What to do if there’s a power failure

First check the fuse box:

When the Residual Current Device (RCD, or residual current circuit breaker) has been tripped:

1. Switch off all the groups of circuits corresponding to the RCD by flipping the group switches in the fuse box to ‘off’.
2. Also switch off all electrical appliances and lights, either by pulling out the plugs or flipping their switches to ‘off’.
3. Flip the tripped RCD and then the group switches to ‘on’.
4. Switch on the appliances one by one until the RCD trips again. This will tell you which appliance is causing the problem.
5. If none of the appliances is causing a problem, contact your landlord/manager so they can call in a certified technician to check whether there is something wrong with the system.

When an individual fuse has been tripped:

1. Switch off the group of circuits corresponding to the tripped fuse by flipping the group switch to ‘off’.
2. Also switch off the electrical appliances and lights in the group, either by pulling out the plugs or flipping their switches to ‘off’.
3. Replace the tripped fuse or flip the switch to ‘on’ again.
4. Switch on the appliances one by one until the fuse or switch trips again. This will tell you which appliance is causing the problem.
5. If none of the appliances is causing a problem, contact your landlord/manager so they can call in a certified technician to check whether there is something wrong with the system.

If no switches or fuses are tripped in your fuse box, there could be a power cut affecting the whole street or area. You can check this by asking whether your neighbours have power. If they don’t, report the power cut to your network operator via 0800-9009. You can also obtain more information via this number.