What to Keep Charged for a Power Cut

When the electricity goes off, the things that keep you in touch and lit are only as good as their charge. The single most useful habit is to keep your mobile phone, a power bank, your torches and their spare batteries topped up and in one known place, so that a power cut finds you ready rather than searching in the dark. The government's Prepare campaign puts it plainly: charge mobile phones, power banks and any back-up batteries for medical equipment in case there is a power cut¹.

That advice is repeated across the UK's official guidance because it works. The Met Office says to make sure you keep your mobile phone charged so you can make calls in case of an emergency², and councils from Carmarthenshire to Anglesey say the same: keep phones, laptops or tablets fully charged so you have battery power for a short time at least³. A power bank, a torch and a written list of numbers cover the three things a power cut takes away: contact, light and information.

The charging list: what to keep ready

Work through this list now, while the power is on. Each item takes minutes to sort and covers a different part of an outage.

1. Mobile phone, fully charged. So you can make calls in an emergency². Charge it overnight and top it up during the day when severe weather is forecast.
2. A power bank, charged. Even one that only charges a phone helps you stay in contact with loved ones in an emergency or power cut⁵.
3. Laptops and tablets, charged. They give you battery power for a short time at least if there is a power cut³.
4. Torches, with spare batteries. To hand in case the power cut happens when it is dark outside⁶.
5. Spare batteries in the right sizes. Make sure you have spares if the torch is battery operated⁹.
6. A wind-up torch as a back-up. One that does not require battery power, so light never depends on a charge¹⁰.
7. A separate battery charger. The Met Office suggests considering one alongside your phone charging routine¹¹.
8. Important numbers written on paper. Family, neighbours, doctor and utilities, in case your phone loses power or you cannot reach your contacts¹².
9. The power cut helpline number, 105, stored on your phone. So you can report a loss of supply without hunting for it⁸.
10. Back-up batteries for medical equipment, charged. If anyone in the household relies on powered equipment, charge it fully for a planned cut and keep items not in use charging or charged for an unplanned one¹³.

Keep your mobile phone fully charged

Your phone is the item you will reach for first, and the one most likely to be flat. Official guidance is consistent: keep it charged so you can make calls in case of an emergency². Carmarthenshire council adds the reason: a full battery gives you use of battery power for a short time at least if there is a power cut³. The same advice appears in Northern Ireland's severe weather warnings, which tell households to keep mobile phones, laptops, tablets and power banks fully charged¹⁴.

There is a second layer to phone readiness that people often miss. Keep some mobile data available in case Wi-Fi is down⁶, because a home broadband router loses power in an outage even when the mobile network keeps working. Store key information such as the power cut helpline number, 105, on your phone so it is there when you need it⁸.

If someone in your household depends on a phone for reassurance or for care, check their phone too. The Scottish Government's Ready campaign, giving advice on looking out for others, says to make sure they have important phone numbers written down¹⁵. A charged phone with no numbers in it, or a phone that dies because nobody checked it, helps nobody.

A charged power bank keeps your phone going

A power bank is a simple safeguard against a flat phone. Wiltshire and Swindon's preparedness guidance is direct: having a power pack that is charged can be very helpful in an emergency or power cut, and even if it just charges a phone, it helps you stay in contact with loved ones⁵. The Met Office lists a mobile phone power pack among the essentials that could help you cope with a power cut, alongside battery candles, torches and batteries¹⁶.

How much a power bank gives you depends on its capacity and your phone, and no official figure covers every combination. What matters for a household is the routine: charge it after every use, check it before storm season, and keep it with the rest of the kit rather than in a bag you take to work. A power bank that has sat unused for months may hold little charge when you reach for it.

The same principle applies to anything with a battery that matters to you. For a planned power cut, charge fully any equipment with batteries; for an unplanned one, make sure items not in use are charging or charged¹³. That advice comes from NHS guidance for households with technology-dependent children, but the habit suits any home with a battery-powered device it relies on.

Torch and spare batteries for light without mains power

Light is the item people most often get wrong, because a torch with a flat battery is worse than no torch: it creates the false confidence that sends someone up a dark staircase. The guidance is to keep torches and spare batteries to hand in case the power cut happens when it is dark outside, and to make sure everyone in your home knows where they are kept⁶. Surrey County Council adds the obvious but easily forgotten point: make sure you have spare batteries if the torch is battery operated⁹.

Fire and rescue services are clear about what to use. During a power cut, use battery-operated lights or torches as an alternative light source¹⁷. The Met Office's car kit advice makes the same case for a vehicle: a large torch with spare batteries, or a wind-up torch which does not require battery power, is essential¹⁰. A wind-up torch is worth having at home for the same reason: it cannot be flat when you need it.

There is one more light habit worth adopting. Northern Ireland's severe weather guidance suggests leaving one light on when your electricity goes off¹⁹. A lamp left switched on tells you the moment the supply returns, and saves you checking the fuse board in the dark.

Important numbers written down, not only on your phone

A phone is a single point of failure for every number you know. The Prepare campaign's advice is to write down important phone numbers on paper and store them somewhere easy to find in a power cut⁷. Its guidance on phone and broadband outages is more specific: keep a paper copy of important phone numbers, including family, neighbours, doctor and utilities, and other essential information, in case your mobile phone loses power or you cannot access your contacts¹². Wiltshire and Swindon's guidance adds insurance details to the list, written down somewhere safe in case you cannot access them on your phone or online²⁰.

The number to write first is 105, the power cut helpline⁸. Keep it on the phone as well, but on paper it survives a flat battery.

Will a digital landline work in a power cut?

Often not, and this catches households out because the old phone in the hall always worked before. Ofcom explains that digital landlines need mains electricity and will not work in a power cut unless there is a battery back-up²¹. A cordless landline may not work during a power cut because the base station needs power to operate and may not have a back-up battery²².

There are two protections. First, a corded landline phone might still work in a power cut²³, so keeping one is worthwhile if your line supports it. Second, if you depend on your landline, your provider must make sure you can contact the emergency services during a power cut²¹. If your landline will not work during a cut, your provider might offer a free solution such as a back-up battery unit, for a minimum of one hour, to enable emergency calls²³. The Prepare campaign says vulnerable customers with an analogue landline can get a free back-up battery unit, meaning the landline would work for at least an hour, and many batteries now last much longer¹².

If you are unsure whether your line is digital, or whether you qualify for a back-up unit, ask your provider before the next storm rather than during one.

Keeping the kit together and ready

The best charging kit is useless if nobody can find it. Keep the whole set together in one place: phone charger, power bank, torches, batteries and the paper list. A single box in a hall cupboard or a drawer everyone can reach does the job.

Build the habit around the weather. When a storm is forecast, charge mobile phones and power banks in case there is a power cut, and check your emergency plan is up to date²⁴. Before Storm Eunice in February 2022, fire services advised households to safely charge their phone and laptop and check they had batteries for torches in case of a power cut²⁵. That is the routine in one sentence.

For the wider kit, see the power cut kit checklist, and for the numbers themselves, the emergency numbers to keep at home page. If someone in your household relies on powered medical equipment, the medical equipment checklist sets out what to charge and plan for.