Six cost-cutting gadgets you can use from home WITHOUT turning the heating on | The Sun
TIPS and tricks are all the rage as shoppers begin the countdown to Christmas.
But what if you knew there were six cosy gadgets you could use indoors so you don't need to turn on the heating?
Everyone is scrambling for cheap tricks to heat their homes this winter in hopes to reduce the chances of power shortages.
Dropping temperatures and rising costs also mean millions of households are trying to keep warm without bursting the bank.
But you need to be careful what you're using as an alternative heating appliance – wood burners, open fires and electrical heaters pose could a risk to life.
This is because they can easily spark a fire if they come into contact with household items, spreading rapidly.
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Fortunately, according to the MailOnline, there are easy warming gadgets that don't pose any risk – and they also don't add extra onto the heating bill.
But bear in mind everyone spends a different amount on heating – especially depending on the size of your home.
And as for these gadgets, make sure to have a look around different stores when you're searching for them – you want to make sure to find the cheapest version.
We list which items to look for below:
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Heated beanie hat
This is a wooly hat which you can plug in to keep your head extra heated and cosy.
You can plug it into your laptop as you work or into a USB portable charger – though you might need to buy a charger separately.
If you search Amazon, you might find a heated beanie which costs £18.99 with a matching heated scarf included, and they individually warm up to 50C.
But a heated beanie by itself should cost a little less – you can use comparison sites like PriceRunner if you're not sure where to look.
Mug warmer
Perfect for keeping your cuppa nice and toasty – just slide it underneath your mug as if it were a coaster.
This could save you from having to reboil the kettle – that can be expensive.
It costs around 9p to run your kettle for five minutes and if you were to do so everyday for a year, it will set you back £32.76.
Mug warmers only need to cost roughly £10-£15 depending on where you look, and you normally just plug them in.
It should save on bills compared to using a kettle, but of course it depends how you use the kettleand how often.
To save, simply take the mug you're using and fill it with water before pouring it into the kettle – that way you know you're only paying to boil what you actually use.
Uswitch added that the savings only represent a few pence, but this all adds up over the course of a year.
Electric lunchbox
These can be a perfect alternative for needing to reheat your food in the oven.
The cost of running an oven will vary depending on the model you have, but according to uSwitch, an electric oven powered at 0.97 kilowatts and used for 30 minutes costs roughly 36p.
So the cost of using an electric oven for 30 minutes costs roughly 18p.
If you used it for 30 minutes every day for a year, that would could you roughly £66.
Instead, an electric lunchbox could keep things nice and hot for longer, without adding to bills.
They cost roughly £20-£30 and will need to be plugged in.
Alternatively, it can be easy to find cheap air fryers and slow cookers.
Heated desk
These will keep your legs nice and warm with an inbuilt heater – but they can be a bit pricey depending on where you look.
Remember to use comparison sites if you're not sure.
One example is the Miniöko desk from Okoform.com which costs £349 and runs at about 260 watts – which means a nine-hour shift sitting at it will cost only 70p.
To work out the cost of energy, there's a handy equation you use:
Cost = power (kilowatt) x cost of one kWh (pence) x the length of time (just one hour, or an eight/nine hour shift.)
Heated body warmer
If you wear this a lot, you might not feel the need for any dangerous heating alternatives.
Fears have soared as millions of Brits are expected to seek other means to stay warm.
Fire experts worry Brits will use "anything that will burn" to stay warm and increase dangers by huddling around heaters.
Although portable heaters are proving popular, drying clothes or staying too close to these heaters also pose huge risks.
Instead, heated body warmers could keep you warm all day at just £10 on average.
Always remember to factor in delivery costs, though.
Microwavable slippers
It's so nice to keep your feet nice and cosy too – and you can get microwavable slippers for roughly £14.99 off Amazon.
The MailOnline concluded putting them in the microwave costs 0.6p a time. So if they're reheated every two hours – that's roughly five trips in a working day.
So it would only cost 3p a day.
Of course, it depends how cold you are and how long you're at home for.
How else can you save on your energy bills?
Beyond staying wary of the appliances you use to cook your food, there are other ways to save on energy bills.
For instance, you can turn so-called "vampire devices" draining your energy off standby.
Or you can use an air-dryer instead of a tumble dryer.
Cutting down time spent in the shower by just one minute can shave £60 off a family's yearly water bill as well.
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We previously explained how much it costs to run a hoover and a dishwasher.
Or if you want to know how much it costs to run a hot tub, we've explained that as well.
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