With colder weather once again upon us, some may be looking for cost-effective ways to keep warm.
While you're better off using central heating, you might want to use something for a quick blast of heat after you've been out in the bitter cold. And there is also the risk of frozen pipes in these temperatures, which may leave you without heating for a day or two and in need of an alternative.
An option that has become popular as of late is a heated blanket, as it is supposedly cheap to run and warms you up quickly.
However, how much cheaper is it compared to a portable heater? The answer, according to Uswitch, is a lot.
In a recent guide released by the utility experts, they found that based on average usage - 147.3 minutes per week - an electric blanket would cost a household around £4.16. Meanwhile, a portable heater would put you back £52.00 despite it having a lower average usage time of 88.6 minutes each week.
So, if you're looking for a useful heating appliance which won't break the bank, you may want to consider an electric blanket.
Again, central heating is likely your best option and you can leave on a timer so that your home is warm when you get in, but a blanket could be a useful addition should the budget allow.
However, the Scottish Fire and Rescue service have previously issued a warning about electric blankets, as they can be a fire risk. Guidance states that you should never leave them on at night unless marked 'suitable for all night use'.
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Separate research carried out by the Radio 4 Sliced Bread podcast host Greg Foot found that the more expensive portable heaters which claim to save you money likely won't. In an episode of his podcast he compared several heaters and found that the ones which heated up faster cost more and the slower ones cost less.
As a result, Greg explained: "If you want to heat up the whole room, each and every one of these devices is going to cost pretty much the same amount to do it."
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