Recommendation: Electric tea lights.

Electric candles get the side-eye from a number of people because they're not 'as good' as the real kind. Honestly, however, they are really handy gadgets that can make your life worlds easier and safer. The tea light variety can be picked up for a low price just about anywhere. They provide a reliable source of light and can be reused multiple times.

I have a set that have finally given up working properly after approximately three years of use. You can't get three years of daily use out of a set of wax candles. Batteries can be a problem for disposal. This is not a major problem, however, as electronics recycling centers will recycle old batteries of any sort for you. Those that they can't recycle they can dispose of in an ecologically safe way. The cost of the button cell batteries for electric tea lights is fairly low as well, even from big name brand companies.

The act of lighting them is as simple as flicking a switch. It is in many cases easier than 'flicking a Bic' to light a real candle. (It's not much fun lighting your fingernails on fire when trying to light a candle. Ok, it wasn't completely on fire but there was some smoke and blackened edge. It smelled horrible, do not recommend. -67/10) I have also used them for overnight spells with out any concerns about the house burning down.

The larger size electric candles that take larger sized batteries can last up to a year on a single battery. Yeah, I was impressed as well. That one was an 'emergency' electric candle from The Dollar Tree. The size I purchased took a single AA battery. It was on 24/7 for a FULL year before the battery gave up. The electric candle was effective for three years. It would have lasted longer except for the final battery corroded and I couldn't clean the contacts up. I'm sure if that hadn't happened, it would have continued to be very effective and efficient.

So, electric tea lights (or any kind of electric candle) are worth the investment. I've observed no difference in magical workings done with a regular tea light candle and an electric tea light candle. (Same spell done under same conditions with just the candle changed had the same results.)