Abstract: An apparatus for power failure identification in a programmable household appliance includes an electronic program control apparatus having a first device disposed upstream of the mains switch on the power supply system side and a second device disposed downstream from the mains switch on the appliance side for identifying an electrical variable of the external power supply system or of the supply system in the household appliance. The program control apparatus compares the signals produced by each of the devices from the electrical variables to decide whether the failure or the change in the electrical variable of the household appliance is due to a failure of the external power supply system, or due to the household appliance being switched off deliberately.