Emergency Electricians Near You, by City

What to do right now

1. If you smell burning or see sparks, turn off the breaker for that room and leave it off.
2. Unplug everything on the affected circuit.
3. Don't reset a breaker more than once. If it trips again, there is a fault that needs a licensed electrician.
4. Renters: report it to your landlord in writing with photos. Homeowners: photograph damage and check whether your policy covers surge damage.

Emergency Electrical: what homeowners should know

After an outage, surge or storm, homes often end up with dead outlets, breakers that trip again the second you reset them, or a burning smell from a switch or panel. Those are signs of real damage, not just an inconvenience.

If you smell burning plastic, see scorch marks, or feel heat at an outlet, switch or panel, shut off that breaker and treat it as urgent. If you can't isolate it or there is smoke, call 911 first. Storm damage to the service mast or meter on the outside of the house is usually the utility's side up to the meter and yours after it.

Electrical repairs in most places legally require a licensed electrician and often a permit. Ask about the after-hours rate up front, and whether they also install transfer switches or generator interlocks if outages are common where you live.

How much does emergency electrical cost?

Electricians typically charge somewhere around $100 to $200 an hour, with after-hours and holiday calls often 1.5 to 2 times that, plus a trip fee. Replacing a damaged outlet or breaker is usually a few hundred dollars. A panel replacement can run about $1,500 to $4,000 or more.

If you rent: who handles what

Wiring in a rental belongs to the building, and most leases don't allow tenants to do electrical work. Report problems to your landlord in writing. Safe electrical service is part of basic habitability almost everywhere in the US.

Renters insurance often covers your own electronics damaged by a power surge, though some policies set a lower limit for it.