About this job
What is happening when the power goes off?
A power outage almost always has one of two causes. Either there is a fault in the grid, outside your home, in which case the grid operator needs to act. Or something goes wrong in your own installation, behind the meter, and you can often already check a lot yourself. The key question is: is only your home without power, or is it the whole street? If the neighbours and the street lighting have also lost power, that points to a grid fault. If you are the only one, the problem is probably in your own meter cabinet.
The meter cabinet in plain English. The cable from the grid comes in via the main fuse and the energy meter, both owned by the grid operator and sealed. Behind that is your fuse box: a main switch that cuts everything in one go, one or more RCDs that switch off when there is a leakage current, and the circuits (circuit breakers) that protect each circuit against overload and short circuits. Once you know which switch does what, you can immediately understand what a tripped switch is telling you. If you cannot work it out or have any doubts about safety, just call our breakdown service, 24 hours a day.
Warning signs
What is causing it? The most common reasons
Which switch is off and what is still working usually tells you where the problem lies. These are the situations we see most often.
RCD has tripped
A bank of sockets or lights goes out all at once and the RCD is in the off position. Usually caused by moisture, a damaged cable or a faulty appliance producing a leakage current.
A circuit trips
One of the circuit breakers trips during heavy use, for example the dryer, oven and heater running at the same time. That is overload: a 16-amp circuit delivers around 3,680 watts.
Short circuit
Live and neutral make contact, often through a faulty appliance or a damaged cable. The circuit breaker trips immediately, sometimes with an audible click. Do not keep resetting blindly.
Main fuse blown
The whole house is dead, no individual circuit is visibly off and the neighbours have power. This is a job for the grid operator: do not touch this yourself.
Fault in the neighbourhood
Several homes and the street lighting are also without power. That means a grid fault and the grid operator is usually already on it.
All switches up but still no power
All the switches are in the on position but there is still no power. The cause is often in the supply or a hidden fault. Have an electrician look at this.
How we work
How to check it yourself, step by step
Calmly and safely. Only operate switches and unplug devices, with dry hands. Never unscrew the meter cabinet and never break the grid operator's seals.
- 1
Look outside
Do the neighbours and street lighting also have no power? Then it is probably a grid fault and you do not need to do anything with your own meter cabinet.
- 2
Check the fault map
Check by postcode on the grid operator's fault map or on gasenstroomstoringen.nl. Is the fault already listed? Then the grid operator is on it.
- 3
Look in the meter cabinet
If you are the only one without power, look at which switches are off. The RCD, an individual circuit, or nothing visible? That points the way.
- 4
Find the culprit
Unplug everything on the affected circuit, switch back on and connect appliances one by one until the culprit trips the circuit. Cannot work it out? Give us a call and we can help you further.
Good to know
A closer look: checking safely yourself, and when to call
A few situations that often raise questions when the power goes off. We explain them calmly so you know what you can do yourself and where the line is.
Whole house without power, or just one circuit?
If your whole house has lost power, first look outside. If the neighbours have also lost power, it is a grid fault. If you are the only one completely dead and no individual circuit is visibly off, that points to a blown main fuse or a fault in the supply. Do not touch that yourself: it is before the meter and belongs to the grid operator. Call the national breakdown number 0800-9009.
If only part of your home goes down, for example the living room and kitchen at the same time, it is almost always your own installation. If an RCD is off, it has switched off a group of circuits at once. If a single circuit breaker is off, it is that one circuit, usually due to overload or a short circuit. That is how you often trace a partial power outage to the right circuit yourself.
RCD tripped: how to find the culprit
If the RCD has tripped, tackle it systematically. First switch off all the circuits (breakers) behind that RCD. Then switch the RCD back on. Then switch the circuits on one by one until the RCD trips again. That last circuit is the culprit: leave it off and switch the rest back on. Unplug everything in that circuit and test appliance by appliance until you find the faulty one.
If the RCD trips immediately while everything is unplugged, or a circuit breaker trips the moment it is switched on with nothing connected, the fault is probably in the fixed wiring. Stop resetting and call a certified electrician. Good to know: you should test your RCD using its test button roughly once a month. If it does not trip immediately when you press the button, have it checked.
When should you call the grid operator, and when an electrician?
The boundary is the energy meter. Everything up to and including the meter and main fuse belongs to the grid operator, in Noord-Brabant that is Enexis. You report a grid fault or a problem with the supply or main fuse free of charge on 0800-9009, day and night. They fix it at no cost to you.
Everything behind the meter is your installation: the fuse box, the wiring and the sockets. A fault in there, a circuit that keeps tripping, an RCD that will not reset, a short circuit you cannot find, is a job for a certified electrician or breakdown service. If you are uncertain about safety, can smell burning, or the power keeps coming and going, it is always better to call one time too many than too few.
Quick guide: what you see and who to call
Find your situation in the left column and see straight away the likely cause and the best person to call. This is a first guide, not a definitive diagnosis.
| What you see | Likely cause | Who to call |
|---|---|---|
| Whole street dark, neighbours also without power | Grid fault in the area | Grid operator, 0800-9009 |
| Only your home dead, neighbours have power, nothing visibly off | Main fuse or supply | Grid operator, 0800-9009 |
| An RCD is off, bank of sockets or lights out | Leakage current, often a faulty appliance or moisture | Check yourself, if it persists: electrician |
| A single circuit breaker tripped during heavy use | Overload or short circuit on that circuit | Check yourself, if it persists: electrician |
| Burning smell, smoke, sparks, melted plastic or water | Unsafe situation in the installation | Main switch off, call emergency service, fire: 112 |
Indicative overview. If you are uncertain about safety, do not touch anything and call a certified electrician.
Price
What does an electrician cost for a power outage?
Reporting a grid fault to the grid operator is always free of charge. If the problem is in your own installation, the price depends on the time of day, the distance and how long the tracing takes. Here is an honest indication. You always receive a fixed price upfront via a quote, with no surprises afterwards.
Common extras:
- Replacing a faulty circuit breaker or RCD
- Repairing a fault in the fixed wiring
- Emergency surcharge in the evening, at night or at the weekend
- Follow-up appointment for more complex fault tracing
Price guide
Fixed price upfront| Reporting a grid fault to the grid operator (0800-9009) | free |
| Fault tracing and repair during the day | € 100 to € 200 |
| Emergency call-out in the evening or at the weekend | € 150 to € 400 |
| Call-out charge | € 20 to € 70 |
| Standard hourly rate | € 40 to € 85 per hour |
Indicative prices incl. VAT. You will always receive a tailored quote.
Related services
Need immediate help, or want to find out more?
Cannot work it out yourself or uncertain about safety? These pages will help you quickly.
Emergency electrician
Internal fault you cannot resolve yourself? Our emergency electrician arrives quickly and makes your installation safe.
More infoBreakdown service
Help is available in the evenings and at weekends too. Our breakdown service is reachable 24 hours a day.
More infoShort-circuit repair
Something keeps tripping due to a short circuit? We track down the cause and fix it safely.
More infoReplace the fuse box
Does your installation keep tripping because of an old or overloaded fuse box? Often a new fuse box is the lasting solution.
More infoReplace the RCD
Does your RCD keep tripping or is it faulty? We trace the cause and replace it.
More infoWhy Brabant Elektra
Certified, insured and guaranteed
All our engineers are qualified and work to the NEN 1010 standard. We give a 2-year guarantee on all our work. Reliable work you can count on.
Frequently asked questions
Good to know
Service area
No power at home in Noord-Brabant
In Noord-Brabant, Enexis is the grid operator. You report grid faults and faults with the supply or main fuse to them on 0800-9009, free of charge and available day and night. On the fault map you can check by postcode whether there is already a known issue in your area. If a fault is listed, Enexis is on it and you do not need to do anything yourself.
An important distinction: no power at home is different from network congestion. Network congestion refers to a lack of transport capacity and waiting lists for new or heavier connections, which is a much-discussed issue in Brabant. An existing, working supply that fails is something completely different. If the problem is in your own installation, we can be there quickly: we know the region, from the 1970s estates to the farmhouses in the countryside.
Service area
Across Noord-Brabant
From major cities to smaller towns, active in:
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