Choose an Emergency Light by Task, Not Just Lumens

If the power is out now, use a battery-powered light—not candles. The American Red Cross recommends flashlights instead of candles during outages. Use your phone’s light to reach a dedicated light if necessary, then preserve the phone for calls and alerts.

For home preparedness, plan for two jobs: finding your way immediately when the lights go out, and having usable light for the hours afterward. An automatic emergency light can help with the first; portable lights with spare batteries or a recharge plan cover the second.

Match the light to the task

What you need	Light to consider	What to check
Walk to the bathroom or find your outage kit	Plug-in light with battery backup and automatic power-failure activation	Does it actually turn on when outlet power fails?
Move between rooms or inspect something	Battery flashlight	Beam coverage, accessible switch and runtime in the mode you will use
Keep both hands free	Headlamp	Fit, controls and a usable low setting
Light a shared table or sitting area	Battery lantern	Broad light coverage, stable placement and runtime at that brightness
Illuminate a building’s exit route	Installed emergency-lighting fixture	Correct installation, battery condition and model-specific testing requirements

A practical household setup is an accessible flashlight beside each occupied bed, a headlamp for hands-free tasks and a lantern where people gather. Add automatic lights where darkness would make finding those portable lights difficult. This is a planning recommendation, not a required equipment count.

Read brightness and runtime for the same mode

“Night light” does not necessarily mean outage backup. Look specifically for a battery and power-failure activation, not just a dusk-to-dawn sensor.

The biggest brightness number on the package may not describe what happens automatically during a blackout. For example, as of October 6, 2026, Jasco’s GE-branded four-in-one light lists separate sensing and power-failure functions, with 5 lumens in power-failure mode but 40 lumens in flashlight mode. That is a model-specific example, not a recommended brightness threshold for a hallway.

Check three things before relying on an emergency light:

• Mode-specific output: What brightness does it provide on battery power, including its automatic setting?
• Mode-specific runtime: How long is that setting rated to run, using which batteries or charge condition?
• Useful coverage: Can you see floor obstacles, steps and the task in front of you from its actual location?

A rated runtime is not necessarily a promise of steady brightness. In the FL1 runtime method described by flashlight manufacturer Elzetta, the endpoint is when output drops to 10% of the lumen rating. A light can therefore remain within that runtime while substantially dimmer than it was initially. Check how the manufacturer defines runtime, look for an output-versus-time graph where available, and keep another light or spare batteries ready.

Test before an outage—not just when unpacking

Charge rechargeable lights according to their manuals. Keep compatible spare batteries for replaceable-battery lights, and include lighting in your power-outage kit checklist.

Test a plug-in backup light by unplugging it as its instructions allow. Confirm that it activates, then check its coverage in darkness without walking into an unlit stairway. Place portable lights where you can reach them without crossing a dark room.

For a hardwired unit, use its test control and follow its maintenance instructions; do not open or service energized equipment. The Lithonia TCLC manual, for example, specifies a monthly 30-second test, an annual 90-minute test, and servicing by a qualified technician. Those instructions are for that installed fixture—not a universal rule for household flashlights. A unit that passes a 90-minute test still does not establish that it will light your home through an overnight outage.