Choose a torch, not candles. The public GOV.UK Prepare guidance says a battery or wind-up torch is safer. Keep it where you can reach it in darkness, with spare batteries that fit. Use your phone light only long enough to find it, because the phone may be needed for updates and calls.
If the cut affects more than your home, call 105 free in England, Scotland or Wales. In Northern Ireland, call 03457 643643. Then you can deal with the dark without adding an open flame to it.
Get ahead (1-2 months before)
- [ ] Put a battery or wind-up torch and compatible spare batteries somewhere easy to find with the lights off (Prepare).
- [ ] Write down 105 for England, Scotland and Wales or 03457 643643 for Northern Ireland (Prepare).
- [ ] Replace decorative wax-candle backups with battery-operated LED candles where soft room light is useful (London Fire Brigade).
- [ ] Set a calendar reminder to check every smoke alarm at least once a month (Prepare).
Why the torch wins
What makes candles riskier in a power cut?
A candle is an open flame in a home that is darker than usual. People are moving around, looking for fuses, blankets and phone cables. Children and pets may be unsettled. Curtains, papers, clothes and furniture can burn. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service says its firefighters can be called to fires started by candles during power cuts (SFRS).
A torch removes the flame. You can carry it, point it at the consumer unit, put it down and switch it off. There is no hot wax or heat-resistant holder to manage. Atmosphere is lovely at dinner; less useful on stairs.
The official advice is deliberately simple. Prepare puts battery or wind-up torches on its suggested home-kit list and says they are safer than candles. It also recommends spare batteries and keeping emergency items together where you can find them in the dark.
Why not just use the light on my phone?
Your phone light is an excellent bridge from darkness to the cupboard. It is a poor plan for lighting the whole evening. GOV.UK says using it will drain the phone battery more quickly (Prepare). In a longer cut, broadband may be down and mobile service may be limited, so the charge you retain matters.
Keep a proper torch beside the household kit, not hidden behind it. If you regularly leave your phone in another room, put a small second torch near the bed or main exit. The aim is not to illuminate the garden. It is to move safely and preserve the phone.
Which torch should you keep?
What is the best main torch for an ordinary home?
Choose a simple LED hand torch with:
- a physical on-and-off switch you can find by touch;
- a broad, useful beam rather than an extreme spotlight;
- a grip that works for the people likely to use it;
- a stable shape or flat edge so it does not roll away;
- batteries you can buy and change easily;
- clear instructions and a battery compartment you can open without hunting for a specialist tool.
For many households, a torch using AA or AAA cells is the easiest to maintain. If your radio uses the same size, so much the better. Check the manual, keep a matched spare set and never force in a battery of the wrong type. Brightness and runtime vary by model, power setting, battery condition and temperature, so do not rely on an unverified hours claim.
Is a head torch worth keeping?
Yes, when hands-free light solves a real problem. A head torch helps when you are checking the consumer unit, helping a child, using stairs or carrying supplies. Choose one with a straightforward control, a comfortable strap and only the settings you will actually use.
Someone with limited grip or hand movement may find a head torch easier than holding a torch. Let the intended user try the switch and battery compartment before treating it as their emergency light.
What about a lantern?
A battery lantern gives shared room light and can stand on a table. Choose a stable LED model intended for indoor use. Put it where its light reaches the floor and walking route without dazzling people. Battery-operated LED candles can also provide low-level markers; the London Fire Brigade calls flameless LED candles a much safer alternative to real candles or tealights.
A lantern is not a substitute for a directional torch. Keep both only if both jobs matter in your home: one lights the room, the other lets you look behind the consumer unit or walk safely to another room.
Is a wind-up or rechargeable torch better?
Either can be useful, but neither is maintenance-free. A wind-up torch gives you a route to light without spare cells. Output and winding effort vary by model, so test yours. A USB-rechargeable torch can be convenient, but it still needs a charging routine. Follow its manual.
The most resilient arrangement is two genuinely different routes: for example, a replaceable-battery main torch and a tested wind-up backup. Buy gradually and keep only equipment the household knows how to use.
When the lights go out
What should I do in the first few minutes?
- Use the phone light briefly if needed to reach the proper torch.
- Check whether neighbours or street lights are also off.
- Report the cut online or by phone: 105 in England, Scotland and Wales; 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland (Prepare).
- Switch off ovens, irons, electric fires and fryers, and unplug sensitive electronics (Prepare).
- Put a lantern or torch where it lights the route people need, then keep the spare batteries beside it.
Do not leave torches on the floor where they become a trip hazard. Avoid shining a bright beam directly into someone’s eyes, especially on stairs. If a battery torch flickers, move to the backup light before opening its compartment.
How should I use light if the cut lasts longer?
Use the lowest setting that safely does the job. Light the room people are actually using rather than the whole home. Give each person moving around a torch or keep the route lit with stable battery lights. Check on anyone nearby who may struggle with darkness, stairs or an unfamiliar switch.
Conserve phone charge for communication. A battery or wind-up radio can provide updates when television, broadband or mobile data are unavailable; it is also on the public Prepare list (Prepare).
People who need extra help
Plan lighting around the person, not the cupboard. Keep controls within reach for anyone with limited mobility, and choose a switch they can operate. If someone relies on powered medical equipment, telecare or a digital landline, ask the provider how it behaves in a cut and maintain the specified backup. Behaviour and runtime vary by model, battery age and load; check the manual or provider (Prepare).
If you live in Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales
The torch advice applies across the UK. Reporting differs: call 105 free in Scotland, Wales and England, but call NIE Networks on 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland uses Customer Care Registers for people who need extra support; Great Britain uses Priority Services Registers (Prepare).
If candles are genuinely your only light
Use a torch as soon as you can obtain one safely. Until then, reduce the risk. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service says not to use a lit candle while moving from room to room. Keep every candle in a stable, heat-resistant holder, well away from anything that can catch fire, and light it only in the room you are using (SFRS).
Never leave a candle unattended. Keep flames, matches and lighters away from children and pets. Put every candle out before leaving the room or going to sleep. The London Fire Brigade also warns that tealight cups become hot enough to damage unsuitable surfaces. If a fire starts, get everyone out by the escape route you planned, and call 999 (Prepare).
After the power returns, recharge the rechargeable lights, replace any used disposable cells as a matched set, and put the torch back in its agreed place. The best location is the one everyone in the household can find without switching on a light.
We’re putting together an Essentials Kit: the non-food essentials from the Prepare list in one bag, with a card saying which water and tins to add. Join the list to hear when it’s ready.
Sources
- GOV.UK Prepare, Get prepared for emergencies: https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/get-prepared-for-emergencies/
- GOV.UK Prepare, Power cuts: https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/be-informed-about-hazards/power-cuts/
- Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Power cuts: https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/at-home/power-cuts/
- London Fire Brigade, Candles: https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/safety/the-home/candles/