Power outage reading
Power Cut Kit UK: What the Government Says to Pack, and What to Read by Torchlight
The UK government's 3-day power cut checklist, the 105 number, and how to read for hours without your phone: e-reader battery life and paperbacks.
The short answer
The UK government says "being ready for 3 days helps you manage while support reaches those most in need." Its Be ready for emergencies checklist covers bottled water for 3 days (3 litres per person per day for drinking), non-perishable food that needs no fridge or cooking, a torch and spare batteries, blankets and warm clothing, an FM radio (battery or wind-up), a charged power bank, cash, copies of documents, first aid and essential medication. For the evenings, add something to read that doesn't need your phone: a paperback, or an e-reader you've charged and filled beforehand.
Also for: United States · Worldwide
What the government's power cut page adds
The Power cuts page is blunt: "You would lose internet connection and possibly mobile signal during a power cut." It also notes mains water "could also be disrupted during and after power cuts," that fridge and freezer doors kept shut "stay cold for several hours," and that you "probably won't want to use the torch on your mobile phone as this will drain its batteries more quickly." Report a power cut on 105 (England, Scotland, Wales) or 03457 643643 (Northern Ireland), and write the number down.
Power cut checklist
| Area | What | Source | ✔ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | 3 L per person per day × 3 days | Be Ready | ☐ |
| Food | Non-perishable, no fridge or cooking | Be Ready | ☐ |
| Light | Torch + spare batteries (safer than candles) | Be Ready | ☐ |
| Info | FM radio, battery or wind-up; frequencies written down | Be Ready | ☐ |
| Phone | Charged power bank | Be Ready | ☐ |
| Money | Cash, copies of documents | Be Ready | ☐ |
| Reading | Paperback; e-reader charged with books downloaded | Our suggestion | ☐ |
Water and food
Nine litres per person is a few multipacks. Choose tins you'd eat anyway, plus a tin opener; the government's own line is "It's best to buy food you'd usually eat."
Light and warmth
Torches, not candles. Blankets and sleeping bags matter more than people expect in a winter power cut; a reader under a blanket with a head torch is a warm, quiet reader.
Keep the phone for 105, not for chapter twelve
If mobile signal may go, every percent of battery is for calls, the 105 line and checking on neighbours. Low-power mode, screen dimmed, power bank kept for the phone. Reading belongs on something else.
The e-reader case
Amazon's own device list gives the battery figures: the current Kindle Paperwhite lasts up to 12 weeks, Kindle Colorsoft up to 8 weeks, and the basic Kindle up to 6 weeks on a charge (Amazon: Identify your Kindle e-reader). The Paperwhite product page explains that the 12-week figure assumes about half an hour of reading a day with wireless off and the light at setting 13 (Amazon Kindle Paperwhite). Weeks, not hours, is the point. A phone is your lifeline in an outage; an e-reader isn't, so reading on it costs you nothing you need.
Download in advance: a Kindle book has to be on the device to open without Wi-Fi, so open each one once while connected.
The paperback case
No battery, no signal, no download. It's the only book guaranteed to work in a power cut.
Reading to keep a household calm
- Gather in one room with one torch and read aloud; it saves batteries and company helps.
- Agree a radio check on the hour, and stay off rolling news between.
- Let teenagers pick their own book; give younger children theirs and a torch of their own.
Three novels for a dark evening
This site belongs to The Train Between Worlds, three standalone novels by Simran Mehta about a train where every door costs a true memory. They're adult literary fiction, best for an evening when the lights are out and the house is quiet. All three are on Kindle and in Kindle Unlimited; Books Two and Three are also in paperback. On Amazon UK we've confirmed the link for Book Two; check the others before you buy.
- The Train Between Worlds (Book One). You wake on a train with no name, no past and a ticket that reads Destination: Unknown. The site calls it the most dreamlike of the three, "more unsettling than sad". Kindle only, free to borrow with Kindle Unlimited. Read on Kindle
- The Memory Fare (Book Two). Six years after her daughter vanished, Cora Marsh finds her handwriting on a luggage tag and boards a train where every door costs one true memory of June. About 24,000 words, "a long evening", and the saddest of the three. Kindle · Paperback
- The Forty-Year Passenger (Book Three). A standalone where new readers can start, built around notebooks recording four hundred and eleven people. Kindle · Paperback
New to the series? Any book works as a first; see the reading order.
Special needs
The government advises planning ahead if you use powered medical equipment, a personal alarm or a diabetes sensor, and asking your landline provider whether it works in a power cut. For readers with low vision, an e-reader's adjustable font and front light are easier than a paperback by torchlight.
Sources
- GOV.UK Be Ready: https://beready.campaign.gov.uk/be-ready-for-emergencies/
- GOV.UK Power cuts: https://prepare.campaign.gov.uk/be-informed-about-hazards/power-cuts/
- Amazon, Identify your Kindle e-reader: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=GK33S847NN4V6Y83
- Amazon, Kindle Paperwhite product page: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CFPJYX7P
Pack the kit, then pack a book
Tick the list, charge the power bank, and add a novel: The Memory Fare on Kindle (Amazon UK).
FAQ
Questions about reading in a power cut
What should be in a power cut kit in the UK?
The government's Be Ready list: 3 days of bottled water (3 L per person per day), no-cook food, torch and batteries, battery or wind-up FM radio, charged power bank, cash, document copies, first aid and medication.
What number do I call in a power cut?
105 in England, Scotland and Wales; 03457 643643 in Northern Ireland.
How long does a Kindle battery last?
Amazon lists up to 12 weeks for Kindle Paperwhite, up to 8 weeks for Kindle Colorsoft and up to 6 weeks for the basic Kindle, based on about half an hour of reading a day with wireless off.
Can I read on my phone in a power cut?
You can, but the government warns mobile signal may go, so keep the phone's battery for calls; a paperback or e-reader is better for long reading.