Best lights for a power cut: safer options for every room

Quick checklist

Why the best lights for a power cut are not candles

Candles feel natural, but they are a fire risk, especially with children, pets, draughts and curtains. They also tempt people to leave a flame alone while they move about in the dark. Fire services advise care with any open flame, so we suggest battery light as the default and keep flames for when nothing else is left. If you do use a candle, use a stable holder on a flat, heat-proof surface, keep it away from anything that burns, and never leave it unattended or take it to bed.

What to look for

You do not need to spend much. Look for:

• Brightness you can use. A torch bright enough to walk safely through a room is enough. More is rarely needed indoors.
• A simple switch. One you can find and press in the dark, with cold hands.
• Common batteries. AA and AAA batteries are easy to buy. Check what the product takes before you buy.
• A way to stand or hang. Lanterns that stand on a table and head torches that free your hands are the most useful.
• A long run time on the lowest setting. A low setting often lasts much longer than the highest one.

Room by room

Hallway and stairs

Stairs are easy to trip on in the dark. Keep a torch on a hook by the front door or at the bottom of the stairs, where you can find it without light. A cheap AA or AAA LED torch (Retailer link coming soon) is ideal.

Kitchen

You need both hands for most jobs in a kitchen. A head torch with an adjustable beam (Retailer link coming soon) lets you see what you are doing. Hang it on a hook by the cupboard where you keep the tin opener.

Living room

One battery-powered LED lantern (Retailer link coming soon) on a table lights the whole room and means everyone can sit together. If you have somewhere to recharge it, a rechargeable LED lantern (Retailer link coming soon) saves buying batteries. Charge it fully now and top it up each month.

Bedrooms

Keep a small torch by each bed. For a child's room, LED candles (Retailer link coming soon) give a soft, flameless glow. Many use button batteries, which can cause serious harm if swallowed, so choose ones with a screw-fastened battery cover and keep spares out of reach. If you think a child has swallowed one, go to A&E straight away or call 999.

Bathroom

A small torch or a lantern left on the side works well. Avoid flames near towels, tissues and water.

By the fuse box

If your fuse box or meter is in a dark cupboard, keep a torch next to it. If a fuse trips, a torch lets you see what you are doing. Do not attempt any work on gas or electrical supplies yourself. For a power cut, call 105. For a gas smell, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 (Great Britain; Northern Ireland: 0800 002 001).

How to choose without overspending

Cheap lights are fine if you check a few things. Read what batteries the product takes, and whether they come in the box. Pick up the torch in the shop or look at the photos: can you work the switch with one hand? A light with several modes is only useful if you can find the plain "on" setting easily.

Compare cost over a year, not on the shelf. A torch that needs batteries costs a little each time you replace them. A rechargeable light costs more at first, but only helps if you can recharge it, and in a long power cut you may not be able to. For most homes, a mix works: battery torches as the reliable back-up, plus one rechargeable lantern you keep topped up.

Avoid lights that look like novelties, such as hand-crank gadgets with a dozen functions. A plain torch is easier to use.

Keep your lights where you can find them

A light that you cannot find in the dark does not help. Keep each torch in the same place every time, on a hook or in a bowl, and tell everyone in the house where. Put a small torch in your bedside drawer and another in your coat pocket or bag. A strip of glow-in-the-dark tape on the shelf can mark where a torch is.

Batteries: the part people forget

A torch without working batteries is a paperweight. Store spare batteries in a bag or box, apart from the torch, so they cannot drain. Check them every six months, as Be Ready advises for your supplies. Our guide on how to store batteries covers the details. If you change batteries often, spare rechargeable batteries (Retailer link coming soon) can save money, but you need a way to recharge them.

Do this today (free)

1. Walk round your home and note where you would need light first.
2. Find every torch you own. Test each one.
3. Put a torch where you can reach it without light: hall, kitchen, bedside.
4. Charge your phone and keep the torch function as a back-up.

If you have £10, £25 or £50

These are budgets, not quotes. Check the current price first.

• About £10: one or two simple torches and spare batteries.
• About £25: add a head torch for the kitchen.
• About £50: add a lantern for the living room and a second head torch.

Sources and further reading

• Be ready for emergencies: checklist and household plan
• Be Ready campaign (GOV.UK)
• National Gas Emergency Service