TL;DR: “Half my house is dead” is not one call type. Ask about safety, neighbors, the affected half, 240V equipment, and dimming or brightening lights before you book a truck.
A partial-power call can be a tripped breaker or GFCI. It can also be a lost service leg, a failed main, or a utility-side neutral or service-wire problem. The first version is often an ordinary booking. The last versions can damage equipment or put someone near an electrical hazard.
The words “power outage” do not tell you which one you have.
Start with danger, not diagnosis
Your first question is not, “Which breaker tripped?”
Ask whether there is smoke, a burning smell, sparks, heat at the panel, buzzing, a downed power line, or water at the panel. Those symptoms move the call into your emergency process. Ring the on-call cell according to your shop’s rules. Your electrical emergency call process should separate these calls from ordinary scheduling.
If there is a downed power line, the caller must stay away, call 911, and then call the utility. SCE gives the same direction for fallen power lines. PG&E says to stay away from downed lines, call 911, and then call PG&E.
If the caller smells natural gas, the caller should leave and call 911.
Burning smell, panel heat, sparks, or buzzing require more direct instructions. Tell the caller to turn off the main breaker if it is safe to do so, leave, and call 911 if there is a fire. Do not have the caller open the panel.
That is not a troubleshooting exercise. It is a safety screen.
Ask whether the neighbors are dark
If the neighbors are also without power, start with the utility. SCE tells customers to check whether nearby lights are off before calling about an outage. If power is out longer than a few minutes, SCE directs them to its Outage Center.
Ask the question plainly:
“Are your neighbors’ lights on, or are they dark too?”
If the whole neighborhood is dark, point the caller to the utility’s outage reporting path. Do not send a truck just because the caller said “half the house.” If the whole neighborhood is dark on purpose, such as during a planned shutoff, use your PSPS call procedure instead.
If the neighbors have power, keep going. A utility outage is less likely, and the symptom pattern matters.
Find out which half is dead
Ask whether some outlets and lights still work. Then ask whether any 240V equipment is dead, such as the range, dryer, or air conditioner. Ask whether any breaker is tripped or any GFCI has popped.
In a 120/240V split-phase home, losing one service leg kills roughly half the circuits and 240V loads. It usually does not trip a breaker. That pattern can point to a customer-side service problem, such as a failed main or a lost leg at the service entrance.
PG&E says a partial outage is usually caused by a tripped breaker or tripped GFI. PG&E also describes that condition as customer equipment and usually easy to fix. Its guidance tells the caller to unplug devices and appliances in the affected area, then reset the GFI or breaker.
SCE gives similar customer guidance. If some lights or appliances still work, SCE says the issue is likely inside the home. It tells customers to replace the fuse or reset the tripped breaker to restore power to the affected areas.
That makes a one-room call with a popped GFCI a normal booking candidate. The caller may try the GFCI or breaker first, following the utility’s guidance. If the reset does not hold, book the service call.
Do not apply that same script to every partial-power call. A house with half the circuits dead and no tripped breaker needs a different review.
Ask whether lights dim or brighten
The next question is the one that separates a routine booking from an urgent call:
“Do the lights dim or get brighter when a large appliance or other big load starts?”
An open or loose service neutral can make lights dim in one room and go bright in another when a large load starts. It can also overvoltage appliances. Treat bright and dim lights, flickering, and half the house being dead as urgent.
Tell the caller to shut off large loads. Tell them not to open the panel. Route the call to the on-call cell under your after-hours call policy. Tell the caller to contact the utility’s voltage problem line too.
PG&E lists high or low voltage, partial power, and flickering lights as voltage problems. It sends those callers to customer service, which is a different path from reporting an outage.
This distinction matters. A caller who says “the power is out” may actually be reporting a voltage problem. Sending that call into a basic outage script can leave a dangerous symptom sitting in the wrong queue.
Ask who owns the service-side problem
Do not promise the customer that the utility will handle every wire outside the panel. Service-wire ownership differs by utility and tariff. Tell the caller to ask the utility who owns the affected equipment.
PG&E says wires connecting secondary lines to a home or business are the customer’s responsibility to maintain and keep free of vegetation. That does not give you a universal ownership rule for every utility or every service. Ask first. Then document the answer in the job record.
A failed main or old service can also become a panel or service job. Use the questions in panel upgrade calls and what to ask before booking when the call points in that direction.
Put the symptom pattern in the job summary
The intake order is simple:
- Are the neighbors dark?
- Which half of the house is affected?
- Is any 240V appliance dead?
- Do lights dim or brighten when a large load starts?
Those answers belong in the SMS job summary. The electrician should read the symptom pattern before calling back, not a note that says only “no power.”
Wirewoman answers 24/7 and sends the SMS job summary within 30 seconds of hang-up. Every call is logged to a dashboard. Urgent calls follow your shop’s own escalation rules. You decide which phrases, such as “dim and bright,” “burning smell,” or “sparks,” ring the on-call cell right away. Wirewoman does not diagnose. She sorts and routes.
That is the difference between collecting a message and protecting the next truck roll.
Stop using “power outage” as the only tag
Use a tag that records the actual branch of the call: utility outage, GFCI or breaker, partial power, possible lost leg, voltage symptom, or emergency hazard. The tag should reflect what the caller reported, not what the caller called it.
A single “power outage” tag hides the easy bookings, the utility referrals, and the calls that need immediate escalation. It also makes the electrician call back without the information needed to decide what happens next.
Change the script today. Put the safety questions first. Ask about the neighbors before booking. Ask which circuits and 240V loads are dead. Ask about dimming and brightening. Send those answers in the job summary, and ring the on-call cell for the danger words your shop has selected through emergencies.
