If it’s metallic and it connects to a building’s earthing system, it can give you a shock if the wiring is faulty or degraded. Think indoor and outdoor taps, metal pipes and gas fitting, or appliances and equipment (with an earth pin) you plug into power points. 

• Incorrect or deteriorated household wiring 
• Faulty or failed customer neutral wire connections 
• Faulty electrical appliances 
• Exposed electrical wires, including damaged cords and leads 
• Electrical equipment coming into contact with water 
• Cutting through a live cable 
• Fallen powerlines 

If your lights brighten or dim for no reason, or you feel a tingle or slight shock when you touch taps, pipes or appliances, there may be a problem with the electrical system. Don’t risk your safety waiting until it becomes more serious, contact Horizon Power on 13 23 51 immediately. If you rent, contact us directly and don’t leave it to the property manager or owner. Avoid touching any metal appliances, taps or gas fittings until we give you the ok. 

As most mains switchboards are enclosed in metal, don’t try and turn off the mains power.

The safest approach is to avoid touching any exposed metallic surfaces until a Horizon Power crew checks out your property. 

By law, all rental properties must have a Residual Current Device (RCD) or safety switch. If you own your own home, we highly recommend installing an RCD if you don’t already have one. It instantly switches off the electricity to your home if there is an electrical fault.

While it will protect you from some electrical hazards, it can’t respond to faults in all parts of the circuit. That’s why it is so important to act on tingles, shocks and lights that are playing up. 

The first thing we do is send a team to investigate and locate the fault. Once we know what we’re dealing with, we can ensure that the correct safety work is completed by the most qualified people. We only disconnect the power when it is impossible to remedy the problem while your property is on network supply, or there is a risk to you or the community. 

It is free to call out Horizon Power on 13 23 51 to investigate a suspected fault.

If the shock report reveals the cause is with our equipment, we will replace it at our cost. If the fault is with your wiring or equipment, the property owner will need to pay for a licensed electrical contractor to make the repairs. As frustrating as an unexpected bill is, please attend to repairs immediately. You can’t put a price on your safety. 

In the case of a serious incident from an electrical fault, the incident area will be isolated. The area may be closed until the investigation has been completed and the area deemed safe and rectified by an electrical contractor.