LGD Electric / Power Outage Vancouver
Power Outage in Vancouver: BC Hydro or your panel?
Three steps to diagnose a Vancouver power outage: the BC Hydro outage map, your main breaker, and a partial-outage check. Knowing which one it is saves you a service-call charge when the fix is a simple reset.
When the power goes out in Vancouver, the first question is whether it is a BC Hydro outage (grid-wide) or an internal electrical fault at your panel. Check BC Hydro's outage map at bchydro.com/outages first. If the outage is listed, the utility is working on it and there is nothing an electrician can do faster. If BC Hydro shows your area as up but your home is dark, the fault is internal: a tripped main breaker, a failed meter base, a loose service-entry conductor, or (rarely) a utility-side fault not yet reported. An internal fault needs a licensed electrician before power is restored.
Step 1: Check the BC Hydro outage map
Open bchydro.com/outages on your phone. BC Hydro publishes a near-real-time map of known outages across the province. If your neighborhood is highlighted, a grid fault is already known and a crew is either dispatched or dispatching. There is nothing an electrician can do to restore a grid outage faster than BC Hydro.
If the outage is not on the map, call the BC Hydro outage line (see the bchydro.com contact page). They can log your home as affected and dispatch a line crew if the fault is on their side.
Step 2: Check your main breaker and meter base
Open your main electrical panel. The main breaker is the large double-pole breaker at the top (or bottom) of the panel. If it is in the OFF or middle position, reset it once: push fully to OFF, then fully to ON. If the main breaker trips immediately on reset, do not keep resetting. Stop and call LGD.
From outside the building, look at the meter base on your exterior wall. If you see scorching, exposed conductors, a hanging masthead or a downed service line, do not touch any of it. Call BC Hydro (for the line side) and LGD (for the meter base on your side). Utility side and customer side meet at the meter, and both authorities need to be involved on any meter-base damage.
Step 3: Identify partial outages (some rooms work, others do not)
If some rooms have power and others do not, the fault is almost always on your side of the meter:
- Tripped sub-panel breaker: check any sub-panels (garage, basement suite, workshop). A tripped sub-panel main takes down everything downstream.
- Split-service fault: a failed leg of your 240V service. This looks like half the house working and half dark, appliances on 240V (range, dryer, hot tub) refusing to start. A split-service condition can damage sensitive electronics if you run them at the wrong voltage. Turn off 240V breakers and call an electrician immediately.
- Individual tripped branch breaker: the smaller single-pole breakers, one per room circuit. Reset once. If it trips immediately, stop and see our breaker keeps tripping guide.
When to call an electrician vs BC Hydro
- Call BC Hydro if your neighborhood is on the outage map, if you see downed lines, if the meter base shows external damage, or if the outage is clearly grid-wide.
- Call LGD if only your home is affected, if your main breaker trips repeatedly, if only part of the house is dark, or if BC Hydro has restored service to the street but your home is still out.
Storm season and surge damage in Metro Vancouver
Post-outage power restoration sometimes delivers a transient voltage spike as BC Hydro re-energizes the grid. Sensitive electronics (computers, smart thermostats, heat pumps, network gear) can fail in the restoration moment even if they survived the outage itself. A panel-mounted surge protective device (SPD) mitigates this. North Vancouver and hillside communities with overhead service are especially exposed. See our North Vancouver electrician page for the surge protection breakdown.
Power outage FAQ
How do I tell if an outage is BC Hydro or my panel?
Check bchydro.com/outages first. If your area is listed, it is a grid outage. If BC Hydro shows the area as up but your home is dark, the fault is internal.
My neighbors have power but I do not. What now?
Usually a tripped main breaker, a failed service-entry conductor or a blown sub-panel breaker. Check main breaker first. Reset once. If it trips again, call LGD.
Should I call BC Hydro or an electrician during an outage?
BC Hydro for grid outages and anything visible on the utility side. LGD for main breaker issues, partial outages and internal faults.
Why is only half my house dark?
Split-service condition (one leg of your 240V service has failed) or a sub-panel breaker has tripped. Do not self-diagnose a split-service condition. Call a licensed electrician.