Safe lighting without candles

An LED converts electrical current into light very efficiently. An old incandescent bulb, by contrast, mainly made heat and only light on the side. That is why LED lights run much longer on a set of batteries and barely get hot. A candle flame is the opposite: it is an open fire that can ignite flammable things nearby, and it uses oxygen from the room air as it burns.

During an outage there is something else that is easy to underestimate: the situation is unfamiliar. It is dark, everyone is a bit restless, children and pets move around, people search for things and knock things over more easily. In such a situation a naked flame is a constant risk. A battery light, on the other hand, can fall or tip over without anything happening.

Light is only useful if you can find it in the dark. So keep lights in a fixed, known place, for example in a drawer in the hallway or next to the bed. Headlamps are especially practical because both hands stay free – on the stairs, when cooking or when carrying a child.

One lantern is often enough for the shared room. A simple trick: point a headlamp so it shines into a clear bottle filled with water. The water scatters the light, and the bottle works like a small room lamp.

Save energy so the light lasts. Use low brightness settings, switch lights off when nobody is in the room, and keep spare batteries ready, sorted by type. Solar or crank lights are a good supplement but deliver only limited light depending on weather and model.

If you do use candles, you need firm rules. Only in a stable, non-flammable holder on a fire-resistant base. Well away from curtains, blankets, paper and anything that can burn. Out of reach of children and pets. Never unattended, and always put them out before leaving the room or going to bed. Never place tealights directly on plastic or wood.

Oil, kerosene and gas lanterns are not a good long-term solution indoors. They can start fires and produce carbon monoxide. If used at all, then strictly according to the manufacturer's instructions – battery light is almost always the better choice.

Keep a fire extinguisher or fire blanket within reach as soon as naked flames are involved. If a fire cannot be put out immediately: everyone out, close the doors behind you and call the emergency number. Smoke alarms usually run on batteries and protect during an outage too – provided they are tested regularly.

A sensible basic kit is manageable: one torch or headlamp per person, one lantern for the living area and spare batteries in the right sizes. If you use USB-rechargeable lights, you can top them up from a charged power bank. Try to have as many devices as possible use the same battery size – then you need to store fewer different kinds.

Batteries slowly lose charge even when unused, and old batteries can leak. Remove them from devices for long-term storage or check them regularly, for example when the clocks change.

Authorities such as the BBK in Germany and Ready.gov in the USA consistently recommend torches rather than candles. The reason is simple: candles cause fires again and again, and the risk rises when many people use them at the same time in an unfamiliar situation.

Candlelight is still not “forbidden” – it depends on how you handle it. For basic lighting in an emergency, however, battery-powered light is the calmer, safer solution, especially in households with children, pets or older people.