As the price of energy bills continue to rise, many people are looking for cost-effective ways to keep warm during the winter.
One way many people stay cosy in bed is by using an electric blanket to heat up cold toes - but this may not be the cheapest way. As reported by Wales Online, experts at Sleepseeker have discovered how much it will cost to run an electric blanket through the winter.
READ MORE - Exact date you should switch heating on to avoid the largest bills
A Sleepseeker spokesman said: “To calculate how much it will cost to run an electric blanket, you need to understand the cost per unit of electricity.
"According to the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem), in October 2022, the cost per pence/kWh of electricity will be approximately 52p, i.e. £0.52 after the recent energy price increase.
"An electric blanket generates heat by running electricity through wires in the fabric. Each electric blanket will have a different power rating and the overall cost will depend on the rating on your blanket’s label.
"For the sake of this example, we’ll use an approximate power of 100W as this is most common for an electric blanket."
In order to figure out the cost of 100W of energy, you need to use this step-by-step guide. You can do this by:
- Converting to kW. 100W is 0.1kW (or 100 divided by 1000)
Then you simply need to multiply this by the pence/kWh unit.
This would be: 0.1*0.52 = £0.052.
The spokesperson added: "This means that running an electric blanket for one hour would cost just over 5p in October 2022."
Based on the average calculations, heating an electric blanket would cost you 42 pence a night, based on eight hours of use. This is a lot cheaper than having your heating on all night.
If you’re looking to save as much energy as possible, there are a few simple things to keep in mind for your electric blanket:
- Using a timer - many blankets do come with one, and it is a great way to save energy and not over-use the product
- Variable settings - Using a higher heat setting will increase the energy consumption. Having a variable temperature setting can save you money
- Dual controls for bigger blankets - you only need to warm the parts of the blanket you are using. For a single blanket, this could mean the ability to warm just your feet or just your body. For a double electric blanket, it could mean only warming one side of the blanket.
- Prepare in advance by preheating the blanket before you get into bed, to stop using too much power
- Use it on low heat and only increase it if you need to
For more tips, check out the Sleepseeker website here for further information.
READ NEXT-
Martin Lewis urges British public to spend £2 to get an instant £175 payment
Martin Lewis announces which fixed energy customers will get their bills reduced
Age groups hit hardest by cost of living crisis and who gets full State Pension
The cheapest time to use your washing machine every day to keep energy bills low
Winter Fuel Payment qualifying week begins and who is eligible for cash boost
