If you're feeling the chill but can't afford to crank up the heating, there's a solution to keep warm without breaking the bank.
As money-saving expert Martin Lewis advises, it's more cost-effective to heat the person rather than the entire house. One man has shared his hack on TikTok, claiming it costs him just 10p a day compared to the hefty 80p per hour for electricity.
TikToker @ndainternet revealed: "Did you know that keeping an electric blanket on for four hours a day costs less than 10p? That's 70p per week and £3 per month. Literally so much cheaper to run than putting the heating on trying to heat up an entire room."
He added that an electric blanket is a great way to stay warm and cosy during winter while saving on energy bills. However, some comments warned against relying solely on an electric blanket for warmth.
They suggested that it could lead to dampness and mould build-up in the home. Others mentioned the risk of pipes freezing, although this can be mitigated by turning on the heating occasionally.
To prevent dampness and mould, one method suggested is the German practice of 'Stossluften'. A Reddit user explained this technique involves opening several windows briefly to create a draft, which helps prevent condensation and consequently, mould and damp.
They advised: "In Germany, we have a technique called 'Stossluften', or 'shock ventilation'. What that basically means is that instead of having maybe one window open all day (which is a huge waste of energy), open several windows all over the house for three minutes, creating a strong draft to exchange most of the warm, humid air inside the house with cold air from outside."
They explained why colder air can be beneficial to your home: "A cool feature about cold air is that it can 'hold' less water vapour. If this relatively dry cold air enters your house, it warms up. Being warmer, it is suddenly capable of taking up some of the extra humidity from inside your house."
They added: "This might sound a little weird at first, but it is advocated in schools and so on. I use that technique, and it works. Do this several times a day, and you should really see a change. Maybe get a device to show you the relative humidity inside your house.
"Of course, it will be cold when you open the windows in your home, but if you can keep under the electric blanket while you do this, it means that you'll be able to keep yourself warm, and prevent damp taking hold in your home."
Researcher Raymond Galvin from the University of Aachen and Cambridge agreed with this method. In an interview with Politico he said: "The correct way to ventilate a home is to employ the Stossluften, or shock ventilation method. You open your windows completely for three minutes if it's windy, five to 10 minutes if it's not."
Naturally, this method won't be effective for everyone, and it's important to regularly inspect behind furniture for signs of mould and dampness.
English (United States) ·