When a power cut outlasts your torch batteries, candles keep going with nothing more than a match. A few sturdy, long-burning candles light a room for hours, take the edge off a cold evening, and cost very little to keep in a cupboard. They're the simplest backstop there is when the grid fails.
They're not a replacement for a torch — an open flame needs care — but as a room-lighting backup that never needs charging, candles have earned their place in emergency kits for generations. Paired with a way to light them, they're reassuringly foolproof.
Bring them out for extended power cuts to light a room the family gathers in, once you've confirmed there's no gas leak or fire risk. Stand them safely in a holder on a stable, non-flammable surface, away from curtains and out of reach of children and pets, and never leave a lit candle unattended.
Thick pillar or utility candles burn for many hours each, so a small pack lights several evenings of outages.
Broad-based pillars stand securely and drip less than thin taper candles, which matters when you're relying on them for hours.
Plain candles are cheaper and better for lighting a room for long periods than heavily scented ones.
A candle balanced on a saucer is a fire waiting to happen. Use a proper stable holder on a non-flammable surface, clear of anything that can catch.
Never leave a burning candle in an empty room or asleep. Snuff them out when you leave, and keep a torch handy to move around.
Broad, long-burning paraffin pillar candles that give hours of steady room light in a power cut, standing securely with minimal dripping and no batteries required.
A pack of eight plain, unscented pillar candles that are exactly what you want in a power-cut drawer: no fragrance, no fuss, just steady light when the electricity goes. Each stubby 50 x 100mm pillar sits stably in a holder and burns for hours, so a pack keeps a household lit through a long winter outage. Keep them with matches and a proper holder rather than reaching for scented candles meant for decoration.
Fifty unscented tea lights with an 8-hour burn time each — a cheap, compact way to keep light in the house through a power cut. Longer-burning than the usual 3–4 hour tea lights, so a few will see you through an evening without constant relighting. Stand them in jars or a proper holder on a non-flammable surface, and keep a torch handy for moving around.
Bulk unscented soy-wax tea lights with a 4-hour burn, from the same maker as our LETINE pillar candles. Soy wax burns cleaner and a little cooler than cheap paraffin, which is a small plus in a closed room during an outage. A sensible backup-lighting buy to keep alongside a torch and lantern — candles are the fallback, not the first thing you reach for.
A cheap, cheerful battery lantern that throws light across a whole room or tent, which is far kinder on the eyes than a torch during a power cut. It is light enough to hang from a hook or carry between rooms, and inexpensive enough to keep one on each floor. A no-frills backup for dark winter evenings.
An affordable rechargeable head torch with a motion sensor for hands-free switching, an IPX6 waterproof rating and five light modes. A practical hands-free backup for power cuts, dog walks and jobs where you need both hands. Not a premium beam, but plenty for close-in tasks around the home and garden.
A rechargeable LED lantern that throws a wide, even light rather than the narrow beam of a torch, which makes it the better tool for lighting a room or a tent during a power cut. It runs off its own built-in battery and recharges over USB, with brightness and runtime settings so you can trade light output for a longer burn. A sensible backup to keep charged on a shelf alongside your torches.
A bright, rechargeable lantern that lights a whole room or tent with soft, even light. A fire-safe alternative to candles for power cuts.
Industrial-grade chemical light sticks that glow for hours with a single snap — no batteries, flame or sparks. Safe, reliable light for outages, marking and signalling.
A straightforward, bright handheld torch from a battery brand most people already trust. It's the one to leave in a kitchen drawer, the car door pocket or a coat pocket for when the lights go out. Nothing clever — just reliable light on demand.
Matches that light reliably even in wet and windy conditions. Essential fire-starting backup for any survival kit.
A rechargeable LED lantern lights a whole room or tent with soft, even light — far more useful than a torch for sitting, cooking and keeping children calm during a power cut.
Chemical light sticks provide reliable, waterproof illumination without batteries or spark risk. Ideal for emergency signalling, marking positions, and low-level lighting in survival scenarios.
