Cheapest ways to stay warm without putting heating on - including 1p method

27 October 2023 , 14:20

1317     0

Uswitch has rounded up cheap ways to stay warm (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Energy bills have skyrocketed in recent years - meaning households are looking for more ways to cut their gas and electricity costs.

The Ofgem energy price cap currently sits at £1,834 a year - this is based on the typical household using 2,700 kWh of electricity and 11,500 kWh of gas. Ofgem recently changed its methodology, due to people using less energy to save money - under the old formula, the price cap is set at £1,923 a year.

Even though the price cap has come down in recent months, energy bills are still much higher than they used to be. The price cap stood at £1,277 a year in October 2021 and £1,042 a year in October 2020.

If you're looking for ways to keep costs down, we've spoken to experts at Uswitch.com about the cheapest ways to keep warm without putting the heating on. Of course, some households with vulnerable people or those with medical issues will have no choice but to switch the heating on.

Uswitch told The Mirror one of the cheapest way to keep warm is to heat up some microwavable slippers. If you used an 800W (watts) microwave, this would cost less than 1p to run for 30 seconds.

Shop prices 'are yet to peak and will remain high' as inflation hits new heights

Using an electric blanket for one hour, with an average power of 100W, would cost you around 3p. Or if you're going to use a hot water bottle, this would cost roughly 13p. This is based on boiling one litre of water in the kettle, with an average power of 3kW (kilowatts).

Finally, a plug-in heater with an average power of 2kW would cost you roughly 55p to run for one hour. Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch, said: “With the price of energy still high, some households will be looking for ways of staying warm that don’t involve putting on the heating.

“Electric heaters are an expensive way to warm a room, with a 2kW device costing around £2.19 for just four hours’ use. A good energy-efficient alternative to keep yourself warm is wrapping up in an electric blanket. A typical one uses only 100W, costing only 11p over four hours.

“Filling a hot water bottle also works out cheaper than an electric heater, working out at only 13p per filling.” Ofgem will announce its next price cap, covering from January 1 until March 31, on November 23.

Levi Winchester