How to Cook and Boil Water in a Power Cut Safely (UK)

Most UK kitchens run on electricity, even ones with a gas hob. So when the power goes off, so do hot meals and hot drinks. The government’s Be Ready campaign, launched on 22 October 2026, asks households to be ready for 3 days of disruption, which could mean 3 days without a kettle. Here’s what still works, how to light a gas hob without its spark, how to cook outdoors safely, and how to keep water hot without power.

What works in a power cut, and what doesn’t

The FSA says: “Electric/induction cookers will not work during a power cut, but gas cookers may continue to function.” Be Ready adds that gas ovens won’t work without power. Rangemaster’s manual for one of its gas range cookers, for example, says the grill and hotplate “may be lit using a match”, but “the ovens however cannot be used either manually or automatically until power is restored”.

How to light a gas hob in a power cut

Most modern gas hobs light with an electric spark. When the power’s off, the gas usually still flows, so you can light the burner yourself. Check your own hob’s manual first, but makers’ instructions are similar:

1. Light your match or lighter first, then hold it close to the burner. Neff says to “use any type of lighter or flame (cigarette lighter, matches, etc.) and bring it close to the burner”.
2. Push in and turn the control knob to release the gas.
3. Keep holding the knob for a few seconds after it lights. This lets the flame safety device warm up, as Zanussi explains. Neff says 4 seconds and Miele says 8 to 10 seconds, so check your manual.
4. If the flame goes out, turn the knob off. Neff says not to try to relight it “for at least 1 minute”, to let the gas clear.

Keep the kitchen ventilated while you cook, and make sure you have a working carbon monoxide alarm. A mains-only alarm won’t work in a power cut, so use a battery alarm or one with a battery backup. The NHS advises getting “a carbon monoxide alarm that makes a loud sound if there’s carbon monoxide present”.

Cooking outdoors: camping stoves and barbecues

The Chief Medical Officers’ power cut advice says: “If you have one, you could use a camping stove or barbecue outside or, if you are able to do so safely, light a campfire outside.” The FSA says to check the instructions, “as most are designed for outdoor use only”.

“Outdoors” means out in the open:

• Campingaz’s manual for its Camp Bistro 3 stove says “it is imperative NOT to use the stove in caravans, cars, tents, huts, sheds or any small enclosed areas”.
• Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue says: “Never use a camping stove, portable barbecue, lit charcoal or generator in an enclosed space”. That includes garages and porches.
• Scottish Fire and Rescue says: “never change gas cartridges indoors or near ignition sources.”
• Northern Gas Networks warns that barbecues can keep giving off carbon monoxide “even after they’ve cooled down”, so don’t bring a barbecue indoors to finish cooling, even when the flames are out.

Know the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning

The NHS lists symptoms including a headache, dizziness, feeling or being sick, feeling weak, tiredness and confusion, chest and muscle pain, and shortness of breath. Stop using the appliance if you can, and get everyone outside. Don’t go back in until you’ve had advice. Call NHS 111 if you think you have symptoms. Call 999 if someone is finding it hard to breathe, has suddenly become confused, feels weak, has chest or muscle pain, or has lost consciousness. The NHS says: “Do not drive to A&E.”

How to have hot water without power

The simplest trick is to boil water before the power goes. National Grid suggests you “boil some water and keep it in a thermos flask”, so “you can use it to make hot drinks or fill a hot water bottle if it gets cold”.

• Fill flasks when a storm is forecast. If you use flask water for a hot water bottle, let it cool a little first rather than using it straight from the boil. A good vacuum flask keeps water hot for a day or more. Thermos says its Stainless King flask keeps drinks hot for 24 hours, and Stanley claims 38 hours for its Classic bottle.
• Preheat the flask. Thermos suggests filling a food jar with boiling water and leaving it for five minutes before adding hot food, which it says keeps food hot for 1 to 3 hours longer.
• For baby formula, the rules are stricter. See our guide to making up baby formula in a power cut.

Food that needs no cooking

The easiest way to eat well in a power cut is to keep food that doesn’t need cooking. The Chief Medical Officers say “some food that you would usually cook can be safely eaten uncooked and will last well beyond 7 days”, such as tinned vegetables, tinned fish, tinned beans, oats, and pre-cooked rice and grains in pouches. The FSA says “some foods such as tinned foods will be safe to eat without heating through”.

Be Ready’s advice is to keep “food with a long shelf life that doesn’t need refrigeration or cooking”, and that “it’s best to buy food you’d usually eat”. Remember a manual tin opener, if your tins need one.

Cooking safely in a power cut

• Cook food through. The Chief Medical Officers say food “might take longer to cook than usual so make sure it is steaming hot and cooked through before you eat it”.
• Eat the fridge food first. The FSA says that if your fridge reaches 8°C or above, chilled food should be eaten within 4 hours, so cook that before anything from the freezer or the cupboard.
• Keep things clean. The FSA says to keep raw and cooked food separate. If the water’s off too, use alcohol-based hand sanitiser on your hands, and antibacterial sprays or wipes on surfaces.
• Switch things off. Be Ready says to turn off items such as irons, ovens, electric fires and fryers. County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue says this is particularly important for cooking appliances, as “your power could return at any time”.

The kit worth buying

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK) — Food safety in a power cut
• GOV.UK — UK CMOs: food and nutrition advice during a national power outage
• GOV.UK Be Ready — Power cuts and Be ready for emergencies
• Rangemaster — Range cooker manual; Miele — KM 2010 gas hob manual; Neff — Gas hob manual (PDF); Zanussi — My hob does not ignite
• NHS — Carbon monoxide poisoning; Northern Gas Networks — Essential guide to BBQ safety
• Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue — Power cuts; Scottish Fire and Rescue — Power cuts; County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue — Safety advice in the event of power disruption
• FSA — Hot holding (PDF); nidirect — Energy, power supply and utilities
• National Grid — Tips to prepare for a power cut
• Thermos — Stainless King flask 1.2L, Stainless King food flask and How to keep food hot in a food jar; Stanley — Classic Legendary bottle 1.4L
• Towsure — Campingaz Camp Bistro 3; Campingaz — Camp Bistro 3 manual

Related reading: how to make up baby formula in a power cut, how to store emergency drinking water, what size power bank you need for a power cut and which radio station to tune to in an emergency.