Practical guide
Power outage: Sibelga, Fluvius, ORES or an electrician?
A power cut doesn’t always mean you need the network operator. Quickly find out who to contact depending on where the fault comes from and which region you’re in.
KHOMELEC is an independent electrical contractor. We are not Sibelga, Fluvius or ORES, and we are not affiliated with any network operator.
Which network operator should you contact in Belgium?
Your distribution system operator depends on the region – and sometimes the municipality – where your building is located.
Brussels — Sibelga
Sibelga operates the electricity and gas distribution network for the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region.
Sibelga official website(external website, opens in a new tab)Flanders — Fluvius
In Flanders, Fluvius is the main point of contact for the management of the electricity and gas distribution networks.
Fluvius official website(external website, opens in a new tab)Wallonia — ORES and other operators
ORES manages the distribution network across a large part of Wallonia. Depending on the municipality, however, a different network operator may be responsible.
ORES official website(external website, opens in a new tab)
Links provided for information only. KHOMELEC has no commercial or institutional relationship with these network operators.
Network operator or electrician: who should you call?
Who to call depends on where the fault comes from. Here are the most common situations, as a general guide.
Usually the network operator
The problem lies on the public network or at the connection.
- Several homes or the whole street have no power.
- A general outage on the network.
- A problem with the public connection.
- A problem directly affecting the meter or the grid supply.
- Faulty street lighting.
- Works or an outage announced by the operator.
Usually an electrician
The problem lies within your own installation, after the meter.
- Only your home or business has no power.
- The residual-current device (RCD) trips.
- A circuit breaker keeps tripping.
- A socket has stopped working.
- Part of the building has lost power.
- Burning smell or abnormal heating.
- Short circuit.
- Insulation fault.
- A problem in the electrical panel.
- Electrical fault finding.
A few simple checks before you call
Without dismantling or tampering with the electrical installation, a few quick checks can help you tell whether the fault comes from the grid or from your own installation.
- Check whether your neighbours have also lost power.
- Check whether your whole home is affected or only part of it.
- Look to see whether a circuit breaker or RCD has tripped.
- If the problem is limited to your installation, contact an electrician.
- If several homes are affected, contact your network operator.
Safety first
Never dismantle an electrical panel, meter or installation unless you are qualified to do so. If you notice a burning smell, heating, sparks or any immediate danger, avoid any unnecessary handling.
Is the fault in your installation?
KHOMELEC traces and repairs electrical faults in Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia: power cuts, tripping protection devices, short circuits, insulation faults, faulty circuits and electrical panel problems.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about power outages
If the outage affects several homes or seems to come from the public network, contact your network operator: Sibelga in Brussels, Fluvius in Flanders or ORES in Wallonia. If it only affects your own installation, panel or electrical circuits, contact an electrician.
In Brussels, Sibelga is the distribution system operator. For a fault limited to your home or your private electrical installation, you can call an electrician.
Usually not. A tripping residual-current device most often points to a problem in the private electrical installation or in an appliance. An electrician can carry out the measurements needed to trace the source of the fault.
If neighbouring homes have a normal supply but yours doesn’t, the problem may lie in your private installation. Check your panel without dismantling it and contact an electrician if needed.
No. KHOMELEC is an independent electrical contractor. KHOMELEC is not Sibelga, Fluvius or ORES and is not affiliated with any of these network operators.
In Flanders, Fluvius is the main point of contact for the management of the electricity and gas distribution networks.
ORES manages the distribution network across a large part of Wallonia. Other operators are active depending on the municipality, however.
The network operator runs the public network up to the connection point and the meter, according to the applicable responsibilities. The electrician mainly works on the private electrical installation located after the point of supply.