Power out after a storm? Look at your neighbours’ homes first. If they’re dark too, the fault is on the Energex network, so check the Outage Finder. If only your home is out, check your safety switch. If it hasn’t tripped, or the street is back on without you, call Energex on 13 62 62.

All the numbers here are Energex’s. That covers Brisbane and the rest of south-east Queensland.

What to do when the power goes out after a storm

Go to a window before you go to the switchboard. If the whole street is dark, nothing on your board will bring the power back.

Note the time the power went off, since the food rules further down run from that moment. Heaters, ovens and stoves come first. Switch them off. If the power comes back while you’re out, a stove left on can start a fire. Unplug TVs and computers as well, but leave one light on. That light tells you when supply is back.

A lot of Brisbane switchboards sit outside. Wait until the storm has passed before going out to yours, and leave it alone if it’s wet, damaged or smells of burning.

How far should you stay from fallen powerlines?

Keep at least 10 metres from fallen powerlines. That’s Energex’s figure. Call 000 or 13 19 62, and don’t go near anything the line is touching, whether it’s a fence, a car or a puddle.

A fallen line that looks dead may not be. An automatic circuit recloser, the network device that retries a tripped line, can re-energise it within seconds. No sparks and no noise tell you nothing. Look for fallen power lines under debris before you clear branches.

Warn other people to keep back. The crew that deals with the line comes from Energex.

Why does the power go out during a storm?

Most of the time, what causes power to go out during a storm is wind or lightning. Branches fall on overhead lines and poles get knocked over. Lightning can trip a whole section of line with no damage you could see from the street. Protection equipment then cuts supply to every home past the fault.

Wind isn’t essential. Floodwater can reach ground-level equipment, and underground power isn’t storm-proof for that reason. Keep away from the green or beige service pillars on property boundaries if they’re damaged or flooded, and report them to Energex.

Why does the power go off and on before it stays off?

A two-minute outage usually means the network is testing itself. No crew is involved.

A recloser trips when it detects a fault, then waits a few seconds and tries the line again. It’ll usually try three or four times. A branch that drops clear is gone by the next attempt, and the power stays on. A fault that’s still there locks the recloser out. Nothing comes back until a crew arrives. That’s what you’re seeing when the lights flicker three times and stay off.

Who do I call if my power went out?

To report a power outage in Brisbane, call Energex. It’s the electricity distributor here, so the poles, wires and crews are all theirs. Ringing AGL, Origin or whoever sends your bill won’t get a fault fixed.

The Energex Outage Finder shows current power outages. Check it first if you want to know whether there is a power outage in your area. Phone queues can get long during a major storm.

If anyone at home relies on power for medical reasons, your retailer needs to know.

When will the power be back on?

Nobody can tell you for certain until a crew has seen the damage. With the power out after a storm, the first estimated restoration time on the Outage Finder is provisional and often changes.

How long a power outage after a storm lasts comes down to what broke and how many jobs are ahead of yours. Energex crews make the network safe first. After the south-east Queensland storms of late November 2025, outages peaked at 162,000. Energex had fewer than 800 customers still off by that Saturday morning, and nearly 600 known properties had defects preventing reconnection.

That last group waits on a private repair. Calling Energex again won’t change their estimate.

Why is my power out but not my neighbour’s?

With the power out after a storm and the street still lit, check the switchboard first. You can reset a tripped safety switch once, with appliances unplugged. Older Brisbane boards with ceramic fuses have no switch to flip, so leave a blown fuse for an electrician.

If the safety switch trips again or won’t reset, leave it. The same goes if the power keeps tripping after a storm. Moisture in outdoor wiring is a common cause, and so is a damaged appliance. Resetting won’t fix either one.

A warm circuit breaker that trips with everything unplugged is a fire risk. Leave it off and call an electrician straight away.

If the board looks normal, ring 13 62 62 and say your neighbours have power. Energex may not know your home is still out.

What is an Electricity Defect Report?

An Electricity Defect Report tells you Energex has found damage on your property. You stay disconnected until it’s repaired. Crews go door to door after a major storm. They need to reach your switchboard, and they won’t come in if they can’t see that your dogs are restrained.

Get a licensed electrical contractor to make the property safe and sign the form, then ring 13 62 62 for reconnection.

Do you call Energex or an electrician, and who pays?

Call Energex first, since network faults are theirs to fix. Everything from the point of attachment inwards is yours, including the switchboard and wiring, and needs a licensed electrician. The point of attachment is the bracket where the overhead line meets the house. Your home insurer may cover it, so check your policy before assuming you’re paying for all of it.

A water-damaged or disconnected property has an extra step. A licensed electrician tests the installation and issues a certificate of test so Energex can reconnect supply.

Half the house has no power. What does that mean?

Half the house being out is a warning sign and should be treated as a fault. Power out in part of the house, flickering lights, dim lights and a brownout can all mean partial supply, where the home is receiving low or uneven voltage. Energex’s instructions are short:

• Don’t touch the switchboard or anything metal.
• Turn off any power points within easy reach and unplug appliances.
• Ring 13 19 62 at any hour.

Tell them “partial supply” or “dim and flickering lights”. A vaguer description can get you told the house has full service.

Ring the same number for tingles or shocks from a tap or appliance. An electrician may need to check your wiring afterwards.

Power out but breaker not tripped?

A power outage but the breaker not tripped suggests the problem is past your switchboard. Breakers protect your circuits and can’t correct a problem arriving from the supply side, so resetting all of them changes nothing. Symptoms can be strange. In one reported case, a broken supply cable in the yard produced dead circuits and flickering, with some power returning only when the oven was switched on.

How do you turn the power back on safely?

Start this once supply is back and you’ve looked for damage. If you find damaged cables or equipment, leave the power off and get a licensed electrician to make them safe.

1. Unplug or switch off everything, circuit breakers and RCDs (safety switches) included.
2. Turn on the main switch.
3. Turn on each circuit breaker one at a time.
4. Hold the RCD test button for five seconds. The RCD should trip immediately.
5. Reset it and test it a second time.
6. Reset it again and start switching equipment back on.

An RCD that fails either test stays off until an electrician replaces it.

Should you unplug appliances when the power goes out?

Yes, particularly anything with a circuit board. Repeated on-off cycling during a storm is what kills electronics, more often than the first interruption.

Dead controls on an appliance, with the power point still working, usually mean a power surge got to it. Take photos and keep any receipts for a home insurance claim. Energex doesn’t cover storm or lightning damage. It will give you a letter confirming what caused the outage if your insurer wants one.

How long does food last when the power goes out?

Keep the fridge shut. Queensland Health says a closed fridge stays cold for about four hours, and refrigerated food that has been above 5°C for longer than that goes in the bin.

A full freezer lasts about 48 hours and a half-full one about 24, so what to throw out from a freezer that lost power mostly comes down to how full it was. Don’t refreeze food that has partly thawed.

Refrigerated medication is the exception people miss. Check the label after a long outage and ask a pharmacist, or call 13 HEALTH, before using it.

Do solar panels work when the power goes out?

Not for your home, unless you have a battery set up for backup operation. The system shuts down with the grid, which surprises people who assumed their roof would keep the house running.

The panels themselves keep generating in daylight. If a storm is on the way, shut the system down using the procedure at the solar inverter. Afterwards, treat it as live and stay off the roof until a licensed electrician has inspected it.

Can you run a generator when the power goes out?

Yes, outdoors and with appliances plugged directly into it. Never plug a generator into a power point or connect it straight to the switchboard. This is called backfeeding. Power travels back out to the network, where it can injure line workers and put your neighbours at risk.

Connecting a generator to your house takes a changeover switch installed by a licensed electrician.

Run it outside and away from doors and windows, including your neighbours’. Carbon monoxide has no smell or colour, so you won’t notice it building up. A garage doesn’t count as outside, even with the door up.

Are you owed power outage compensation?

Possibly, but a big storm may not qualify. Energex’s Guaranteed Service Levels exclude eligible natural disasters and faults caused by your own electrical installation. Outside those exclusions, small customers can qualify in two ways:

• A single interruption longer than 8 hours on a CBD feeder, or 18 hours on an urban or short rural feeder
• In a financial year, 10 or more interruptions on a CBD feeder, 13 on an urban feeder or 21 on a short rural feeder

Energex generally identifies these automatically and pays the account holder by cheque. If you’ve been missed, lodge the claim form within three months of the event. After a declared disaster, check Queensland Government Community Recovery for hardship assistance as well.

What belongs in a power outage emergency kit?

A torch, a battery-powered radio and a charged power bank cover most of what you’ll need with the power out after a storm. Keep the Energex numbers somewhere that doesn’t depend on your phone battery.

NBN phone and internet will likely stop working in a blackout, so keep your mobile charged. Medical alarms that run through a landline can drop out as well. Ask NBN whether yours has battery backup.

Beyond that, build your power outage emergency kit around what your home would miss. Queensland’s storm guidance suggests planning for an outage of more than a week.

Still without power after the storm?

If Energex has ruled out the network or left you an Electricity Defect Report, the fault needs fixing on your side of the meter. Our licensed electricians at Dawson Electric make the property safe, repair the damage and sign off the paperwork so you can call Energex for reconnection. Call 07 3324 1447, Monday to Friday, 7 am to 4 pm, or send the details through our contact page.