Batteries: What to Buy, How to Store, When to Rotate

Every outage, someone digs out the flashlight and finds dead batteries, or batteries that leaked and ruined the flashlight. A little planning fixes this for good.

01Standardize

The simplest trick: buy lights, radios and devices that use the same battery sizes. Most households can run everything on AA and AAA. Then you only stock two sizes, and batteries can move between devices.

02Types

Alkaline

• The most common and cheapest.
• Good shelf life; many brands print an expiration date several years out.
• Can leak if left in devices for a long time, especially once drained.

Lithium (disposable AA and AAA)

• Longer shelf life than alkaline and work better in cold weather, great for car kits and outdoor gear.
• Lighter and less likely to leak.
• More expensive.

Rechargeable (NiMH)

• Cheaper over time if you use them regularly.
• Low self-discharge types hold their charge for months, making them good for emergency use.
• Need a way to recharge in an outage: a solar charger or a power station.

Coin cells and 9-volts

Check what your smoke alarms, thermometers and car key fobs need, and keep a few spares.

03How to store batteries

• Room temperature, dry, and out of direct sun. You don't need to refrigerate them.
• In the original package or a battery case so terminals don't touch.
• Keep 9-volts taped or capped; the terminals can short against metal and get hot.
• Take batteries out of devices you won't use for a while, to prevent leaks. For emergency lights, store the batteries next to the light instead.
• Don't mix old and new or different types in the same device.

04Rotate

• Check expiration dates when you buy.
• Use the oldest first in everyday devices, and replace them with new ones in your emergency stock.
• Test lights and radios twice a year.

05How many?

For a family, a reasonable starting point:

• Enough batteries to refill every emergency light and radio two or three times.
• Spares for smoke and CO alarms.

06Big batteries

For longer outages, a portable power station recharges phones, lights and small devices, and runs a CPAP or fridge for a while. Store lithium power stations and battery packs safely and check for recalls. See battery pack recalls and storing lithium safely.

07Disposal

Many areas have battery recycling drop-offs. Lithium and rechargeable batteries shouldn't go in household trash.

Pair your batteries with the right lights. See candles vs. lanterns vs. headlamps.

Photo by PublicDomainPictures on Pixabay.

Related: Midwest Power Outages: How Long They Really Last (NIPSCO's August Storm)