Power’s out? The first ten minutes — free Home Care Kit guide

Power's out? What to do in the first ten minutes, and how to tell if it's your house or the whole street.

Most outages are one of two things: a tripped safety switch you can reset yourself, or a fault on the network that only your distributor can fix. This guide gets you to the right one fast, and keeps you safe while you wait.

One PDF, everything in it: page 1 is the card (print it, stick it inside the meter box or on the fridge) · the back of the card for your numbers · finding your switchboard, with a labelled photo of a real one · what a tripped switch looks like and how to reset it · how I find the appliance that keeps tripping it · who to call, and who not to · life support, solar and generators · what to do with the fridge and freezer · switching back on.

Every step starts with what the specialists say (Energy Safe Victoria, the Electrical Safety Office, Energy Made Easy, the Food Safety Information Council), then what I do at home. Answer first. One job per page.

Why print it? When the power's out, so is the wi-fi, and your phone is on its last bit of battery. The card still works.

Enter your email to download. We'll only email you when new guides come out. Unsubscribe any time. General advice only. Electrical work must be done by a licensed electrician.