When the lights go out, the first few minutes matter most. This guide explains what to do during a power outage, who to call, how to keep your food safe, and how to claim compensation if the outage drags on or damages your property.
Quick answer: First check whether it’s just your home or the whole street. If the street is dark too, call your electricity distributor — the company that owns the poles and wires — not your retailer. In a life-threatening emergency, call 000. Keep your fridge closed, stay at least 8 metres from any fallen powerline, and note down the outage times: you may be owed an automatic compensation payment. The Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria explains how outages, distributors and compensation work.
First, work out how big the problem is
Before you call anyone, spend two minutes checking:
- Check your switchboard. A tripped safety switch or blown fuse can cut power to part or all of your home. If a switch has tripped, try resetting it once. If it trips again straight away, leave it off and call an electrician.
- Look outside. Are your neighbours’ lights on? Are the streetlights working? If the whole street is dark, it’s a network outage, not a problem inside your home.
- Check your distributor’s outage map. Most distributors publish live outage maps and estimated restoration times on their website or app. Search for your distributor’s name plus “outage map”.
If the outage is only at your place and your switchboard looks fine, call your electricity retailer — the company on your bill. If the street is out, your distributor is the one to contact.
Who to call during a power outage
This is the part most people get wrong. Your retailer sells you electricity and sends the bill. Your distributor owns and maintains the poles, wires and substations — and it’s the distributor that fixes outages. Calling your retailer about a blackout just adds a middleman.
Your distributor depends on where you live. These are the main ones and their faults lines:
- New South Wales: Ausgrid — 13 13 88; Endeavour Energy — 131 003; Essential Energy — 132 080
- Queensland: Ergon Energy (regional Queensland) — 13 22 96 for outages and faults
- South Australia: SA Power Networks — 13 13 66 for faults and emergencies
- Western Australia: Western Power — 13 13 51 to report a damaged powerline
If you don’t know your distributor, look at a recent electricity bill — it’s usually named there — or search your postcode plus “electricity distributor”. If anyone is in immediate danger, call 000 first.
Stay safe while the power is out
- Stay away from fallen powerlines. Treat every fallen or damaged wire as live, even if it looks dead. Stay at least 8 metres away from it — about the length of a bus — and from anything touching it, like a tree branch or fence. Call 000 if someone is in immediate danger.
- If a powerline is on your car, stay inside. Call 000 and wait for the distributor to make the area safe. Only get out if staying put becomes life-threatening — then jump clear with both feet together and shuffle away, keeping your feet close together, until you are at least 8 metres clear.
- Unplug sensitive appliances. Switch off or unplug computers, TVs and other electronics at the wall. When power returns it can come back with a surge that damages them.
- Use torches, not candles, if you can. Candles are a fire risk, especially with kids or pets around. If you do use them, never leave them unattended.
- Never connect a generator to your house wiring yourself. Portable generators must be kept outdoors, well away from windows and doors, because of carbon monoxide. Connecting one to fixed house wiring is dangerous and illegal unless done by a licensed electrician.
- Look after anyone on life support. If someone in your home uses life support equipment, make sure your retailer and distributor have you registered as a life support customer. Registration gives you extra protections, including advance notice of planned outages. Have a backup plan — a charged battery or a place to go — before an outage happens.
Keep your food safe: the 4-hour rule
Your fridge and freezer buy you time, but only if you keep the doors shut.
- Fridge: Food stays safe in a closed fridge for about 4 hours. Every time you open the door you let warm air in and shorten that window.
- Freezer: A full freezer keeps food frozen for up to 48 hours; a half-full freezer for about 24 hours. Don’t open it unless you have to.
- The 2-hour/4-hour rule: Perishable food — meat, dairy, leftovers, cooked meals — that has been above 5°C for less than 2 hours can be used or re-chilled. Between 2 and 4 hours, use it immediately. After 4 hours above 5°C, throw it out.
- Never refreeze thawed food, and never taste food to check if it’s safe — food poisoning bacteria don’t change how food looks, smells or tastes.
- When in doubt, throw it out. A fridge full of spoiled food is cheaper than a bout of food poisoning.
Note the time the power went off when it happens. If you’re unsure how long food sat above 5°C, follow your state health authority’s advice — and err on the side of throwing it away.
When the power comes back
- Check before you switch everything on. Make sure no appliances were left running that could be a hazard — a stove hotplate, an iron, a heater.
- Check your fridge and freezer. Throw out perishables that spent more than 4 hours above 5°C. Check the freezer: food that still has ice crystals and feels cold can usually be refrozen, but anything fully thawed should go.
- Reset clocks, alarms and timers. Ovens, microwaves and alarm clocks usually need resetting, and so do some hot water systems and garage doors.
- Look for surge damage. If an appliance won’t turn on, smells burnt or behaves oddly after power returns, don’t keep using it. Note the damage — you may need it for a claim.
- Check on neighbours, especially elderly people living alone, who may have been without power longer than you realised.
Can you claim compensation for a power outage?
Yes — in some cases. There are two main kinds of payment, and both come from your distributor, not your retailer.
Guaranteed Service Level (GSL) payments
If you’ve had long or frequent outages, you may be owed an automatic Guaranteed Service Level payment. These payments are for poor supply reliability — for example, SA Power Networks notes that customers who experience an outage of 20 or more hours, or more than nine extended outages in a financial year, may be eligible. The exact thresholds and amounts differ by state and distributor, and in most cases the payment is generated automatically and appears on your bill — you don’t need to apply. If you think you’re owed one and it hasn’t shown up, ask your distributor.
Damage claims
If a power surge or network fault damaged your appliances or property, you can lodge a claim with your distributor. You’ll usually need to prove the loss and show it was caused by the network problem, so keep:
- The date and times the outage started and ended
- Photos of any damage
- Receipts or quotes for repairs or replacement
- Any reference number from your call to the distributor
Your distributor can also provide a letter confirming the outage, which helps if you’re claiming through your home insurer instead.
If your claim is knocked back
If you think your distributor handled your claim unfairly, or hasn’t followed the rules, contact the energy ombudsman in your state or territory. The service is free and independent, and it can require the distributor to deal with your complaint. In Victoria that’s the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria (1800 500 509); in Queensland, the Energy and Water Ombudsman Queensland (1800 662 837). Other states and territories have their own ombudsman schemes.
How to prepare for the next outage
Outages often arrive with storms, so a little preparation goes a long way:
- Keep a torch and spare batteries somewhere easy to find — and keep your phone charged when severe weather is forecast.
- Keep a small power bank charged for your phone.
- Save your distributor’s faults number in your phone now, while you have power and internet.
- Know where your switchboard is and how to reset a tripped switch safely.
- If you rely on electrically powered medical equipment, talk to your retailer about life support registration and have a written backup plan.
- Keep a few frozen water bottles in the freezer — they help keep food cold longer during an outage and give you cold drinking water.
Frequently asked questions
Who do I call when the power goes out?
Call your electricity distributor — the company that maintains the poles and wires in your area — not your retailer. Your distributor’s faults number is on your electricity bill. In a life-threatening emergency, call 000.
How long does food last in the fridge during a power outage?
About 4 hours if you keep the door closed. A full freezer lasts up to 48 hours and a half-full freezer about 24 hours. Perishable food above 5°C for more than 4 hours should be thrown out.
Will I get compensation for a power outage?
Possibly. If the outage was long or you’ve had many outages, you may be owed an automatic Guaranteed Service Level payment from your distributor — thresholds and amounts vary by state. If a network fault damaged your property, you can lodge a damage claim with your distributor.
Is it safe to use a generator during a blackout?
Yes, with care: always run it outdoors, well away from doors and windows, because of carbon monoxide. Never connect a portable generator directly to your home’s wiring — that must be done by a licensed electrician.
How far should I stay from a fallen powerline?
At least 8 metres — about a bus length — and stay away from anything touching it. Treat it as live even if it looks dead, and call 000 if anyone is in danger.
