Lighting

Emergency Lighting at Home: Torches, Lanterns and Candles

Use battery-operated lights or torches when a power cut leaves your home dark. Keep torches and spare batteries where everyone can find them, and use a head torch or chargeable lamp when you need both hands free. Fire and rescue services advise choosing these instead of candles wherever possible.¹

When the electricity goes off, switch off appliances that should not be left unattended and leave one light on so you know when the supply returns. Dial 105 for the electricity power cut service in Great Britain. In Northern Ireland, contact NIE Networks for electricity faults, hazards, supply issues or power cuts. Check on neighbours, particularly anyone who may struggle to move around safely in the dark.³

When the lights go out

Start with the light you can reach without crossing an unlit room. Then make the rest of the house safe before worrying about everything that has stopped working. The immediate steps are:

1. Use a torch or battery-operated light. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service recommends these as alternative light sources during a power cut.¹
2. Switch off electrical appliances that should not be left unattended. This is part of the Met Office's advice for a power cut.³
3. Leave one light on so that you know when the electricity has been restored.³
4. Report or check the power cut. Dial 105 in Great Britain; in Northern Ireland, NIE Networks handles electricity faults, hazards, supply issues and power cuts.⁴
5. Check on neighbours. Pay particular attention to anyone who may need help finding a light or moving safely.³

The full sequence, including the other household checks, is in Lighting Your Home Safely When the Power Goes Off and the wider Power Cuts: A Household Guide. For a list you can work through, use the Torches, Lanterns and Candles: Power Cut Checklist.

Do not reach automatically for candles. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service puts the choice plainly:

Torches, lanterns and head torches

Match the light to what you need to do. A torch kept handy can provide the first light; a lantern or chargeable lamp can be used where you need light while your hands are occupied; a head torch also leaves both hands free. NHS guidance for families caring for technology-dependent children specifically recommends chargeable lamps and head torches because they allow hands-free care, including suction. It advises obtaining them in advance rather than waiting for an announced outage, when shops may have shortages.⁹

The individual guides cover Torches: Types and How to Choose One for Home, Head Torches for Power Cuts and Jobs in the Dark, Battery and Rechargeable Lanterns for Lighting a Room, Power Failure Lights and Rechargeable Emergency Bulbs and Solar and Wind-Up Lamps That Need No Batteries.

For a direct choice between two approaches, see Torch or Head Torch for a Power Cut?, Lantern or Torch: Which Lights a Room Better? and Rechargeable or Battery Torches for Emergencies. When comparing products, Lumens, Beam Distance and Run Time Explained explains the specifications, while How Long Does a Torch Battery Last on Low? and How Long Does a Camping Lantern Run in a Power Cut? deal with run time. Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service's underlying advice remains simple: use battery-operated lights or torches in a power failure.¹¹

What to have ready before a power cut

Put lighting into your household emergency kit before you need it. The UK Government's Be Ready checklist pairs a torch and spare batteries with blankets, sleeping bags and warm clothing. Ready Scotland's home emergency plan likewise lists a torch and batteries under light. These are household preparations, not specialist equipment.¹²

Prepare the following:

• Torches in convenient places: North Wales Fire and Rescue Service advises keeping a light or torch handy, while NHS winter guidance recommends torches around the home.¹⁰
• Spare batteries: Store them somewhere convenient and make sure everyone knows where both batteries and torches are kept.²
• A charged power pack: Wiltshire and Swindon Prepared says a charged power pack can be very helpful in an emergency or power cut.¹⁴
• Hands-free lighting where someone needs care: Obtain chargeable lamps or head torches in advance if they would help you provide that care.⁹
• Warmth alongside light: Include blankets, sleeping bags and warm clothing in the same household preparations.¹²

Where to Keep Torches So You Can Find Them in the Dark looks at storage in more detail. Add these items to your Emergency Kit, and use the Lighting Checks Before Winter to review them. The wider sequence for a new household plan starts with Getting Started.

Northern Ireland's storm advice includes keeping a supply of candles, but this does not make a naked flame the first choice. Fire services recommend battery-powered alternatives, so treat any candles as a fire safety responsibility rather than simply another item to store.¹⁵

Batteries and spare power

Spare power is what keeps your lighting useful after the first torch is switched on. Keep batteries with, or close to, the lights they serve, and make their location part of the household plan. Torch Batteries: AA, AAA, 18650 and Built-In Packs explains the different formats, while Spare Batteries to Keep for Your Lights turns that into a storage checklist.

Rechargeable cells and power banks reduce neither the need for preparation nor the need for fire safety. A power pack only provides the intended backup if it is charged before the emergency.¹⁴

Batteries also deserve attention when they are stored, charged or disposed of. Figures from the National Fire Chiefs Council, reported by Suffolk County Council, recorded over 1,200 preventable battery fires across the UK in 2023, up by over 70% from 2022. Keep battery safety attached to your lighting plan rather than treating batteries as harmless household clutter.¹⁶

For the broader options, including power banks and power stations, see Backup Power at Home: A Household Guide. For light-specific details, What Is Red Light Mode For?, How to Use SOS and Strobe Modes on a Torch and What IPX Ratings Mean for Torches and Lanterns explain features you may encounter when choosing equipment.

Charging rechargeable lights safely

Treat charging as part of home fire safety, not as a separate technical task. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service includes electrics and charging safely among the subjects covered in its home safety visits. Its visits also check smoke alarms, escape planning, cooking, heating and bedtime checks, showing how charging fits into the safety of the whole home.⁷

Use these pages for the detailed charging questions:

• Charging and Storing Rechargeable Torches Safely covers the routine for rechargeable lights.
• Can You Use a Torch While It Is Charging? deals with that specific limitation.
• Can the Wrong USB Charger Damage a Torch Battery? looks at charger compatibility.
• Recalled and Unsafe Torches and Chargers: Checking and Reporting explains what to do about unsafe equipment.

A charged power pack is useful during a power cut, so charging should be completed as preparation rather than left until the lights fail.¹⁴ If you are unsure about the arrangements in your home, a fire service visit can include electrics and charging safely, and can identify further support where required.⁷ The wider battery and backup-power context is in Backup Power at Home.

LED candles and button batteries

Battery-powered candles remove the naked flame. Lincolnshire's candle safety guidance states that it is safer to use battery-powered candles, while Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service describes torches and other battery-powered lights as safer sources of light during a power failure. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service also suggests battery-operated candles or glow sticks as alternatives to real candles.¹⁷

The choice is explained in LED Candles or Real Candles: Which Is Safer?. For decorative uses, Should You Use Battery Tea Lights in a Pumpkin? applies the same principle.

LED tea lights and small lights can contain button or coin cells. These batteries are dangerous to children if swallowed, so spare cells need secure storage. Read Storing Spare Coin Cell Batteries Safely with Children and Are Flat Button Batteries Still Dangerous? before putting spares into a household drawer. Used or flat batteries should not be treated as safe simply because they no longer power a light.

Keep this alongside the wider advice in Torches, Candles and Children: Keeping Them Safe. Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service also advises keeping children away from naked flames and avoiding a naked flame or candle in pumpkins, recommending a torch, glow stick or battery-operated candle instead.²⁰

If you use real candles

Use battery-powered lighting instead if you can. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service warns that its firefighters can be called to fires started by candles or portable heaters during power cuts. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service describes candles as one of the top five causes of fire in the home.¹

If a real candle is used, follow the fire services' rules:

1. Clear the area. Warwickshire's guidance says to keep candles at least one foot away from curtains, tablecloths, bedding and any other flammable materials.⁶
2. Use the correct holder. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service says to use a holder designed specifically for tea lights.²¹
3. Stay with the flame. Lincolnshire's guidance says never to leave a burning candle unattended.¹⁸
4. Keep children and pets with a responsible adult. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service says never to leave children or pets alone in a room with lit candles.¹⁹

The detailed guidance is in Candle Fire Safety at Home and the Candle Safety Checklist. Related situations are covered in Keeping Pets Away from Lit Candles, Can Jar Candles Shatter?, How to Use an Oil Burner Safely and Using Candles Safely at Christmas. If decorative lights are part of the same room, Should You Unplug Fairy Lights at Night? addresses that separate question.

Working smoke alarms are essential where candles are used. If you are not eligible for a fire service visit, Norfolk's guidance strongly recommends buying smoke alarms and fitting at least one on every floor of your home.²²

Stairs, falls and older or disabled people

Keep the routes between rooms lit, particularly stairs, hallways and floors anyone must cross to reach a torch, toilet or exit. This is part of the practical preparation in the Power Cuts: A Household Guide, not just a matter of comfort. Torches should be handy around the home, with everyone aware of their location, so that the first journey in the dark is not a search for equipment.²

Hands-free lighting can matter more than a handheld beam when someone needs support or care. NHS guidance for technology-dependent children recommends chargeable lamps and head torches precisely because they leave hands free for care.⁹

Lights for Older and Disabled People in a Power Cut develops these arrangements. The wider Extra Help in an Emergency guide covers support for older, disabled and medically dependent households, while Community Resilience explains the neighbour and local-group context.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service describes its visits as person-centred, taking account of physical health, mental health and behavioural factors. Its reported eligibility includes elderly people, people with hearing or sight impairments, people with limited mobility and people living with dementia.²³

When the power comes back

The light you left switched on is your signal that the supply has returned. The Met Office advises: "Leave a light on, so you know when the power cut has been fixed."²⁵

Until then, keep the appliances that should not be left unattended switched off. Once power is restored, return to the household checks in Lighting Your Home Safely When the Power Goes Off and Power Cuts: A Household Guide. Restore your preparations as well: replace the torch and batteries in their agreed places so they can be found during another outage.²

If you use rechargeable lighting or a power pack, return to the charging and storage routine in Charging and Storing Rechargeable Torches Safely. Wiltshire and Swindon Prepared's reason for keeping a power pack charged is that it can be helpful in an emergency or power cut, which applies just as much to being ready for the next one.¹⁴

Smoke alarms and free fire safety visits

A free fire service visit can help with more than lighting. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service says its visits usually take around 45 minutes and cover smoke alarm set-up, a fire escape plan, electrics and charging, cooking, heaters, bedtime checks and further support. Specialist fire safety equipment may be fitted where required. Visits are offered Monday to Friday, between 9am and 5pm, with morning slots from 9.30am to 1pm or afternoon slots from 1pm to 5pm. British Sign Language and some foreign language translations are available if requested when booking.⁷

Names and routes vary across the UK:

Start with Free Home Fire Safety Visits From Your Fire Service. If you are not eligible, Norfolk strongly recommends buying smoke alarms and fitting at least one on every floor.²²

There are also access and security arrangements worth knowing. Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service accepts text requests or enquiries on 07528 983 101 from residents who are deaf or hard of hearing. Devon and Somerset asks anyone concerned about a visitor's identity to call 0800 05 02 999.³⁰

Dorset and Wiltshire describes its advice as based on goodwill rather than enforcement. It can also signpost people to partners such as Age UK or Warm and Safe. Its service telephones beforehand to discuss concerns and arrange a convenient time, although an arranged visit may be cancelled or postponed in unforeseen circumstances.²⁸