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With winter setting in across the UK, staying warm at home is becoming a daily priority. However, with energy costs still high, households are increasingly weighing up whether turning on the heating is really the most cost-effective option.
At the current cost of energy in the UK, it costs around 6p per kilowatt-hour if connected to mains gas. Using a 24-kW boiler, that works out at roughly £1.42 per hour. If it were left on for 8 hours a day, this would cost £11.36 per day, which equates to around £79.52 per week.
The UK government’s energy price cap currently puts the average cost of electricity at around 27p per kWh. Throughout this guide, 27p per kWh will be the figure used to calculate how expensive different appliances and items are to run.
Experts from accounting firm ViFi UK Finance Team have revealed the five cheapest items to stay warm at home, without turning on the central heating.
Electric blankets are an effective and energy-efficient way to stay warm. While energy usage varies by model, most electric blankets use around 100 watts (0.1 kW). At the current electricity price cap of 27p per kWh, running an electric blanket for an hour costs roughly 2.7p.
They won’t heat your home, but they’re an excellent low-cost option for keeping warm in bed, on the sofa, or while working at a desk.
Hot water bottles, like electric blankets, are a simple and inexpensive way to keep warm. A typical 3 kW kettle takes around 45 seconds to one minute to boil. At 27p per kWh, a full boil costs approximately 5.05p.
As hot water bottles retain heat for several hours, you may not need to refill them frequently, making them an even cheaper option overall.
Infrared heaters are generally more energy-efficient than traditional space heaters because they heat objects directly rather than warming the air. This reduces heat loss and makes them effective for targeted heating.
Most infrared heaters use between 700 and 1,500 watts. A 1.1 kW infrared heater would cost around 30p per hour to run, or £2.40 over an eight-hour period, at the current electricity price cap.
Oil-filled radiators work by heating thermal oil around an internal electric element, which then releases heat slowly into the room. Most models operate at around 1.5 kW (not 1500 kW).
At 27p per kWh, this works out at approximately 40.5p per hour, or £1.62 over four hours, making them a more efficient option than some standard electric heaters.
If you need to heat a larger space without turning on your central heating, electric heaters can offer a flexible alternative. A standard 2 kW electric heater costs around 54p per hour to run at the current electricity cap.
While more expensive than small personal heating options, they allow you to heat individual rooms rather than your entire home.
Commenting on the findings, Ben Steele, Founder of ViFi UK Finance Team said, “With the average UK household spending most of its time in just one or two rooms each evening, heating an entire home can be an unnecessary expense.
“Our figures show that targeted alternatives, such as electric blankets, hot water bottles and low-wattage heaters, can reduce weekly heating costs by more than 60%, and in some cases over 95%, compared with running central heating for long periods.
“As energy bills continue to put pressure on household budgets, small changes like heating the person rather than the property can make a meaningful difference over the course of winter.”
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