Power cut? Here is what to do, step by step

Almost every power cut falls into one of two categories, and the difference determines what you need to do. If the whole street or neighbourhood is without power, something is wrong in the grid: the cables and substation outside your home, the domain of the grid operator. If only your home has no power while the neighbours have electricity, the problem is behind your own meter, in your installation.

That one check saves you a lot of time and frustration. If you stand fiddling with your meter cabinet while the whole neighbourhood is dark, you are working for nothing: power will only come back once the grid operator has restored the grid. And the reverse: if you sit waiting for Enexis when only your RCD has tripped, you are in the dark unnecessarily long.

The quickest way to determine this takes ten seconds. Look out of the window at the street lighting and whether there is light at the neighbours'. If it is dark at night and you are unsure, quickly call or message a neighbour. Once you know, you also know immediately which of the following steps applies to you.

Throughout Noord-Brabant Enexis is the grid operator. In the event of a grid fault, for example caused by digging works, a fault in a distribution substation or the weather, Enexis tracks it on a fault map. You search by postcode or address, and you can see whether your fault is known and what the expected restoration time is.

If your fault is already on the map, it has been reported and Enexis is often already on the way or working on it. You then do not need to do anything yourself, other than wait and, if necessary, switch off sensitive appliances so they do not get a jolt when the power comes back. If the fault is not yet on the map while the whole neighbourhood is dark, you can report it via the grid operator's fault number; you will find that number on their website and on your annual bill.

A useful rule of thumb: everything from your meter outwards (the connection cable, the cables in the street, the grid) belongs to the grid operator. Everything from your meter into your home (the fuse box, the wiring, your sockets) belongs to you. An electrician can work on the latter; only the grid operator is allowed to work on the grid.

If the neighbours have power and only you are in the dark, the answer usually lies in your own meter cabinet. Open the cabinet and look calmly at what is going on. At the top is the main switch; if that is pointing down, the whole house has been switched off. Next to or below it are one or more RCDs, and alongside those the circuits: the row of smaller switches, each feeding a part of your home.

If a circuit has tripped, the problem is in that part of your home, for example a broken appliance or too much on one circuit at once. If the RCD has tripped, there is leakage current somewhere, often from a faulty appliance or moisture. Switch the breaker calmly back up. If it stays on and you have power again, it was a one-off blip.

If the switch trips again straight away, do not keep trying indefinitely. Switching it back each time while there is a real fault is pointless and sometimes unsafe. In that case disconnect the appliances on the relevant circuit and test which is the culprit by reconnecting them one by one. If you cannot work it out, have it checked by a professional.

Most faults are harmless and sorted out with a few steps. But there are signals where you stop trying and get help immediately. Do you smell burning, something scorched or smouldering near the meter cabinet or a socket? Do you see sparks, soot marks or a melted switch? Then there is more going on than a tripped circuit.

In that case, do not touch anything wet, leave the switch off and call an emergency electrician or, in the event of immediate fire risk, 112. A scorched smell points to overheating, and that can, without intervention, escalate to fire. This is not the moment to unscrew the cover yourself or to keep switching: let a professional make it safe.

Even without a burning smell: if you are in doubt, or are not comfortable working in the meter cabinet, you do not have to. Better to call once than to take a risk with electrics. A certified electrician traces the cause with the right equipment and fixes it safely, with a check afterwards so you know everything is right again.