Why is there no power in my whole flat?

Power outage at home: what to do first

EMA's tips on what to do during a power outage are set out as ABCs:

• Assess your situation. Check that everyone is safe, then find out whether the outage affects only your home or your surroundings too.
• Be careful with your power usage. The section on block-wide outages below covers how.
• Check for official updates if the outage is widespread.

To assess, look at the corridor lights or ask a neighbour. If there is no electricity in your HDB flat but your neighbours have power, check your DB box. If the corridor is dark too, treat it as a block or area outage.

Check the DB box first

Your DB box is what HDB calls the consumer unit (CU). HDB's guide to electrical accessories and wiring says the CU distributes electricity in the flat and holds double pole MCBs (one is the CU main switch), an RCCB, single pole MCBs and terminals. An MCB trips to cut supply to its circuit on an overcurrent from an overload or short circuit. The RCCB cuts off electricity in the flat when it detects an earth current leakage.

EMA's electrical safety page says an RCCB (or ELCB) cuts off electricity when it detects a current leakage that may lead to an electric shock. EMA lists these causes of leakage: ageing or exposed wires, faulty electrical appliances and damaged insulation.

In a house power trip, look for a switch in the DB box that has moved down. These steps are practical guidance for a single trip, not an official procedure.

1. Look without opening. Look at the switches on the DB box (consumer unit) without opening its cover or touching any wiring.
2. Spot the tripped switch. See whether the main switch or the RCCB is down.
3. Switch off appliances. Turn off your appliances at the wall.
4. Reset once. With dry hands, push the tripped switch back up one time.
5. Leave it off if it trips again. If it drops again, leave it off and call a Licensed Electrical Worker (LEW).

For a trip that will not clear, see power trip help.

Block-wide or area outage

If your neighbours have no power either, the outage is not limited to your home. EMA's outage tips suggest being careful with power use while you wait:

• Keep refrigerator doors closed so perishables last longer.
• Use battery-operated torchlights, which are safer than candles.
• Switch off electrical appliances to prevent damage from power surges when power is restored.
• In a prolonged outage, limit phone use to essential communications.

Who to call

For a block or area outage, EMA points to SP Group's Electricity Service Centre hotline at 1800 778 8888, and to SP Group's and EMA's social media channels for official updates (beware of fake news). If someone is trapped in an HDB lift, call the Essential Maintenance Service Unit (EMSU), whose number is outside and inside lifts in HDB buildings. Call 995 or 999 for life-threatening or medical emergencies only.

For a fault inside your flat, you need an electrician. EMA says electrical work in an HDB flat needs a Licensed Electrician, the class of LEW approved for loads of up to 45kVA. Every LEW carries a licence card, and EMA's guide to engaging Licensed Electrical Workers says to verify it before any electrical work starts. Licensed workers can also be searched on EMA's ELISE portal.

Read more on how to check a licensed electrician, or look up 24-hour electricians for a trip at night.

Published power trip troubleshooting rates

In the directory, 3 companies publish a power trip troubleshooting rate, with the scope printed as tracing and fixing one power trip. All three start at S$50 per job: two print "From S$50 per job" and one prints "S$50 to S$200 per job". These are published rates as printed, not quotes.

FROM THE HOMEZYPRO DIRECTORY

Published power trip troubleshooting rates

For the most common unit (per job), the lowest published power trip troubleshooting rates from 3 companies run from S$50 to S$50 per job (middle rate S$50), to trace and fix one power trip. The middle figure is a real published rate, not an average. Each figure is one company's own advertised rate with its conditions, not a quote.

See 3 published power trip troubleshooting rates and sources

Lowest matching advertised rate per company, in SGD as published. "From" marks a starting price and ranges are shown in full. Check the source for minimums, GST and inclusions.

Company	Service as listed	Rate	Source
Lito Electrical Service	Power Trip Troubleshooting	From S$50 per job	litoelectrical.com
Repair.sg	Resolve power trip	From S$50 per job	repair.sg
Sin & Goh Electrical Engineering	Power trip troubleshooting	S$50 to S$200 per job	wireman.com.sg

The final charge depends on what the electrician finds. Any repair or part is extra unless the company says otherwise, so ask what is included. See also our guide to electrician call-out fees.

Be ready for the next outage

EMA suggests packing a Ready Bag with battery-operated torchlights, a portable power source such as batteries, a battery-operated radio and a first-aid kit. Test the torchlights and radio periodically and keep your power banks charged. EMA also suggests keeping a list of emergency contacts: the ambulance, the lift EMSU and your management office or Town Council.

For more to check around the home, see our home electrical safety checklist.

When to stop and call a professional

Stop and call an LEW if:

• The same switch trips again after one reset.
• You notice a burning smell.
• You see scorch marks.
• There is water near the DB box.
• The RCCB will not reset.

Never open the DB box cover to look for the cause. EMA also warns against using electrical appliances near water or with wet hands.

If the DB box itself needs work, see DB box replacement. For repeated RCCB trips, read why your ELCB keeps tripping.

Questions