How Can I Light a Room Without Electricity? Best Emergency Lighting
After a natural disaster or storm, it’s common for there to be downed power lines. This can disrupt your electricity supply. So, what are the best emergency lighting options that you can use in this scenario?
There are three common forms of emergency lighting. These are:
The best one will often depend on the type of situation you are facing. Often, you’ll need to take a hybrid approach.
If you lose power, you don’t need to worry about not being able to see in the dark. Keep reading to learn more about the best lighting options.
Important Elements of an Emergency Lighting Solution
There are dozens of lights on the market. How can you find the one that you will be able to turn to in an emergency? Here are some of the things that you should be looking for.
Durability
The last thing you want is to break your emergency light. As a result, you will need to choose something that is built to last. To help you do this, there are a few things that you should be looking for. First, think about what it’s made from. Ideally, you should be choosing something that will be made from metal or very strong plastic. That way you don’t need to worry about what will happen if you drop it.
Number of Lumens
The next thing you need to think about is the number of lumens that will be produced. This is a good gauge of how bright you can expect it to be. As a general guide, the average 60-watt bulb will produce 800 lumens. Our lumen article will give you more information about the number of lumens you will need for the brightness setting you’re trying to achieve.
Power Source
One of the most important things to consider is how the light will be powered. Most emergency lights will run on battery power. This is ideal. Batteries are small and relatively cheap, so it won’t be hard to have a few spares lying around. This ensures that you will have hours of lighting available. If you do go with rechargeable batteries, consider keeping spare rechargeables on hand as well.
Number of Functions
If you have decided to use a flashlight or spotlight, it’s important to consider the number of functions it provides. For example, some lights will let you adjust how bright they are with multiple modes like low, medium, and high. This will allow you to adjust to the situation and save battery life which can be very important in an emergency situation.
Size
Finally, an emergency light should be small and easy to stow away. Additionally, you don’t want to be carrying around anything that will be too big and bulky.
What is the Best Emergency Lighting?
There are plenty of emergency lighting options that you might want to explore. Some of these include:
- Candles
- Glow Sticks
- Flashlights
- Spotlights
- Lanterns
Each of these will be useful in its own way. Though some will be better than others. Let’s take a closer look at each one so you can find the best option for your home.
Candles
An old-fashioned form of lighting your house is using a candle. This has some advantages. It is highly reliable. As long as you have a match/lighter you will be able to use a candle. Also, they are very affordable. You will often be able to purchase a pack of tealights for only a few dollars.
But there are also plenty of downsides. The biggest is the amount of light they cast. They are nowhere near as bright as a flashlight. You will often need to use multiple candles to get the same amount of light put out by a small flashlight. Also, it’s worth thinking about the heat it produces. You don’t want to accidentally burn yourself when trying to light your room. Or worse, risk the flame setting fire to your house. Candles are definitely not something you want to leave burning while going to sleep if the emergency lasts through the night.
In my opinion, these downsides outweigh the positives. The best time to use candles will be for a romantic dinner, rather than as an emergency form of lighting.
Glow Sticks
If you don’t have any electricity, you might want to consider breaking out the glow sticks. Realistically, you won’t be able to light a whole room like this. But they do serve a few important purposes.
First, many children will be scared by the loss of power, particularly if it’s associated with a natural disaster. Glow sticks will be able to help keep them calm. On a more practical note, you might be able to use them as warnings of tripping hazards. For example, you can put them around pegs on a campsite. Or you can give each person a different colored glow stick. This will make it easier to identify each other.
Flashlights
The next type of lighting to consider is a flashlight. This is one of the most popular options. There are a few reasons why this is such a good choice. First, they are light and easy to carry, you can find one that will be small enough to slip into your pocket. Additionally, you might be able to get one with an adjustable head. This will allow you to create a custom lighting scenario that fits the room you’re lighting up. There are a few types of flashlights that STKR Concepts provides, these are:
Each of these will be useful in multiple different situations. For example, a headlamp will let you keep your hands free. Alternatively, you might want to attach a Flexible light to a structure like a bench or a cupboard. You can then position the light, so you can illuminate what you want to see. A tactical light is known for being highly durable and able to cope with extreme conditions.
Spotlights
Sometimes, it will be best to use a spotlight. This will allow you to light up a large area, like your backyard or a campsite. It can also be a good option for a worksite, so you don’t need to stop production when the power goes out. You can also use this inside your house, brightening up an entire room. In this area, STKR offers a Mobile Task Light.
This spotlight is easy to get set up. It also offers a powerful beam of light, rated at 1,200 lumens. It can be set up within a minute. There are multiple settings to explore. Plus, you can choose whether you want to brighten up a large area or create a more focused beam of light. When you aren’t using it, you can hang it on a hook in the garage or fold it up and slide it into a drawer.
Lanterns
Finally, a lantern might be the best option for lighting up a room, because they have a wider range of light. In most rooms, one lantern should be enough. But if you have a larger space you might want to get a couple. If you have a bigger family you might want to get a few. This will ensure that every family member will be able to get one.
If you’re looking for a good lantern, you might want to consider the Illumidome. It has a few features that help set it apart. This includes the fact that it is waterproof. You can also decide what light setting you want to use and on low, it can last up to 100 hours! Perfect for outlasting your emergency. You can use the traditional lantern array. Or you can have a more focused beam of light. Furthermore, it features a Velcro loop on top and double hanging hooks on the bottom, so you can hang it from the ceiling or just about anywhere as it’s a mini lantern coming in at 2.8 inches tall and 4 inches in diameter.
This is a super safe lighting option that you can let the kids cuddle with in bed during a power outage and not have to worry about heat issues or a broken glow-stick mess. It will keep them feeling safe and secure as their portable night light.
Final Thoughts
Facing a sudden loss of electricity can be frightening. But it doesn’t mean that you need to spend the night stumbling around your house. There are plenty of excellent lighting options that you might want to explore. The most popular options are flashlights, spotlights, and lanterns. Often, you’ll want to get a combination approach. For example, you can use a lantern to brighten up a room. If you want to focus on a specific object, you can use a flashlight.
