Candles
Candles are your basic power failure equipment. Even if you rarely have a power failure, you should have some. That being said, there are lots to choose from and some work better than others. Candles are good for providing enough light to be able to get around, maybe eat dinner. They generally aren't enough to read by, although if you get enough of them you can. I'd suggest you get a bunch of tea lights, they provide a decent amount of light, fit in most votive candle holders, are easy to clean up after and best of all are cheap. Usually you can find them for 10 or 15 cents each. Make sure you have at least a dozen. I buy them in packs of 50 or 100, its not like they go bad. Each tea light will last 6 to 8 hours.
The second candle type you should have is one or two pillar candles. They are pretty cheap, $5 or $10. Often after the holidays you find really cheap scented or colored ones, they are generally ok, but I find that they don't burn as evenly, so you have to be extra careful about not leaving them alone.
Some candles that don't work well are the de-odorizer candles, they are meant to burn slow, and the flame they have is not very bright. Any candle with a metal wire running through the wick won't burn bright enough.
Oil Lamps
The best thing about oil lamps is that they are bright. It is easy to read by them and replacement oil and wicks are easy to find. There are many varieties and quite a range in prices. The factor to determine which one to get is if they will be stationary or not. I bought some cheap ones and the glass globe wobbles a little. They are great for sitting on a table, but I would not try to carry it upstairs when it is lighted. Some of the more sturdy ones can be moved around a bit easier, I would recommend them.
The larger the container of lamp oil is, the cheaper it is, so buy a big one. Oil lamps can hold quite a bit, if you buy a quart bottle, it will fill up the lamp, but not leave enough for refills. I have some decorative oil lights as well that I use even when the power is on, but can be pressed into service when needed.
Following the philosophy of keeping as few dependencies as possible, if you have a kerosene heater, make sure you get lamps that take kerosene or either kerosene and lamp oil.
Flashlights
Flashlights are the first thing you need in a power outage. Since it will be dark when you need them, make sure they are accessible, keep them on a shelf, not in a drawer full of scissors. Also, the last thing you want to do is stumble down the stairs on the way to get one so keep at least one on every floor. Don't worry about having too many. Make sure they all take the same size battery and bulb, otherwise you will find you are out of the batteries you need, but have tons of the size you don't need. The flashlights with halogen or krypton bulbs are well worth the extra money, they are much brighter and the bulb lasts longer than regular bulbs.
Rechargeable flashlights have their uses, you never have to worry about the power going out and your batteries being dead. Best of all, many of them have the feature that they will turn on automatically when the power goes out, making them very easy to find. You can leave them plugged in in a hallway and they will be right where you need them when you need them. They do have a significant downside though. Most of them will only run for an hour or two before the battery dies, and you can't replace it with a spare one, so if the power outage drags on, you may be left in the dark after all.
Lanterns
There are several types of lanterns available, battery powered with fluorescent bulbs, ones that take small propane canisters, and ones that take liquid fuels like kerosene. Each one has advantages and disadvantages.
- Battery Powered Fluorescent
For inside the house, especially if you have young children I think this is the best option. You can carry it around and even drop it without worry. They give a good amount of light, most of them take two 6 watt fluorescent bulbs which is probably equivalent to a 50watt standard bulb. The negative side is that you can end up going through batteries, or they could go dead just when you need it most. I recently bought one that claimed it would run continuously for 18 hours with both bulbs lit or 24 hours with a single bulb lit. That should take you through just about any power failure.
I would suggest you get one that takes the same type of battery that your flashlights do (probably 'D' size) so you can use your spare batteries wherever you need them. I got a lantern that takes either 8 D batteries, or two 6 volt lantern batteries. This is a very good option because the lantern batteries last longer than regular batteries (they are larger), but if they run out, I can put in the same kind of battery that my flashlights take.
If you go camping this lantern is still useful, both for general lighting and for inside the tent where you don't want the hot flame.
- Propane
These lanterns take compressed propane canisters. They usually have two mantles and are quite bright. Brighter than the fluorescent lanterns. The disadvantages are they are hot, you sometimes break the mantle lighting it, and they of course give off carbon dioxide. You want to be careful of them in an enclosed space such as a tent since they could melt it. They are great for camping and with proper ventilation could be used inside.
The propane canisters cost about $3 each and last 14 to 18 hours. There are both wide and narrow ones. I think most lanterns can take either. It doesn't really matter which size yours takes, but if you have a propane stove, make sure they take the same kind.
- Liquid Fuel
Generally the same advantages and disadvantages as propane, so I won't redo that here. Additional disadvantages are that you have to refill them, so you have to be careful about spilling fuel, and if they tip over, fuel could leak. There is an advantage though. If get one that takes kerosene, and you have a kerosene heater too, that is one less consumable you have to worry about having enough of.
One of the keys to having a positive power failure experience is not to be hungry. And, you get a certain amount of satisfaction when you have hot food, not cereal for dinner. An easy and flexible way to accomplish this is to have a grill.
Water
One thing I take for granted is water, but you should have is water. This is particularly important if you have well water that stops working when the power goes out. You should have at least two gallons per person per day. You need it not only for drinking but for cooking and washing dishes. I get distilled water because it keeps well, and I get gallon containers because it is cheap that way. Less than a dollar a gallon. If you get the name brand water in liter bottles you will pay much more than that. I try and keep 2 or 3 days supply. I figure if water is out for longer than that I probably will be looking for another place to stay temporarily.
Grills
Grills are great in warmer weather even when the power is on, so you will get your money's worth out of it. If you live in an apartment, they may or may not let you have them on a balcony.
Charcoal grills
The cheapest grill is the charcoal grill, they range in price and sturdiness. You can sometimes find them for $10 or even less. Throw in some matchlight charcoal and for less than $20 you have a functional solution to your problem. Even better, you can invite friends over for a summer BBQ. The biggest annoyances are that the charcoal takes 15 or 20 minutes to heat up, you have to clean up the ash when it goes out, and it is a pain to cook outside when it is 20 degrees or pouring rain. In no circumstance should you ever light one inside your house or apartment because grills give off lots of carbon monoxide which is both odor-less and deadly, what a perfect combination.
Propane Grills
If you have a bit bigger budget and if you like the convenience, propane grills are the way to go. They warm up faster making it easier to use on a whim and they are easier to clean up after. The main disadvantage is that you can run out of fuel when you need it, particularly if you forget to turn it off. (I have done that several times.) If you use it a lot or are forgetful, it is wise to invest in a second propane tank. Grills start around $125 and go up to around a thousand. You can get some with a side burner which is handy.
Propane stoves
The problem with grills is that it limits you to the types of food you can cook, and you might not have grillable food during a power outage, chances are, you have more food in your house that you cook on a stove than on a grill. Further, many apartments and condo's won't let you have them. The solution? a propane stove. I have a simple one burner one that I use camping and is available when I need it at home, but it is a bit cramped. If you need more than one burner or like the added space, you can get three burner ones as well. Best of all, you can use them indoors so when it is freezing outside you can stay warm. If you also have a propane lantern, make sure they take the same size propane cylinder.
If you have a kerosene heater and lantern, you can look for a stove that takes kerosene, I haven't ever looked for one, so I don't know that they exist, but I would expect they do. Once again, the fewer things you can run out of the better.
If you live in a cold climate or if your power often goes out in the winter (usually because you have above-ground power lines and ice builds up on them) you may want to invest in a heater. Once again, the come in a range of sizes, and their output is measured in BTU, the higher the BTU, the more heat it gives off and the more fuel it burns. You need to make sure there is adequate ventilation, so if you use one, open a nearby window 2 or 3 inches. Most large heaters take kerosene and you have to be careful when filling them. Make sure you have enough extra to keep you going for a couple of days. Don't wait to the day of the snow to go out looking for more. You can get small heaters that take propane cylinders (the same ones used by the stoves and lanterns) but I don't know if they can be used indoors.
You can also use a fireplace or wood stove for emergency heat. Fireplaces aren't very efficient, most of the heat goes straight up the chimney. Even worse, even when there is no fire, or when there are only embers, you loose heat from the house up the chimney. Wood stoves are a better option, more of the heat they generate gets into your house. As a bonus, they are good for providing supplemental heat to your house even when the power is on. If you use one, be sure to get the chimney cleaned every year so you don't get a chimney fire. Buy enough firewood to last you through the winter before it gets cold. If there is strong demand, prices can skyrocket.
Nothing thumbs your nose at the problem like having your own source of electricity. Of course, this is easier said than done, if it were easy, everyone would do it and we wouldn't need the utilities. The first thing you need to decide is if you even need electricity. If your power goes out for an hour or two a couple of times a year, you probably can do without it during that time, but if it goes out for days at a time you'll want at least some.
Generators
If your needs aren't that great, it may be enough to get a small generator that will run a few lights and will keep the refrigerator going. If you have a well pump, even a small one is suitable for it. If you have gas heat, and your electricity usually goes out in the winter, you may want a large enough unit that you can power the whole house with and a switch that will cut you off from the utilities, that way you can have light and heat, you may not notice the electricity is off until you have to refill the tank. If you have electric heat and an an electric hot water heater, it may be too expensive to get a large enough generator. Also, keep in mind the number of appliances you will be using at the same time. You may not be able to run the refrigerator and the heater and the microwave at the same time.
You can get 1,000 or 1,500 watt generators for around $500, these are just fine if the power doesn't go out often and you don't have much to run. They should keep some lights going, the microwave working, and the refrigerator cold, but maybe not all at the same time. Keep in mind that even the smallest hair dryer is probably 1,500 watts, so don't expect to use it.
Larger generators may be 12,000 or 15,000 watts. These will keep your whole house going, but cost quite a bit more. For the ultimate in flexibility, some of these will automatically start when the electricity goes out and start pumping power into your house, it may set you back $7,000 or so, but it you may never notice when the power goes out. Unless you loose power frequently for long periods of time, that is probably an overkill.
If your house uses propane or natural gas, you can get generators that use them as fuel, that way you don't have to keep gasoline or diesel around, which can go bad and you are more likely to run out of. If not, you need to get one that uses either diesel or gasoline. Diesel lasts longer when stored, but if the generator is the only thing that uses it, it may not be worth having around. Gasoline only lasts about 9 months, but it is probably a better choice because you can use it in your lawn mower in the summer or pour it into your car's gas tank so you don't have to worry about it going bad. As an added bonus, if you run out, you can siphon some out of your car's tank.
Another option is to get an inverter and an extension cord and when the power goes off, turn your car on and run it from that. It will work if you only need a small amount of power for short periods of time.
Batteries If you don't need much power, it is tempting to get some large batteries and run from that. There are important things to keep in mind. Since the battery has limited power, it is likely to run out before the power comes back on. Also, you are quite limited to the types of appliances you can run. I don't really know if it makes sense for most people to do this, but if you like playing with stuff you can really show off to your neighbors when the lights go out everywhere except in your house.
You can buy all in one units for a couple of hundred dollars that have the battery and an inverter so you get household current. They stay plugged in and charging when the power is on so they will be ready when you need them. These generally have small batteries and can only power small loads like a laptop computer, a couple of lamps, or a television. Don't expect them to last more than a couple of hours.
For a bit more work, you could get a heavy duty battery, an inverter, and a charger and do it yourself. An important advantage is you can get larger batteries, or even more than one so the power lasts longer. For the battery, make sure you get a deep-cycle or marine battery, these work much better than car batteries, also, get as large of one as you can find so it will last longer. Finally, make sure you keep it outside, in a well ventilated area. Even maintenance free batteries can give of explosive hydrogen gas when charging. For the charger, make sure you get one that can trickle charge the battery, it may be months between uses and you want to make sure it is charged all the time. For the inverter, make sure you get the right size. You can find cheap 150 and 300 watt inverters. Depending on the size of your television, it may take more than 150 watts by itself, and it is quite likely that it and a light or two will. You can also find inverters that give many more watts of power. If you have several batteries, you could consider getting a large enough one to run your microwave oven.
Batteries
I recommend getting as many of your battery operated items as possible taking D size batteries. They are available everywhere, hold more power than AA or C, and you can almost always find a version of the product that takes them. Consider the alternative, you have something that takes AA, something that takes C, something that takes D, and something that takes 9 volt. When the batteries on one of them run out, you can bet it will be the one you don't have spares of. Also, it makes it easier to decide how many spares you need, and since you don't have as many batteries in total, you will save money.
There are several types of batteries, carbon-zinc (usually marked as 'heavy-duty' or 'Super heavy-duty), Alkaline, and Rechargeable. The carbon-zinc are the cheapest. I would get Alkaline for devices you don't use much and for spare batteries. There are two reasons for this. First, Alkaline last longer than carbon-zinc. Second, you can store them longer. Every month you store the battery, it looses some of its charge, that is why you see the freshness date on the package. Carbon-zinc looses its charge faster than alkaline.
Rechargeable batteries are great, over time they cost less and are better for the environment. For anything that you use on a regular bases I recommend getting rechargeables. You still should get alkalines as a backup, in case the power outage lasts for a while. These days you should get Nickel-Metal-Hydride (NiMH) Rechargeable batteries, they last longer than the Ni-Cads (NiCd), and don't suffer from the dread 'memory effect'.
It is hard to determine how many spare batteries you need. It depends on how long you think a power outage will last, and how fast you use them up. Also keep in mind that if you start to run out, you can move batteries from devices you aren't using into ones that you are. A basic rule of thumb is to keep enough spare to replace the batteries in the two devices you have that take the most batteries. For instance, if you have a lantern that takes 8 'D' batteries and a radio that takes 6, you should keep at least 14 spare batteries. Scale this up if you situation requires it or if you have something that really eats the batteries.