When the power goes out, the first steps are to check whether the outage is limited to your home or affects your neighborhood, locate your circuit breaker panel for a quick inspection, and avoid using candles near anything flammable. If the outage is widespread, report it to Xcel Energy (or your utility) and wait for restoration. If the outage appears to be only at your home — or if you lose power to just part of the house — the cause may be a tripped breaker, a blown fuse, a tripped GFCI outlet, or a problem with your service entrance that requires an electrician.

First: Determine the Scope of the Outage

Step outside and look at your neighbors’ homes. If the whole block is dark, the outage is the utility’s responsibility — report it through Xcel Energy’s outage map or phone line and wait for updates. If your neighbors have power and you don’t, the problem is either at your meter, your service entrance, or inside your panel. That’s when you need to investigate further or call an electrician.

Check Your Breaker Panel

Open your main electrical panel and look for breakers that have tripped to the middle (off) position. A tripped breaker will typically sit between the on and off positions rather than snapping cleanly to one side. To reset it: switch it fully to off first, then back to on. If it trips again immediately or won’t reset, there is an underlying fault on that circuit — an overloaded circuit, a short, or a damaged device. Don’t keep resetting a breaker that won’t hold; that’s a sign of a real problem.

Also check the main breaker at the top of the panel. If it’s tripped, reset it the same way. A main breaker trip usually means the home drew more current than the service entrance is rated for — uncommon but possible if many large loads ran simultaneously.

Check GFCI Outlets

If only certain outlets or lights in one area of the house are dead, check for a tripped GFCI outlet. GFCI outlets have test and reset buttons and are commonly installed in bathrooms, kitchens, garages, and outdoor locations. One GFCI outlet can protect multiple downstream outlets on the same circuit — so a tripped GFCI in your garage might be the reason outlets in your outdoor shed or on an exterior wall aren’t working. Press the reset button firmly until it clicks.

Safety During an Extended Outage

  • Keep the refrigerator and freezer closed. A full freezer holds temperature safely for 24–48 hours if unopened; a refrigerator holds for about 4 hours.
  • Never run a generator indoors or in a garage. Generator exhaust produces carbon monoxide, which is odorless and rapidly fatal. Always run generators outside, away from windows and doors.
  • Unplug sensitive electronics before power is restored to protect against voltage surges when the grid comes back on.
  • Use battery-powered or hand-crank flashlights rather than candles to eliminate fire risk.
  • In winter, Colorado cold snaps can make a home dangerously cold within hours if your heating is electric. Know where your backup heat source is, and let faucets drip slightly if temperatures are expected to drop below freezing.

When to Call an Electrician

Call a licensed electrician — or Done’s emergency line — if the outage is isolated to your home and the panel check doesn’t reveal an obvious tripped breaker, if you smell burning near the panel, if breakers won’t stay reset, or if the problem involves the service entrance (the wires coming into your home from the utility pole or meter). Service entrance problems are not DIY repairs — live utility lines are involved, and only the utility or a licensed electrician should handle that work.

If you’re tired of scrambling during outages, Done’s backup power team can help you evaluate whole-home generators and battery backup systems. For electrical emergencies, our emergency electricians are available around the clock. And if recurring breaker trips suggest your panel is undersized, see what our panel and wiring services include.