A leading energy company is offering free electric blankets to help customers over the colder months as bills rise. Octopus Energy is giving the blankets to some of its 3.1 million customers as energy prices for the average household hiked from £1,971 to £2,500 per year on October 1.
From today (October 10), Octopus Energy customers will be invited to fill in an online form to apply for a blanket - the business is offering 10,000 of the items to those most in need. This will likely include the elderly and those with medical conditions who require them to keep warm.
Electric blankets can offer a cheaper alternative to keeping warm rather than switching on the central heating, which now comes at a premium. Rebecca Dibb-Simkin, chief product officer at Octopus Energy, said: "Octopus is doing everything we can to help customers through the crisis.
"Our electric blankets scheme was just one of the measures we've taken to help." She added that heating an individual rather than a whole home "can save hundreds off a customer's bill" and she hopes "these blankets can be a real difference maker".
Those who don't qualify for an electric blanket will be able to apply for one of the supplier's 50% discount codes for a Dreamland electric blanket and mattress topper - 5,000 of which are available. Octopus Energy ran a similar scheme last year giving away 8,000 blankets to those who needed them.
The free blankets helped reduce the average customer's bill by 19%, the firm said.
