What to actually keep at home — beyond candles and a torch. A UK-specific list for households that want to sit out a 48-hour outage without drama.
Power cuts in the UK are rarer than in most European countries, but when they hit — a Storm Éowyn ice event in Scotland, a substation fire in the Midlands, or a cyber-triggered demand imbalance on the National Grid — they can last long enough to matter. Ofgem's own figures put the average interruption at around 40 minutes, but the tail is what gets you: the 3% of outages that stretch past 24 hours.
A serious home kit starts with lighting. Skip the candles: they're a fire risk and give useless light. A single decent head-torch per person (Petzl Tikka or equivalent, ~£30) and a room lantern with a diffuser is worth more than a drawer full of tea lights.
Then power. A 20,000 mAh USB-C battery holds enough charge for four phone top-ups and can be replenished from a car USB port. For anything longer than 12 hours, a portable solar panel will keep the essentials moving even in overcast Yorkshire light.
Communication is the piece most people miss. Mobile masts have limited battery backup — usually 30–60 minutes on the smaller ones. A DAB/FM radio (the Roberts SolarDAB 2 is the British standard) is how you find out what's actually happening when the 4G drops.
Finally, heat and food. A single butane camping stove (£20) plus two 220g gas canisters will boil water for a family of four for a week. Keep at least 24 hours of food that requires no cooking — flapjacks, tinned fish, oatcakes.
Report a power cut in England, Scotland or Wales by calling 105. It's free and it works when 999 lines are jammed.
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