Cheapest ways to stay warm this Christmas
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With the cold of winter just starting to seep in, and the rising energy costs contributing to the continuing cost of living crisis, home insurance specialists at Howden Insurance have revealed the cheapest ways to keep yourself warm over the next few months.
With the current cost of energy in the UK it costs around 7p per kilowatt-hour if connected to mains gas. So, with a 24 kW boiler that works out at £1.68 per hour. If it was left on for 8 hours a day that’s £13.44 which equates to £94.08 per week.
Currently the UK government has capped energy at 27p per kWh. So throughout that will be the figure we use to calculate how expensive these items are to run.
| Heating Element | Cost per hour | Cost Per day (8 hours per day) | Cost Per Week | % Cheaper Than Running heating (monthly) |
| Electric blanket | 2.7p | 21.6p | £1.51 | 98% |
| Hot water bottle | 5.05p | 40.4p | £2.82 | 97% |
| Infrared Heater | 30p | £2.40 | £16.80 | 82% |
| Oil Heater | 40.5p | £3.24 | £22.68 | 75% |
| Electric Heater | 54p | £4.32 | £30.24 | 67% |
Electric Blankets – 2.7p per hour
Electric blankets are a great way to keep warm and are very energy efficient. Each blanket will have its own energy usage however most will be on average around 100w (0.1kW). So to run an electric blanket for an hour using the 27p cap would cost 2.7p per hour! Obviously this can only heat yourself and not your home, but its a great option for keeping warm at night or when sitting at your desk or on the sofa!
Hot Water Bottle – 5.05p per boil
Hot water bottles much like electric blankets are a great way to keep yourself warm when around your house such as in bed or when working or relaxing. The average 3kW kettle runs for about 45 second to a minute, and when full costs 5.05p to boil (at 27p per kWh). You may not necessarily need to refill these every hour so could work out even cheaper as well.
Infrared Heater – 30p an hour
Infrared heaters are more energy-efficient than other space heaters. They use 100 percent of the heat they produce, which creates almost no loss in heat transfer to zone heat at a low cost. This is because infrared heaters do not heat the air and instead emit infrared radiation that only warms the objects the radiation touches. Most of these infrared heaters use between 700 – 1500 watts, so a 1100 watt heater will cost on average 30p an hour, or £2.40 over an 8 hour period.
Oil Filled Radiators – 40.5p per hour
Oil filled radiators are a great alternative to electric heaters, the radiator is filled with a thermal oil which surrounds an electrical element which in turn expels the heat into the room. Most oil heaters will run at around 1500kW, although each does vary. With the current energy cap at 27p that would equate to 40.5p per hour or £1.62 over 4 hours.
Electric Heaters – 54p per hour
If you’re looking to heat a larger space but still concerned about paying the full price of having the heating on, electric heaters could provide a more cost-effective solution, although not as efficient as the others mentioned, these are still a great cheaper alternative. A typical 2kW heater would cost 54p an hour, which is still a 67% saving instead of using the heating.
A spokesperson from Howden Insurance commented: “With the cold of winter fast approaching everyone is going to be looking for ways to heat themselves and their homes for less. With the cost of living such a prominent talking point everyone is trying to find ways to save money.
Everyone deserves the right to be warm however, not everyone can run their heating all day due to the current economic climate, this guide provides just a few ideas that could help some people to save that little bit extra over these colder periods.”
