Frugal Tips: Staying Warm this Winter
Energy and gas prices are at an all-time high. The energy companies are promising cuts, but not until late February. With January 2015 set to be one of the coldest yet, it’s important that we stay as warm as possible, but equally as important that we don’t break the bank in our attempt to do so. As a household, we accidentally spend £300 on last month’s energy bills, so we’ve had to put a few things in place this month to try to make up for it. Here are our top-tips for staying warm this winter:
1. Electric blanket: In the ‘80s, there was a lot of scare mongering over electric blankets. There were horror stories about little old ladies setting themselves on fire, and all sorts. This put many people off, but if you can get over the fear mongering, they’re actually a very good idea. A decent blanket uses about £0.005 per hour, so it’s not very bank breaking! At the very most, they cost £0.16 per night. That works out at around £5.00 a month, so £20.00 for a family of four. Of course, you don’t have to have them on all night, and many people just use them in their lounge. As well as an electric blanket, you can buy a heated mattress too. According to some sources, heated mattresses are even more cost effective than electric blankets, so certainly worth considering.
2. Hot water bottle: seriously, what do you think hot water bottles are for? They’re for heating your bed, and for cuddling when you're cold. They’ve been around at least a hundred years, and they’re a fantastic invention. If you don’t have one, then buy some. They’re great, and you can snuggle with them on the sofa and all sorts. As well as hot water bottles, you can buy special wheat-filled things (not sure of the name). You put them in the microwave to heat them up, and they retain their heat for a good few hours. They’re a little like hand warmers, except bigger.
3. Heat yourself: we seem to be living in an age where people expect to be able to work shorts and t-shirts in their homes during winter. We don’t seem to appreciate that the change of seasons means a change of clothes. Sure, you can make your house as warm as a tropical beach in the middle of summer, but that will cost you a lot (um, about £300 is what we paid!). instead, you should just wear more clothes. At night, wear thermal pyjamas; during the day, wear thermal underwear, jumpers, trousers and socks. It’s easy to stay warm if you dress up for the occasion!
4. Standalone radiator: traditional radiators are great, but they often require turning on the entire central heating system. Sometimes, though, you’ll just want to heat a single room. turning on the central heating to warm traditional radiators is largely a waste of energy. it loses heat between the boiler and the radiator, not to mention the fact that, unless you switch them off, you’ll end up heating more than just the room you intend to heat. Standalone radiators solve this problem. You can buy a single unit and move it from room to room, using it as and when you want to.
If you would like to browse a collection of standalone and traditional radiators, then please visit https://www.designerradiatorsdirect.co.uk/traditional-radiators
