SurviKit UK

Ready for the next power cut

SurviKit started in Spain as a no-nonsense guide to emergency kits. The UK edition is written for UK homes: 230 V appliances and 3-pin plugs, the 105 power cut line, the Priority Services Register, the government's Prepare advice and the British weather. Every figure links to where it came from, and we show no prices.

the power cut line (GB): 105
UK appliance figures: 230V
prices: every figure links to its source: 0

In a power cutWhat to do in a power cut in the UKCall 105, the Priority Services Register, food in the fridge and freezer, heating and phones.Before it happens72-hour emergency kit for UK homesThe government's Prepare list, item by item, with products checked on Amazon.co.uk, plus a grab bag.Backup powerBest portable power stations for UK homes14 models from EcoFlow, BLUETTI, Jackery and Anker SOLIX with their UK figures, and three picks by use.

Three things to have before the next cut

Light, a charged phone and a way to hear the news: the first three items on the government's Prepare emergency kit list. The rest is in the 72-hour emergency kit.

AdLinks marked Ad go to Amazon.co.uk. If you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you; it never decides what we list. We show no prices: the store shows the current one.

Rechargeable head torch
Leaves both hands free; charge it from the power bank. Keep a battery torch as well for when it runs flat.
View on Amazon.co.uk: Rechargeable head torchAd
Power bank, 20,000 mAh
Several phone charges with a built-in USB-C cable; Prepare lists a power bank for your mobile.
View on Amazon.co.uk: Power bank, 20,000 mAhAd
Wind-up and solar radio with torch
AM/FM news with no batteries or mains, plus a torch and a USB output, per its listing.
View on Amazon.co.uk: Wind-up and solar radio with torchAd

Power station guides

Best portable power stations for UK homes
14 models from EcoFlow, BLUETTI, Jackery and Anker SOLIX with their UK figures, and three picks by use.
Power station for a power cut: runtime calculator
How many hours your fridge-freezer, router, lights and phones run, worked out at 230 V in your browser.
Portable power station with a solar panel in the UK
What a 200 W panel really gives in London, Cardiff, Manchester, Belfast and Glasgow (PVGIS), month by month.
Generator or power station for UK power cuts?
Carbon monoxide, noise, petrol storage limits and the wiring rule, side by side.

Will a power station run my…?

Straight answers with the maths, from UK appliance figures and four stations from 286 Wh to 2,042 Wh.

How we work

Official advice first: GOV.UK, the Food Standards Agency, the NHS, the HSE and the Met Office, read and linked.
Power-station figures from each maker's UK page, with the date we read it. If the UK page doesn't state a figure, we say so.
Runtimes worked out with a published formula, shown step by step.
Some links are affiliate links, marked Ad: if you buy, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We haven't tested the products ourselves, and we show no prices.