Whole house goes dim then bright in Langley, could it be a BC Hydro problem?

Yes, this is almost certainly a BC Hydro supply problem, not your house wiring, and it needs to be reported to BC Hydro today, because the underlying fault can damage appliances and, in rare cases, create a fire risk.

What's Actually Happening

Your home is fed by a 240V split-phase service: two 120V legs coming in from BC Hydro's transformer on the street. When the whole house dims and brightens together, the classic cause is a loose or failing neutral connection on BC Hydro's side, at the service drop, the weatherhead connection, or the meter base. When the shared neutral loses integrity, the two legs fall out of balance. Circuits on one leg sag to 90V or lower while circuits on the other leg surge to 150V or higher. That voltage swing is what makes your lights dim and bright simultaneously, and it's what kills motors, compressors and electronics.

A second possibility is a problem on BC Hydro's distribution line or transformer serving your block, a loose connection on a pole, a failing transformer tap, or storm damage. Langley sees its share of windstorm-related line faults in fall and winter, and the symptom looks identical from inside the house.

If you're seeing this right now, unplug sensitive electronics, TVs, computers, refrigerators, chest freezers, until the voltage stabilises. A sustained overvoltage event can burn out compressors and power supplies silently.

What it is probably not: a fault inside your own panel. A breaker problem or a bad connection in your panel would typically affect only part of the house, one leg's circuits, not everything at once. If only half your house is dim (one leg), that shifts the diagnosis toward your panel or meter base, which is still urgent but is a different conversation.

Who Fixes What in Langley.

BC Hydro owns everything from the transformer up to and including the meter. The service drop wires, the weatherhead connection and the meter base are theirs to repair at no charge to you. If you see smoke, hear arcing or smell burning, leave the building and call emergency services from outside. Otherwise report it to your electricity utility as an urgent fault and describe the symptom exactly: "whole house dimming and brightening, suspected neutral issue." Utilities treat this as an urgent fault and will dispatch a crew to check the meter base and the drop.

The licensed electrician's territory starts at the service entrance conductors below the meter, the panel, the main breaker and all branch wiring. If BC Hydro inspects and finds their equipment is fine, the fault is likely at the meter base connection or the service entrance on your side, and a licensed electrical contractor needs to investigate. In Langley, electrical permits are issued through Technical Safety BC (not a municipal department), so any repair to the service entrance or panel will follow that permit path.

What to Do Right Now.

Report it to BC Hydro immediately. Note the time the fluctuations started and whether they're constant or intermittent, that helps their crew locate the fault. If the dimming is severe or you smell burning plastic anywhere near the meter, weatherhead or panel, treat it as an emergency.

Once BC Hydro clears their equipment, if the problem persists, get a licensed electrical contractor to inspect the meter base connections and service entrance. Ask for their Technical Safety BC licence number and confirm WorkSafeBC coverage before they start work. Meter base repairs in Metro Vancouver typically run $400–$1,200 depending on whether the base needs replacement and whether BC Hydro needs to disconnect and reconnect the service.

Want quotes from local Langley electricians once BC Hydro has been out? Vancouver Electrical Repair can match you with someone for free.