
This is an article in a series about how to deal with a “first world problem” – how to respond when/if you lose power.
Our lives have become so dependent on electricity, and most of us work on an assumption that the power will always be there when we flip a switch.
Happily that assumption is seldom tested, but unhappily, when it is tested, and the power is out, we can find ourselves ill-prepared and inconvenienced.
All of a sudden, things we happily take for granted are no longer available – essentials like light. This article offers a helpful solution to this fundamental problem and need.
Read More in the Rest of our Series on Solving Power Cut Problems.
- Identifying Your Power Needs
- The $10 Emergency Light that Lasts a Month
- Solar Power
- Small Portable Generators
Articles still to be published
- Larger Generators
- UPS units
- External Batteries
- Your Car Can Help
In truth, 99 times out of 100 when we lose power, we probably do so for a short period of time – under 8 hours. But on rare occasion, we can be without power for days at a time, and what is easy to put up with for a couple of hours transitions to something much less convenient.
Whether for a short period or longer, one thing that truly defines our comfort is light at night. Maybe you have a candle and matches, maybe you have a flashlight or two lying around, and maybe the batteries in them are reasonably fresh and functional. Or maybe not.
So here’s a great way to be reasonably certain you have at least some light always available, and not to have to worry about it running out of battery. We’ve just completed a six week test of various light sources, some of which have lasted for over a month before finally running out of battery – and that is a month of being on 24/7, non-stop. If you still are without power after a month, then you’ve got problems that require much more than $10 solutions!
Now for sure, these devices won’t flood a large room with light, but from the point of view of simply illuminating large dark spaces so that you can at least see what is in the room, and maybe have some light to eat by or perhaps even to read from, they are very helpful.
There’s also a way to use them to create much brighter light, although lasting for shorter periods. And they have other benefits too in a power outage. Truly remarkable for a mere $10 (with free fast shipping from Amazon, too).
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Whether you use the innovative solution we shared with members, or some other solution, perhaps a type of camping lantern, you will thank yourself for being prepared the next time you lose power, and find yourself in the dark with nothing but the light from your cell phone to guide you around with.
If you have a unit that uses regular Alkaline type single-use batteries, keep an eye on their expiration, and to be safest, don’t put batteries into the lantern until you need to use it. If you have a unit with rechargeable batteries, be sure to monitor the state of charge of the batteries.
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