Build a Power Cut Emergency Kit
Most UK households will meet a power cut that lasts hours rather than days. The kit that helps is not exotic survival gear. It is light you can find in the dark, a way to keep phones alive, a radio that does not need the router, and food you can eat cold.
This page is about the kit. For the order of what to do when the lights go out, see the separate power cut guide.
Built around publicly available UK emergency preparedness guidance.
The four things that do most of the work
A torch per person, spare batteries, a charged power bank, and a battery or wind-up radio cover the large majority of what a household actually needs in an outage. Add a manual tin opener and a vacuum flask and you have covered food and hot drinks as well.
| Item | Why it matters | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| LED torch per person | Phone torches drain the battery you need for calls | One torch for the whole house |
| Spare batteries | Torches and radios fail without them | Using the kit batteries for toys |
| Charged power bank | Keeps phones contactable | Leaving it empty for months |
| Battery or wind-up radio | Updates when broadband and masts struggle | Relying only on the phone |
| Manual tin opener | Cupboard food is useless if you cannot open it | Assuming the electric opener will work |
Warmth without making things worse
Central heating usually stops with the electricity, because most boilers need power for controls and the pump. Extra layers, blankets and foil blankets are safer than improvising heat. Never bring outdoor cooking or heating equipment indoors: carbon monoxide from barbecues, camping stoves and generators is the genuine danger in longer outages.
Food and water for a short outage
Leave the fridge and freezer shut. Plan for food that needs no cooking, and water you already have in the house. A 24 or 48 hour horizon covers most storm cuts; stepping up to 72 hours is mostly more water and food, not more equipment.
If someone relies on mains-powered medical equipment
That changes the plan. Keep back-up battery guidance from the manufacturer, paper copies of instructions, and register with the Priority Services Register through your energy and water suppliers. The builder has a specific option for this so the list includes the right planning items rather than guessing.
A home kit for a couple through a 48-hour cut
A sample list weighted toward light, power and staying contactable. Add medical equipment needs in the builder if that applies to your household.
Bottled drinking water
Mains water can be interrupted or put under a boil notice. Bottled water needs no power and no preparation.
How much: 12 L (3 L x 2 people x 2 days)
Manual tin opener
An electric opener is useless in a power cut, and a stocked cupboard you cannot open is not a food supply.
Shelf-stable food
Food that keeps without a fridge and can be eaten cold if you have no way to cook.
How much: 4 days of food (1 day of food x 2 people x 2 days)
LED torch
A phone torch drains the battery you need for calls. A proper torch is the most useful thing in a power cut.
How much: 2 torches (1 per person)
Spare batteries
Torches and radios are only as good as the batteries in them. Keep a sealed set that does not get raided for toys.
USB power bank
Keeps phones alive for calls, alerts and torch use. Charge it every few months so it is ready.
Battery or wind-up radio
If the mobile network or your broadband goes down, local radio is how you find out what is happening.
Spare charging cables
A power bank with no cable is a brick. Keep spares in the kit rather than borrowing from the kitchen drawer.
Plus 19 more items in the full list, including warmth, hygiene and documents.
Common questions
- What number do I call in a UK power cut?
- In England, Scotland and Wales, call 105 free to reach your network operator. Northern Ireland uses 03457 643643. Write the number on your contact sheet before you need it.
- What should be in a power cut kit?
- A torch per person, spare batteries, a charged power bank, a battery or wind-up radio, warm layers, a manual tin opener, and food and water for the hours you want to cover.
- Can I use candles?
- Torches are safer and brighter. Candles cause more house fires than most people expect, especially when moved around in the dark.
- Will my phone still work?
- Often for a while, because masts have some battery backup. Home broadband and cordless handsets stop immediately. Treat phone battery as limited and use a power bank early.
See your power cut list
We will size light, power and consumables to your household and show what you already own.
Build My Emergency KitRelated reading
- What to do in a power cutWhat to do, in order, when the lights go out.
- 72-hour emergency kitWhat three days of cover actually means in practice.
- What should be in a UK emergency kit?The categories most households need, and why.
- Car emergency kitWhat belongs in the boot for breakdowns and winter waits.
- How much water should you store?A simple rule of thumb, and how to store it.
- Reviewing your kit twice a yearTen minutes, twice a year, keeps a kit from expiring.
My Emergency Kit is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the UK Government or emergency services. Our suggestions are general information for UK households, not professional, medical or emergency advice. In an emergency call 999.