No power? Find out in five minutes whether it is the grid or your house.
Before you call anyone, a few quick checks tell you who can actually fix it. If the whole street is dark, it is the utility. If it is just you, or just half of your house, it is usually something an electrician fixes.
The checks, in order
First, look outside. If your neighbors and the streetlights are out too, it is a utility outage. Most of the Houston area is served by CenterPoint Energy, and its outage map shows reported outages and restoration estimates. If your bill says Entergy Texas instead, use theirs. An electrician cannot restore grid power, so this is the one situation where calling us will not help.
If the street has power and you do not, go to your panel. Check whether the main breaker has tripped: a tripped breaker sits in the middle position, so push it fully off and then back on. If only some rooms are out, check for tripped breakers and for a GFCI outlet that has tripped in a kitchen, bathroom, garage or outdoor circuit, because one GFCI can cut power to several outlets.
Partial power is the pattern to take seriously. When some circuits work and others do not, or lights brighten and dim on their own, it often means a lost leg of the service or a loose neutral, and a loose neutral can damage appliances while it is left alone. Report it to the utility and call an electrician the same day.
Stop and call if you smell burning, see scorch marks, hear buzzing from the panel, or a breaker trips again the moment you reset it. If you see a downed power line, stay away from it: CenterPoint's instruction is to stay at least 35 feet away and contact them.
- Partial power and flickering diagnosed
- Main breaker and service problems repaired
- Storm damage to meters, masts and panels assessed
- Generator hookups so the next outage matters less
Licensed, bonded and insured. TX Electrical Contractor License #34414.
Power Out? What to Check: common questions
The whole street is out. Should I call an electrician?
No. That is a utility outage, and only the utility can restore it. Check CenterPoint's outage map or report it to them. Call us afterwards if your power comes back partially or something was damaged.
Half my house has power and half does not. What is that?
Usually a failed breaker, a loose neutral or one leg of the service down. It is worth a same-day call, and worth reporting to the utility too, because the fault can be on their side of the meter.
My breaker keeps tripping when I reset it. What should I do?
Leave it off. A breaker that trips straight back is protecting a circuit that has a fault. Unplug what is on that circuit and call us.
The storm pulled the wire off my house. Who fixes it?
Usually both of us. The utility handles the line to your house, and an electrician repairs damage to the meter base, mast or panel on your side before the utility can reconnect.
Power out and it is not the whole street?
Call and tell us what is working and what is not. If it is urgent, switch off anything that smells hot at the panel first.