As temperatures drop significantly across the UK, many will be struggling to justify putting the heating on thanks to the cost. Because it’s almost Christmas, some will be trying to avoid it, and instead attempting to save money for gifts, by using hooded blankets, bed socks, and hot water bottles.
While these may help temporarily, they may not feel like the best permanent solution, and as a result, people are taking to social media to share their top money-saving hacks, working out how much cash you could actually save yourself by making certain switches.
One TikTok user @vcw_19, said there would be “no more boosting the heating” thanks to the product she was recommending.
So, what was it she was raving about which she even said changed her life? It’s the humble electric blanket.
She claimed she’s felt “so cold” recently, so she had been cranking the heating up to warm a room at the back of the house, and didn’t get much sun in daylight hours during the winter time.
As a result, she was concerned about her heating bill, but said she didn’t “have to touch the heating” thanks to the electric blanket.
She noted prices change for them, and she paid £17 for hers, but “hates being cold” so just had to make the purchase.
The woman said: “I think this is probably the purchase of the year for me,” and when someone commented saying they wanted to get one, she encouraged them to take the plunge and treat themselves.
“I need one of these, my heating is blasting all day and night, it’s so cold,” they complained.
She responded: “I looked up that heating costs an average of £1.69 per hour. Electric blankets are roughly 6p per hour. That’s a huge saving!”
On Reddit’s ‘Personal Finance’ forum, someone pointed out they “heat the person not the room”, so it’s much more energy efficient than trying to heat a whole room.
On the ‘Frugal’ forum, someone raved about theirs. They wrote: “I purchased the dreamland intelliheat this year after two years of umming and ahhing about the cost and feeling miserable all winter. I chose the faux husky fur model as I work from home and wanted a heated option I could use around my whole house not just in bed and it is by far the best item I have purchased for my house.
“It is thick and warm even without the heat setting on. I have not yet had to go past setting 3. And according to my smart meter, it costs 0.01p an hour to run. My gas is around £1 every 20 minutes while getting up to temperature, and as I live in a damp rented terrace, it’s forever clicking back on.
“I have no regrets about my purchase and would highly recommend to someone who wants to heat the person not the property. I am leaving upstairs windows open for the damp/mould and have a dehumidifier for when this isn’t possible and assisting with laundry drying time.”
Another penned: “I think it’s definitely worth getting. Personally I prefer a heated mattress topper (the kind that is like a fitted sheet) over an electric blanket with strings or straps – those are a little cheaper, but it’s well worth upgrading to the mattress topper kind and not much more money. The ones with strings or straps never stay in place properly.”
