TEMPERATURES are dropping and heating bills are up, but electric blankets can help keep the chill off this winter.
Electric blankets are a great way to help you try and cut back on your energy bills.
It may be tempting to use an electric blanket at night to give the thermostat a break now that the average household's bill goes up to £2,500 a year.
And, by April, that figure will increase again to £3,000.
But before you turn the heating off, we reveal how much extra you'll be adding onto your electricity bill by using an electric blanket.
How much does it cost to run an electric blanket?
Most people use electric blankets under their sheets to heat their bed before they get in it.
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According to research from Uswitch, these gadgets use 100 watts of energy to warm a double bed before switching to a sleep setting or being turned off.
A 100W electric blanket run for seven hours a week would use 0.7kWh.
Based on the current cap, it costs 24p to run a 100W electric blanket for one hour a day for seven days.
If you were to use an electric blanket for one hour a day, every day of the week for a year, it would cost you £12.48 in total.
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But using an electric blanket instead of turning the heating up could still save you cash off your bill, Uswitch energy expert Sarah Broomfield said.
"Using an electric blanket to warm the bed may mean you can turn the temperature of your thermostat down, as you won't need your bedroom to be so hot.
"Turning your thermostat down by just 1°C can save you as much as £80 a year."
How else you can reduce your bill
If you turn your thermostat down by one notch, it can help lower your bills by a whopping £80 a year.
And keeping it at a steady temperature will save even more.
You should also make sure you turn household appliances off and not leave them on standby as doing this could needlessly add as much as £35 onto your bill.
There are also grants and schemes you could be eligible for, like the Warm Home Discount, for example.
Those on Universal Credit and older legacy benefits could get over £3,000 in bill support.
There are plenty of energy grants and schemes open to help you out if you're struggling – as your supplier to check.
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For example, British Gas has recently confirmed that it'll pay its most vulnerable customers grants worth £750 to help with sky-high bills.
There's also a one-off fuel voucher from your energy supplier if you're on a prepayment metre.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]
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