When half your house loses power but the other half works, it is almost always caused by a tripped circuit breaker or safety switch in your switchboard — different parts of your house are on different circuits. Open your switchboard and look for any switches in the off or middle position. Less commonly, a partial outage can be caused by a lost phase in your supply (if you have three-phase power) or a fault at the network level. Check your switchboard first, and if resetting does not work, call a licensed electrician.
What to do right now
- 1
Check your switchboard for tripped switches
Open your switchboard and look for any circuit breakers or safety switches that are in the middle or off position. A tripped switch will not be fully in the 'on' position. This is the most likely cause.
- 2
Reset the tripped switch
Push the tripped switch firmly to the off position, then back to on. If it stays on, your power should be restored. If it trips again immediately, there is a fault on that circuit.
- 3
Check if you have three-phase power
Some Australian homes have three-phase power supply. If one phase is lost (a network fault), roughly one-third of your circuits will lose power. Check your meter box for a three-phase meter, or look for three main switches at the top of your switchboard.
- 4
Call a licensed electrician
If resetting the switchboard does not restore power, or if you suspect a lost phase, call a licensed electrician. They can test your supply voltages and determine whether the fault is inside your property or on the network side.
When to call an emergency electrician
- ⚠️A circuit breaker or safety switch trips immediately every time you reset it
- ⚠️You cannot find any tripped switches but half the house is still dark
- ⚠️You have three-phase power and suspect a lost phase
- ⚠️The switchboard appears normal but specific rooms have no power
- ⚠️There is a burning smell or heat from the switchboard
- ⚠️The partial outage coincides with a storm or extreme weather event
How much does it cost?
If the cause is a simple tripped circuit breaker that you can reset yourself, there is no cost. If a licensed electrician needs to attend, callout fees range from $120–$280 (business hours) to $220–$480 (after hours) depending on your city. Diagnosing and repairing a faulty circuit breaker costs $150–$350. A lost-phase issue on the network side is repaired by your distributor at no cost, but the electrician may charge a diagnostic fee of $100–$250 to determine this.