Disconnect or isolate your electricity supply

Disconnecting or isolating your electricity supply means temporarily turning off or separating power to a property. Depending on the situation, you may need to contact your electricity retailer, an electrician, or us to arrange this.

There are different ways electricity can be turned off. Depending on your situation, your supply may be:

switched off at the meter
disconnected at a specific point on your property
isolated within the electricity distribution network for safety or major works

You may want your electricity turned off for a short time only, or permanently because you are moving. Read below to find out who to contact.

Moving house

Before you move, contact the energy retailer to turn off power at your current address and finalise your electricity account.

Your energy retailer can help arrange the electricity supply at your new address.

Disconnecting power due to faults, hazards or emergencies

If you want to temporarily disconnect your electricity for safety or fault reasons, contact us on CitiPower: 13 12 80 or Powercor: 13 24 12.

These safety or fault reasons may include:

persistent electrical faults
short circuits, or suspected equipment issues
storm, flood or other events where isolating power is safer

What to expect after:

power may be temporarily disconnected for safety
supply will be restored once it’s safe to do so

Working near powerlines

If you need power supply turned off for works around powerlines, you may need a No Go Zone assessment. This applies to anyone working near overhead or underground powerlines. Some examples include construction, excavation, scaffolding or painting.

Anyone working near powerlines must comply with No Go Zone rules. An assessment and permit may be required before work can begin.

Visit our No Go Zone page to find out more information more on No Go Zone site assessment process.

Applying to isolate low voltage supply for electrician works

If you’re an electrician, you might need the power supply to be isolated from the network before working on an electrical asset at a property. This is to ensure the work can be carried out safely.

This applies to routine electrical work that requires a scheduled appointment.

Common reasons to request a low voltage supply isolation include:

renovation or rewiring work
upgrading the meter board
installing solar, batteries, or other systems

What to expect:

The power supply is temporarily isolated, not permanently disconnected.
The power will be restored once the issue or activity is completed.
You must engage a registered electrical contractor (REC) to apply for these changes. All works will require a Certificate of Electricity Safety.

How to apply

Low voltage isolation can only be applied by a REC.

You can submit your application through our online portal, eConnect.

Once registered and logged in,

Select Submit Connection Request
Select Alteration Request
Complete and submit the form

Apply for LV isolation in eConnect

High Voltage (HV) and Single Wire Earth Return (SWER) isolation

This service is for customers with a HV or SWER connection who require power supply to be de-energised and isolated to safely carry out work on the property.

Submit a request through our High voltage and SWER isolation form if you are:

isolating SWER transformer poles to install new underground consumer mains
performing maintenance on HV metering installations

Costs and timeframes

In most cases, we will apply a standard charge of $3,000 – $5,000 for HV and SWER isolations when the work is carried out during normal business hours. If additional resources or coordination is required for the work, we will provide you with a quotation for the works. Payment needs to be received before the isolation can take place.

A HV or SWER isolation requires careful coordination between multiple parties. Please provide a minimum of four weeks’ notice.