Straight answers for Tucson.

Check your main breaker and panel for tripped breakers first. If nothing is tripped, you've likely lost one of the two legs of power feeding your home, at the utility connection, the meter, or a failing main breaker.

Call Tucson Electric Power (or Trico Electric Cooperative if they serve you) to check their side. If lights elsewhere are unusually bright or dim, turn off electronics right away; that points to a loose neutral that can damage appliances. When you send us a service request, type URGENT as the first line, followed by the problem and how long the power has been out.

Call right away for burning smells, smoke, sparks, a hot or buzzing panel, scorched outlets, partial power loss with brightening or dimming lights, water near electrical equipment, or a shock from anything.

If there's smoke or fire, get out and call 911. Otherwise, shut off the affected breaker, or the main if you can't tell which one, and contact us marked URGENT. A single dead outlet or a light that won't work can wait for a regular appointment.

Breakers trip because of an overload, a short circuit, or a ground fault, or because the breaker itself is wearing out. In Tucson summers, heat makes marginal breakers and connections trip more often.

If it trips when a space heater, window unit or microwave runs, it's likely an overload. If it trips the instant you reset it, something is shorted: leave it off and have it checked. Never replace a breaker with a bigger one to stop the tripping.

One flickering fixture usually means a bulb or dimmer problem. Flickering across the house, or when the AC starts, points to a loose connection in the panel, meter or service.

Loose connections heat up, especially in panels baking on sunny walls, so whole-house flicker should be looked at soon. We tighten or replace failing connections and tell you if the service itself is undersized.

Stop using it and turn off that breaker. A warm plate or burning smell means a connection or device is overheating.

Heat damages wire insulation and gets worse over time, and it's more common with aluminum wiring and in homes that bake in summer heat. If you see scorch marks or smoke, shut off the main and contact us marked URGENT.

Heat is hard on breakers, connections and wiring. Breakers trip closer to their limit when they're hot, loose connections overheat faster, and sun and UV break down outdoor fixtures, cable jackets and PVC conduit.

The fixes are straightforward: tight, properly torqued connections; breakers and wire sized correctly for AC and pool loads; UV-rated materials outdoors; and shade for panels on west-facing walls when possible, without blocking the required clearance.

Yes. A whole-home surge protector at your panel, plus plug-in protectors for sensitive electronics, is the best defense against lightning and utility switching surges.

Monsoon storms from mid-June through September bring frequent nearby strikes that damage AC control boards, pool and spa equipment, garage door openers and appliances. Surge protection costs far less than replacing any one of those.

The utility owns the lines to your house. The service mast, meter socket and panel on your home are yours, and they need to be repaired by a licensed electrician before the utility can reconnect.

Stay far away from any downed line and report it to TEP or Trico. Then call us to repair the equipment on your side.

Heat is the usual culprit: LEDs in enclosed fixtures, hot attics or sun-baked outdoor fixtures fail early. Incompatible dimmers and voltage problems are the other common causes.

Use bulbs rated for enclosed or outdoor fixtures, pair them with LED-rated dimmers, and if bulbs are failing all over the house, have the voltage checked.

Aluminum branch wiring, common in Tucson homes built from the mid-1960s to the mid-1970s, carries a higher risk of overheating at connections. It can be made safe without a full rewire.

The accepted repair is to connect each aluminum wire to a short copper pigtail using connectors rated for the purpose, or to use devices rated for aluminum. Look for 'AL' or 'ALUMINUM' printed on the wire at your panel or in the attic, and have every connection evaluated.

Yes. Both brands have documented histories of breakers that may fail to trip during an overload or short circuit. Many insurers and home inspectors flag them.

They were widely installed in Tucson homes of the 1960s and '70s. Replacing the panel adds capacity and modern protection, and makes room for EV chargers, spas and other upgrades.

Solid masonry walls can't be fished like framed walls, so new circuits usually run through the attic and drop into interior walls, or use neat surface-mounted raceway or conduit where needed.

We plan routes that keep the work clean and code-compliant, and talk through the options before starting so there are no surprises about how the finished work will look.

Consider one if your panel is full, over 30 years old, corroded, warm, or a Zinsco or Federal Pacific, or if you're adding an EV charger, spa, pool equipment, a casita, or central air on an older service.

A load calculation shows whether your current service can handle what you want to add. Sometimes a subpanel or load management is enough; sometimes a full service upgrade is the right call.

A spa disconnect is a switch or GFCI-protected breaker box installed within sight of the hot tub, so the power can be shut off quickly for service or in an emergency. Code requires one, located at least 5 feet from the water.

Most hot tubs also need a dedicated 240-volt circuit from your panel sized to the spa's requirements. We install spa disconnects and circuits and make sure the setup is safe and code-compliant.

A dedicated 240-volt circuit, typically 40 to 60 amps, and enough capacity in your panel alongside your AC and other loads.

We start with a load calculation, then install a hardwired charger or a 240-volt outlet and pull the permit. TEP's time-of-use plans can make overnight charging much cheaper; check their current EV offerings when you set up your charging schedule.

Yes. Outlet installation, ceiling fans, switches, fixture replacements and new lighting layouts are everyday work for us, for homes and businesses.

Ceiling fans need a fan-rated box and support; outdoor outlets need GFCI protection and weatherproof covers; and new lighting should be planned around how the room is used. We'll give you upfront pricing before the work starts.

A GFCI protects you from shock by cutting power when current leaks to ground. An AFCI protects your home from fire by detecting dangerous arcing in damaged wiring.

GFCIs are required in kitchens, bathrooms, garages, outdoors, and at pools and spas. AFCIs are required on most living-area circuits in newer homes and when circuits are extended.

Not always. Solar feeds power back into your panel, and the panel's rating limits how much it can accept. Older or smaller panels often need an upgrade or a different connection method.

If you're planning solar and an EV charger or spa, evaluate the panel once for everything. A single upgrade can often serve every project.

A tenant improvement is the build-out of a commercial space for a new or existing tenant: new walls, lighting layouts, receptacles, dedicated equipment circuits, and panel or service changes to fit how the business will use the space.

We handle the electrical portion of T.I.s from layout through inspection, working with your general contractor or directly with the owner, and scheduling around your opening date.

A cutover is the planned switch from old electrical equipment to new, such as moving circuits from an old panel or service to a new one, with the shortest possible power interruption.

For businesses, cutovers are scheduled in advance, often after hours, with every circuit identified and labeled beforehand so the switch is quick and nothing is left dead when the doors open.

Yes. We upgrade and service 3-phase systems for commercial properties, including new equipment circuits, panel and service upgrades, and troubleshooting.

Three-phase power is common in commercial buildings with larger HVAC units, kitchens, shops and motors. Work on these systems needs careful load balancing and labeling, and we document what we do.

Yes. Regular electrical maintenance catches loose connections, failing breakers, overloaded circuits and lighting problems before they cause downtime.

Maintenance visits can include panel inspection, lighting repairs and upgrades, receptacle and GFCI testing, and a written list of anything that needs attention, prioritized by safety and cost.

Search the contractor on the Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) website to confirm the license is active, bonded, and in an electrical classification.

Arizona Residential & Commercial Electric holds AZ ROC #360761 and is licensed, bonded and insured.

Most does. New circuits, panel and service upgrades, EV chargers, spas and remodel wiring generally need a permit, from the City of Tucson's Planning & Development Services inside city limits or from Pima County in unincorporated areas.

Permitted work is inspected, which protects your safety, your insurance and your resale. Arizona also requires an ROC-licensed contractor for any job over $1,000 or any job that needs a permit.

Pricing depends on the type of service, the materials required and the scope of the job. We provide transparent, upfront pricing before any work begins, so there are no surprises.

We also take time to explain what we find and why a repair is needed. Customer education is part of how we work.

Only minor work. Arizona's handyman exemption covers jobs under $1,000 (labor and materials) that don't require a permit. Anything bigger, or anything needing a permit, requires an ROC-licensed contractor.

Electrical mistakes are often hidden until they cause a problem, so for new circuits, panels, spas and EV chargers, hire a licensed, bonded and insured electrician.

Have panels and connections inspected before peak heat, confirm HVAC circuits are properly sized, add surge protection before monsoon season, and fix any lighting or receptacle issues that could cause downtime.

Summer is when heat-stressed breakers and loose connections fail, often at the worst time. A short maintenance visit in spring is cheaper than an emergency call in July.

Fill out the request form on our contact page or call (520) 214-0708. Once we have the details, we’ll reach out to discuss next steps. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.

For urgent problems, type URGENT as the first line of your service details, followed by what’s happening and how long it has been going on.