Start with the neighbors and the main breaker
Look at the houses around you. Porch lights, a garage light, a neighbor's window. If everyone is dark, you are part of a wider outage and there is nothing to fix inside your house.
If the neighbors have power, do not assume the problem is yours yet. Idaho Power notes that neighbors can be on different feeders, so the house across the road can stay lit while yours goes out on a different line.
Next, open the panel. A tripped breaker usually sits between on and off. To reset one, push it fully off, then back on. If the main breaker has tripped, reset it once. If it trips again straight away, leave it off. Something on your side is drawing far more current than it should, and resetting it repeatedly is how panels get damaged.
Where Idaho Power's equipment ends and yours begins
Idaho Power calls the dividing line the point of delivery. On an overhead service, the kind most older Hailey and Bellevue houses have, it is the drip loop: the spot just below the weatherhead where the utility's wires are spliced to yours. On an underground service with a standard meter, it is the line-side lugs inside your meter base.
Everything past that point belongs to the customer, in Idaho Power's own words, to own, install, operate and maintain. The one exception is the meter itself, which Idaho Power owns and maintains.
| Equipment | Owned and maintained by |
|---|---|
| Wires from the transformer to the drip loop | Idaho Power |
| The connectors at the drip loop | Idaho Power |
| The meter | Idaho Power |
| Weatherhead, mast, conduit and bracing | Homeowner |
| Wires from the drip loop to the meter base | Homeowner |
| Meter base | Homeowner |
| Panel, breakers and everything inside the house | Homeowner |
| Grounding electrode and ground wire | Homeowner |
Half the house is out, or the lights are acting strange
A home service brings in two hot legs. Each one feeds roughly half of your 120-volt circuits, and 240-volt appliances like the dryer, range, well pump and hot tub use both. If one leg is lost, half the house goes dark and the big appliances stop or behave oddly, while the other half carries on as normal.
That can be a tripped main breaker, a failed connection in the meter base, or a problem on Idaho Power's side of the drip loop. You cannot tell which from inside the house, so report it to Idaho Power as an outage first. If their side checks out, the fault is in your service equipment or panel.
Lights that brighten in one room while they dim in another are a different and more serious problem. That pattern usually means a loose or broken neutral, which can push well over 120 volts into some circuits and damage anything plugged in. Turn off the main breaker, report it to Idaho Power, and call an electrician. Do not wait to see whether it settles down.
When snow takes the service mast with it
This is the valley's version of the problem. Snow sliding off a steep roof can bend a service mast, pull the weatherhead loose or tear the meter base off the wall. In Ketchum and Sun Valley it tends to happen late in a big snow year, when a warm afternoon releases a winter of buildup at once.
Most people assume a damaged service is the power company's job because it is their wire. Look at the table again. The wire is theirs. The mast, the weatherhead and the meter base it pulled down are yours, and so is the repair.
Replacing a damaged meter base is one of the changes Idaho Power lists as requiring work on your side before it reconnects, and it reconnects once the work has passed electrical inspection. That means a licensed electrician, a state permit and an inspection, in that order. See which jobs need a permit for how that works in Blaine County.
If wires are down or hanging, stay well back. Idaho Power's guidance is to assume any downed line is energized and keep at least 100 feet away. Call Idaho Power, and 911 if anything is sparking or burning.
Reporting an outage to Idaho Power
Idaho Power's outage map and mobile app show current outages with a cause and an estimated restoration time. The map in the app shows outages affecting 10 or more customers, so a problem limited to your house or a few on your line may not appear.
If your power has been out for more than 10 minutes and you do not see it on the map, call Idaho Power to report it at 208-388-2323 or 1-800-488-6151.
For second homes, this is worth setting up before you leave. Idaho Power texts outage alerts to the primary account holder's mobile number, and you can add other contacts in My Account. Adding your caretaker or property manager means someone nearby finds out when the house loses power, not when you get back.
What to do while you wait
Turn off or unplug the large loads, such as space heaters, the hot tub and anything with a motor, so they do not all start at once when power returns. Leave one light on so you know when it is back.
If you run a portable generator, connect it only through a transfer switch or an approved interlock, never by plugging it into an outlet. Backfeeding a house can energize the utility's lines and injure the crews working on them. If outages are a regular problem at your place, the standby generator guide covers how a permanent system is sized and installed.
In a house that sits empty through the winter, a long outage is a freeze problem as much as an electrical one. Heat, heat tape and the well pump all stop together. That is the case where an alert to someone local matters most.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a power outage is just my house?
Check whether your neighbors have power and whether your main breaker has tripped. Neighbors can be on a different Idaho Power feeder, so if your breaker is fine and the outage is not on Idaho Power's map after 10 minutes, report it.
Who is responsible for the meter base, Idaho Power or the homeowner?
The homeowner. Idaho Power's service requirements put the meter base, mast, weatherhead and conduit on the customer's side. Idaho Power owns and maintains the meter itself and its wires up to the drip loop.
Why is only half my house without power?
A home service has two hot legs and losing one takes out roughly half the circuits. The cause can be your main breaker, your meter base or Idaho Power's connection, so report it to Idaho Power first and call an electrician if their side is fine.
Why are my lights getting brighter and dimmer?
Lights that brighten in some rooms and dim in others usually point to a loose or broken neutral. It can damage appliances and electronics. Turn off the main breaker, report it to Idaho Power and call an electrician.
Snow ripped my service mast off the house. Who fixes it?
The mast, weatherhead and meter base are the homeowner's equipment, so the repair is yours. It needs a licensed electrician, a state permit and a passed inspection before Idaho Power reconnects the service.
What is Idaho Power's outage number?
208-388-2323, or toll free 1-800-488-6151. Idaho Power asks customers to call if the power has been out more than 10 minutes and the outage is not on its map.
Can someone else get Idaho Power outage alerts for my house?
Yes. The primary account holder gets text alerts automatically, and other contacts can be added in My Account. For a second home, adding a caretaker or property manager is worth doing before winter.