If the whole house went dark and your neighbors are dark too, it’s a utility outage: report it to Xcel, Fort Collins Utilities, or your local provider and wait. If only part of your house lost power, one breaker keeps tripping, or you smell burning, see sparks, or feel a warm outlet or wall, the problem is on your side of the meter and it’s a job for an emergency electrician in Northern Colorado. Anything burning, smoking, or sparking that’s still happening is a call tonight, not tomorrow. If you see actual flames, call 911 first.
The lights go out, and the first question is always the same: my problem or the power company’s? Getting that right in five minutes saves you a needless service call, or a night next to a circuit cooking inside the wall.
Step one: look outside
Before you touch the panel, look at the neighbors. Porch lights, streetlights, the house across the street. If the whole block is dark, the fault is on the utility’s equipment, and no electrician can fix it.
Who you report it to depends on where you live. Xcel Energy serves a large share of the region. Fort Collins residents report to Fort Collins Utilities. Loveland Water and Power and Longmont Power run their own systems, and some rural homes are on Poudre Valley REA. Your bill tells you which one is yours. Each keeps an outage map.
A utility outage becomes your problem only when power returns and something doesn’t work right. Constant flickering or one side of the house dim can point to a damaged service connection or lost neutral. That’s worth a call.
Step two: if it’s only your house
If you’re the only dark house, or only some rooms went out, the problem is on your side of the meter. Start with the simple stuff:
- Check the panel for a tripped breaker. It’ll sit in the middle or off position. Push it fully off, then back on.
- Check your GFCI outlets. One tripped GFCI in the garage can kill outlets in a bathroom.
- Reset once, and only once. A breaker that trips again right away is doing its job. Something on that circuit is overloaded, shorted, or failing. Resetting it over and over sends power back into the fault.
If the reset holds, you’re probably fine, though a daytime visit to find out why it tripped is reasonable.
When it’s an emergency tonight
These don’t wait for morning:
- A burning, hot plastic, or fishy smell from an outlet, switch, or panel
- Sparks or arcing when you plug something in or flip a switch
- An outlet, cover plate, or wall that’s warm to the touch
- Buzzing or crackling from the panel
- A breaker that won’t reset, or won’t stay on
- Water on or near the panel after a leak or storm
Jon Trujillo, our Master Electrician, gives homeowners the same advice on every one of these calls: if you know where your panel is, shut the breakers off until the electrician is on site. If you can’t tell which breaker, shut off the main. Then the electrician can turn circuits back on one at a time and isolate the problem.
Fire department or electrician? If you see actual fire or smoke, call 911 first. If nothing is burning, call the electrician. Firefighters who arrive to a smell with no flames will usually send you to one anyway.
The mistakes that make it worse
Treating the breaker as the problem; it’s the symptom. Ignoring a warm outlet because the smell went away. Waiting because an emergency call feels expensive. One visit costs far less than a fire claim.
With Colorado now working under the 2026 NEC, adopted August 1, 2026, a quick emergency fix and a permanent repair can be two different jobs. Restoring a safe condition tonight is one thing. A panel replacement or rewiring may need a permit and a follow-up visit. Ask your electrician which one you’re getting.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a power outage is my house or the utility?
Look at your neighbors and check your utility’s outage map. If everyone is dark, it’s the utility. If only you are out, check breakers and GFCIs; if that doesn’t restore power, call an electrician.
Is it safe to reset a breaker that keeps tripping?
Reset it once, and only if the panel is dry, cool, and quiet. If it trips again, leave it off. Repeated resets push current back into whatever fault caused the trip, and that’s how a loose connection turns into a burned wire.
How much does an emergency electrician cost?
Expect $200–$500 or more, depending on what the diagnosis turns up and whether it’s after hours. What moves the number: how long the fault takes to find, whether parts are needed tonight, and whether the fix turns into permitted work like a panel replacement.
Three Crowns Electric answers emergency calls across Northern Colorado with salaried technicians, not commissioned salespeople, and every repair carries a 2-year warranty. If something in your house is smoking, sparking, or won’t stay on, see our emergency electrician services or call (970) 645-3114, and we’ll walk you through making it safe until we get there.
