Is this actually an electrical emergency?
Not every electrical problem needs a midnight callout. Some do. Here's how Houston electricians sort it.
Call right now if any of these are happening:
- Burning smell from an outlet, switch, or panel — even faint.
- Visible sparks from an outlet, fixture, or your breaker panel.
- Scorch marks or melted plastic around an outlet or switch.
- Buzzing or humming from the panel that wasn't there before.
- Whole panel is dead but neighbors still have power (your service entrance, not a CenterPoint outage).
- Water dripping into the panel or any electrical box.
- Shock from an appliance when you touch it.
Probably can wait until morning:
- One breaker trips once and resets cleanly.
- A single outlet stopped working but nothing smells burnt.
- A light fixture is flickering.
- A GFCI in the bathroom won't reset (try the test/reset buttons first).
See our breaker-tripping diagnostic guide for steps you can try yourself before calling.
Do this in the first 60 seconds
- If you smell smoke or see flames — leave the house and call 911. Electrical fires spread inside walls. Don't fight it.
- Kill power to the affected circuit. Flip the breaker for the room or appliance involved. If you don't know which breaker, flip the main breaker at the top of the panel.
- Don't touch wet electrical anything. If a panel is wet or a flooded outlet is sparking, the floor or fixture may be live. Stay back.
- Unplug damaged appliances only if it's safe to reach the plug without touching the appliance itself.
- Then call us. Phone is fastest — (346) 291-8126. Or fill the callback form above and a partner electrician phones you within 30 minutes during business hours.
Houston-specific emergency causes
Houston has a few patterns that send people to emergency electricians more than other metros:
- Storm damage and CenterPoint resets. After hurricanes, derecho events, or even a normal Gulf thunderstorm, surges fry breakers and damage service masts. If a tree took down your weatherhead, that's a homeowner-side repair before CenterPoint will reconnect.
- Aluminum wiring in 1965–1973 Houston homes. Heights bungalows, Memorial-area tracts, and parts of Sharpstown shipped with aluminum branch wiring. Connections oxidize and overheat at outlets and switches — that's the burning smell.
- Flood-zone panels. Homes that took water in Harvey or Imelda often had panels swapped in a hurry. Some weren't pulled to code. Failed connections show up years later.
- AC compressor faults during summer. July and August load the grid. A failing condenser or shorted contactor can pop the main and look like a panel issue.
What an emergency call costs in Houston
Honest numbers, not lead-bait ranges:
- Diagnostic / trip fee: $89–$175 for a same-day or after-hours dispatch.
- Breaker replacement: $150–$350 parts + labor.
- Outlet or switch replacement: $120–$280 each.
- Service mast / weatherhead repair after storm: $400–$1,200+ depending on damage and permit.
- Full panel replacement (emergency context): $1,800–$4,500. See our panel upgrade cost guide for the full breakdown by home age and amperage.
Quotes from partner pros are honored — if a number changes after they arrive, it's because the diagnosis changed, not because of bait pricing. You're free to walk.
Houston coverage
Partner electricians work Inside the Loop, Memorial, Heights, Montrose, Bellaire, River Oaks, Sugar Land, Katy, Spring Branch, The Woodlands (south of FM 1488), and Pearland.
Outside that radius? Submit the form anyway — we'll tell you straight whether we have someone close enough to help fast.
Ready for a callback?
Drop your number and ZIP at the top of this page. A partner Houston electrician phones you within 30 minutes during business hours.
Request a callback