Products that can save on energy bills are being snapped up very quickly in the run up to Christmas especially as the price cap is set to rise again in January 2023.
Many householders will be facing even higher bills next year as the energy price cap will rise to an annual £4,279 in January, according to Ofgem. The energy price cap, set by Ofgem, limits the maximum amount energy suppliers can charge you for each unit of energy you use if you live in England, Scotland and Wales.
Despite the increase, bill-payers remain protected under the government's Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) but many shoppers are still looking for ways to not put the heating on at home. Air fryers, Oodies, heated jackets and plug-in heated airers are all being bought across many retailers in the UK, and were among the top products purchased during the start of the Christmas shopping season.
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Budget-friendly supermarket, Aldi has launched a range of energy-saving products that are also proving popular and I got to try one of their handy items out. I tested Aldi's extra-long hot water bottle which costs a very purse-friendly £7.99.
Hot water bottles are more handy than you think and can actually save a fortune on energy bills, the Kirkton House long hot water bottle from Aldi only costs 2p an hour to run, based on the average price of boiling a kettle.
I tried the 1.7 litre bottle overall several weeks and it's been a life-saver during the colder evenings at home. It's become my essential winter item and when I'm not using it on the sofa to keep warm or ease any aches and pains, I'm popping it into my bed to heat up before I sleep.
I work from home and I because of its size it fits and heats the whole area of my office chair, keeping me warm while I work. I've not had to put the heating on as much thanks to it and the soft, faux fur cover also gives it that extra layer of comfort.
You can purchase bottles of a similar size that bend but I wouldn't bend this particular one as it wasn't made for that, and I'd be worried about the product bursting.
Despite its size it doesn't actually require that much hot water to heat up. The bottle can be warm on just 500ml worth of water, which costs on average 2p an hour to run. The average cost per unit of electricity now is 34p and the average two2-litre kettle has a power rating of three kilowatts per hour (kWh).
Using the following sum: Power used (0.225kWh) x cost of one kWh (34p), the cost of boiling your kettle today for two cups of hot water (500ml) is around 2p. Of course, the hot water bottle is 1.7 litres so if consumers wanted to fill it all the way up it would cost between 4p and 8p.
It would seem a lot of shoppers have already snapped up the Aldi hot water bottle as the product is currently out of stock on its website but it might be worth checking in your local store in the special buy section. Amazon also do a similar version for £5 more. Or there's this 2 litre hot water bottle which has an anti-leak design for £12.49.
This Livivo hot water bottle for £15.99 is also being praised by shoppers due to its capacity and comfort. One shopper on Amazon said: "This is so much better than I expected, considering it's so affordably priced. The cover is sort and very fluffy, pleasant to curl up with. Feels like I am snuggling a cat! I use this daily while working from home, as a way of keeping warm without having the heating on constantly."
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