Why I have no Power in my Home?

Dozens of different factors can see you end up with no electricity in the house, and not all of these issues are home emergencies. Some of these problems are far easier to resolve than others, but you may be able to deal with the majority of electrical breakdowns. Some of the most common causes of power outages are listed below.

Did you pay your bills?

A common question to ask if your electricity has gone off. If you don’t pay your utility bills, your electricity provider will cut your energy supply off. They should provide you with notice that they intend to disconnect you. Although Eskom is not renowned for providing excellent standards of customer service, they should be able to arrange installment payments or help you get back on track with your bills before they cut you off. You can get your electricity supply back on again by coming to an agreement with the power company.

Do you have a prepayment meter?

The problem with your electricity supply could be as simple as a lack of cash in the prepayment meter. Check that you have topped up the meter, if the meter has run out of money, your electrics should turn back on again the moment you put some more cash in it. If the meter is faulty, then contact your landlord or your prepaid meter supplier.

Is there a power cut (Load shedding)?

If the electricity has gone off in your house, take a look outside. Are your neighbors also experiencing a power outage? If so, your local area may have lost its electricity supply. Your network operator may be able to give you a rough estimate of the length of the power cut. You might be able to find information about local power cuts on the internet – if you managed to reach this webpage, you could see whether anyone in your local area is posting Twitter statuses about the electricity outage, or read updates from local energy suppliers.

Have your fuses tripped?

If your electricity trips when you turned on a light switch or electrical appliance, this strongly suggests that your circuit breakers have tripped. Circuit Breakers can trip at any time, however, if you don’t know why you have no electricity supply, it’s worth taking a look at the DB Board.

When circuit breakers detect a problem, such as an unusual power surge, residual current devices (RCDs) ‘trip’ and cut off the power supply to the rest of the house. All your switches should be pointing upwards; if one is down, then flick it back on again. You may also have to switch the main breaker back up as well.

If you flick the breaker and it won’t stay upright, then the faulty switch or appliance may still be plugged in and turned on, and your RCDs are still trying to protect you. Unplug the broken appliance or turn off the faulty switch and try again.

The distribution board in any building contains vital safety equipment for the purpose of protecting people and their assets. The devices installed for this purpose are, like so many other electrical products, subject to design and material shortcuts in order to reduce cost and attract those who are enticed by low prices. It is therefore important for installers and users to be aware of the intended functions of the equipment concerned so that, hopefully, safety compromises are discouraged.