Power out at home: call the utility or an electrician?

Updated November 10, 2026 · KeystoneProGuide editorial team

Who do you call first?

The utility, unless the problem is clearly inside your house. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission says to report outages to your electric utility's outage line or online system, and not to assume the utility already knows. It also says not to call 9-1-1 just to report an outage; save that for life-threatening situations, and if a downed line is creating danger, call both the utility and 9-1-1.

PECO, which says it serves nearly 1.7 million electric customers in southeastern Pennsylvania, lists Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia among its counties. Its page does not say it serves every address in them, so use the number on your own bill.

How can you tell whose problem it is?

By what is out and where the fault sits.

• The whole street is dark. That is the utility's.
• Only one room or a few outlets are dead. That is usually a tripped breaker, a blown fuse or a tripped ground-fault outlet inside the house. The Electrical Safety Foundation's reset steps: turn off what is plugged in, find the breaker in the off or middle position, switch it off and back on. If it keeps tripping, call an electrician.
• Your house alone is out, and the neighbors are not. It could be either. Report it to the utility anyway, since the PUC says not to assume it already knows, and call an electrician if the utility finds nothing wrong on its side.

Where does PECO's responsibility end?

At the meter. PECO's equipment responsibility page divides the equipment between the utility and the customer:

For an overhead service, PECO says it will reinstall the service drop to the original attachment point, but the customer is responsible for any repair to the service entrance cable. So when a storm or a falling limb tears the service off the house, the repair often needs both: an electrician for the customer-owned parts, then the utility to reconnect. For an underground service, PECO says the customer pays to repair cable damage the customer caused, while PECO restores the lawn when the fault was its own, and it asks that easements be kept clear so crews can reach the cable.

The foundation adds a caution about the meter: it is monitored by the utility and protected by law, and tampering with it is extremely dangerous and illegal.

What should you do about downed lines?

Stay away. The PUC says to assume downed lines are energized, never to approach or touch them or anything in contact with them, including puddles, and never to try to clear trees or limbs tangled in lines. That work belongs to utility crews.

What if water got into the wiring?

Do not use it until it has been checked. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says not to touch wet appliances still plugged in, and to have a qualified professional or a utility representative inspect the home and replace electrical wiring, circuit breakers and fuses that have been under water before you use appliances again.

What about the generator?

Not into the wall. The PUC says to connect devices directly to a generator, not to the house wiring, to protect utility workers, and the foundation says only a transfer switch can connect a generator to the house safely. The CPSC says to run portable generators outside only, at least 20 feet from the house, and warns that carbon monoxide can kill in minutes. The details are in the generator and transfer switch guide.

When the power comes back

The PUC suggests unplugging sensitive electronics during the outage, leaving one light on so you know when power returns, and waiting at least 15 minutes before turning other appliances back on.

Can an electrician start before the permit?

For a genuine emergency, yes. Pennsylvania's code regulation allows an emergency repair or replacement of equipment without first applying for a permit, provided the application reaches the code official within 3 business days. Work on utility-owned equipment needs no permit at all.

The contract rules shift too. The Attorney General says work done under the emergency provisions of the state's consumer protection law is not treated as a home improvement, but only for emergencies that meet that law's criteria, and only if the contractor obtains the emergency waiver the law requires. Read what you are asked to sign, even in a hurry.

What does an emergency call cost?

More than a weekday visit. Angi, a home-services marketplace, says night and weekend call-outs add $100 to $200 and that labor can reach double the normal rate; HomeAdvisor says time-and-a-half to double, plus a trip charge of $100 or more. These are national figures. The National Fire Protection Association's list of urgent signs, such as sparks, a burning smell or warm outlets, is a fair test of what cannot wait.

Ordinary prices are in the cost guide, and the longer-term question of service capacity is in the panel upgrade guide. Electricians are listed on the electricians directory page.

Sources

1. Electrical Home Fire Safety, National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
2. Prepare Now for Post-Christmas Winter Storms - PUC Shares #UtilitySafety Tips, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
3. Equipment Responsibility, PECO
4. Company Information, PECO
5. 34 Pa. Code § 403.62. Permit requirements and exemptions., Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Code)
6. Frequently Asked Questions: Home Improvement Contractor Registration, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
7. CPSC Warns of Generator, Carbon Monoxide and Fire Hazards Ahead of Hurricane Season, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
8. Winter Storm May Knock Out Power; CPSC Warns of Deadly Carbon Monoxide and Fire Risks, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
9. Generator Safety, Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI)
10. Understanding Your Home Electrical System, Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI)
11. How Much Does an Electrician Cost to Hire? [2026 Data], Angi
12. How Much Does an Electrician Cost in 2026?, HomeAdvisor