme that Aldershot residents who are elderly, have medical dependencies, or rely on powered equipment should be registered on in advance. PSR customers typically receive a direct welfare call during extended outages.

One thing to be clear on: 105 is for network faults only. If your fuse box has tripped, a circuit is faulty, or there's a wiring problem inside your home, the DNO cannot help you. That's where an electrician comes in.

How do I safely reset my fuse box after a power cut?

If you've established that the outage is internal - your neighbours have power and the problem is in your own home - your consumer unit is the next place to investigate. This is one of the steps our engineers see done wrong most often, usually by people who reset the same breaker repeatedly without fixing the underlying cause.

The correct process:

1. Before touching anything in the fuse box, turn off all lights and unplug any appliances in the affected area - especially anything you were using when the power went.
2. Open the consumer unit cover and look for any circuit breakers in the "off" or middle position. These are your tripped breakers.
3. If you have an older fuse board with wire fuses rather than modern breakers, do not attempt to rewire them yourself. Call an electrician.
4. Push the tripped breaker firmly to "off" first, then click it back to "on".
5. If it immediately trips again, there is still an active fault on that circuit. Do not keep resetting it.
6. If your RCD (the larger switch, usually on the left) has tripped, follow the same process - off first, then on. If it won't hold, leave it off and call an electrician.

A circuit that keeps tripping is trying to tell you something. Ignoring it and resetting repeatedly can cause damage to wiring or, in the worst cases, contribute to a fire. Leave that circuit off and get a professional to investigate.

What are the most common causes of a power cut in just one house?

When only your property loses power, the cause is almost always one of a small number of things. Our engineers attend callouts across Hampshire regularly and the same faults come up again and again - particularly in older properties where the wiring hasn't been updated since the 1980s or 1990s.

The most common causes we find:

• Overloaded circuit - too many appliances on one ring circuit, or a single high-draw appliance like an electric shower or tumble dryer pushed a circuit past its limit.
• Faulty appliance - a failing motor in a fridge or freezer (older Hotpoint and Beko models come up frequently in our callouts), a damaged element in a kettle, or a device with an internal short.
• Tripped RCD - residual current devices are sensitive by design. A damp outdoor socket, a leaky garden light, or even a cheap extension lead can trip one.
• Blown fuse in an older consumer unit - homes built before the 1990s may still have old fuse boards where individual fuses blow rather than circuit breakers trip.
• Damaged supply cable - drilling into walls, driving fence posts, or digging in the garden can sever a cable. More common than most people expect.
• Failed meter or main cut-out fuse - if everything in your consumer unit looks fine but you still have no supply, the problem may be at or before the meter. Only your DNO or a metering engineer is authorised to work on this.

The Voltrade GoFIX diagnostic tool can walk you through these possibilities systematically before an engineer visits, which often speeds up the job and reduces overall costs.

Am I entitled to compensation if my power cut goes on for hours?

In many cases, yes - though the rules depend on both the cause and the duration. Under Ofgem's Guaranteed Standards of Performance, your DNO must restore power within a defined timeframe. For a standard fault, that's typically 12 hours. For severe weather events, it extends to 24 hours in many cases. If those targets are missed, you're entitled to automatic compensation - commonly around 75 pounds for the initial failure, then a further 35 pounds for each additional 12-hour period without supply.

To make a claim, contact your DNO after power is restored. Keep a record of exactly when you lost supply and when it came back - a timestamped note in your phone is enough. The DNO should process the claim automatically in many cases, but it's worth following up if you don't hear within a few weeks.

Important caveat: compensation only applies to external network faults. If the problem is inside your property - your wiring, your consumer unit, your appliances - there's no DNO compensation available. That falls entirely on you to fix.

What should I do about food in my fridge and freezer?

Food safety is one of the most practical concerns during a longer outage, and the answer is more forgiving than most people assume - provided you keep the doors shut.

General guidance based on Food Standards Agency advice:

• A fridge will typically keep food at a safe temperature for around 4 hours with the door closed.
• A full freezer can hold its temperature for approximately 48 hours. A half-full freezer is closer to 24 hours.
• Every time you open the door, cold air escapes and that window shortens. Resist the urge to check.

When power returns:

• Use a fridge thermometer to check actual temperatures if you have one.
• Discard meat, fish, and dairy that have been above 5 degrees Celsius for more than 2 hours.
• Do not refreeze food that has fully thawed unless you cook it thoroughly first.

A plug-in min/max thermometer costs around 10 to 15 pounds and takes all the guesswork out of post-outage food decisions. For Aldershot households that experience longer outages during autumn and winter, it's one of the most useful items to have in the kitchen drawer.

How do I stay warm and safe if the power cut lasts overnight?

A prolonged winter outage creates a heating problem that catches many people off guard. Most modern gas central heating systems - even if the boiler itself runs on gas - rely on an electric pump, thermostat, and control board to function. No electricity means no heating, even if your gas supply is completely fine.

What our engineers recommend:

• Layer clothing and blankets rather than expecting heating to come back quickly.
• If you have a wood burner or open fireplace, use it - but only if it's been recently swept and is confirmed safe.
• Never use a gas hob as a substitute heat source. In an enclosed room, this creates a real carbon monoxide risk.
• Do not run petrol generators indoors or in garages - again, carbon monoxide.
• Check on elderly or vulnerable neighbours, particularly in Hampshire's older residential areas where many residents live alone.
• Use candles with care - never leave them unattended and keep them away from soft furnishings.

If temperatures inside the home drop significantly overnight and you have young children or elderly family members, consider staying with friends or family rather than waiting it out. The Priority Services Register is also worth registering on before winter if anyone in your household has health or mobility needs.

When do I need an electrician rather than the DNO?

Getting this distinction right saves time and money. Our engineers can get to properties in Aldershot quickly, but we cannot fix a DNO cable fault - and the DNO cannot fix a wiring fault inside your home. Calling the wrong party just delays resolution.

Call a qualified electrician when:

• Your fuse box has tripped and won't stay reset
• Only part of your home has lost power and your neighbours are unaffected
• There's been a flood or a water leak near any electrical fittings
• You notice scorching, burning smells, or discolouration around a socket or switch
• Power has returned but something feels wrong - flickering lights, buzzing sounds, circuits tripping intermittently
• You've recently done DIY work involving drilling or nailing and suspect you've hit a cable

An electrician callout in Aldershot typically costs between 60 and 100 pounds for the first hour, with fault-finding commonly taking one to three hours depending on how hidden the fault is. Replacing a consumer unit - a common recommendation if your existing board is outdated - typically starts around 500 to 900 pounds fully installed.

What should every Aldershot home have ready for a power cut?

Power cuts rarely announce themselves. Having a few basics ready means you're not hunting for a torch in the dark or trying to remember the 105 number with a flat phone battery.

Our engineers recommend keeping the following at home:

• A battery-powered or wind-up torch - phone torches drain your battery surprisingly fast.
• A portable power bank with at least 10,000mAh capacity - enough to charge a smartphone two or three times.
• A battery-operated DAB or FM radio - the BBC continues broadcasting during emergencies and carries local updates for Hampshire.
• Spare batteries in AA and AAA sizes.
• A written list of key numbers - 105, your GP, family contacts - on paper, not just stored in your phone.
• A plug-in fridge/freezer thermometer with min/max memory.
• A small stock of non-perishable food and bottled water.

Save 105 in your phone contacts right now, under "Power Cut." It takes five seconds and could save considerable frustration when you actually need it.

Power cuts are disruptive, but working through them methodically - checking whether the fault is external or internal, knowing when to call 105 versus an electrician, and having the basics prepared at home - keeps you safe and gets the situation resolved faster. If you've checked your fuse box, confirmed your neighbours have power, and can't identify the fault yourself, that's the moment to bring in a qualified electrician rather than guessing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who do I call for a power cut in Aldershot?

If your neighbours are also without power, call 105 - the free national power cut helpline that connects you to your local Distribution Network Operator. If only your property is affected, the fault is internal and you should contact a qualified electrician registered with NICEIC or NAPIT to investigate your consumer unit and wiring.

How long do power cuts typically last in the UK?

Most power cuts caused by standard network faults are resolved within a few hours. DNOs are required to restore supply within 12 hours under normal conditions, and within 24 hours during severe weather events. If they miss these targets, you're typically entitled to automatic financial compensation from your Distribution Network Operator.

Can I reset my own fuse box safely?

Yes, in most cases - turn off appliances first, then push the tripped breaker to "off" before clicking it back to "on". However, if a breaker immediately trips again after resetting, or if you have an older fuse board with wire fuses rather than modern breakers, stop and call a qualified electrician. Repeatedly resetting a live fault can cause damage or create a fire risk.

What if my power comes back but my heating still isn't working?

Most modern gas boilers need electricity to run their pump, thermostat, and controls. After a power cut is restored, try switching your boiler off at the programmer, waiting thirty seconds, then switching it back on. If it still won't fire, the boiler may need resetting or a component may have been affected. A Gas Safe registered engineer should investigate any boiler fault - not a standard electrician.