Energy giant Octopus is giving away free electric blankets to customers for Christmas which could save as much as £300 on electricity and gas bills.
The firm is urging customers to buy an electric blanket – typically costing about £60 – if they can afford one because they can save households £300 a year on their energy bills.
But it has pledged to give away 10,000 electric blankets to customers this Christmas free of charge.
The blankets use heating elements and allow someone to keep warm at night without having to run the heating for the entire house.
Octopus Energy said: “One of our boffins realised that some customers were paying to heat their entire homes, even if they lived alone.
“He did some calculations and found out that where heating a whole home costs around £4 a day, an energy-efficient electric blanket can heat a person for just 2-4p an hour.
“This means an electric blanket is a vastly more cost-effective way to stay warm: particularly for people with mobility issues, for example, and those who spend a lot of time in one spot. Or those with medical issues that mean they feel the cold more, or are more prone to illness.
“We ran some analysis on customers who got an electric blanket and found that they saved up to 10-20% on their bills on average in the Winter months after getting their blanket. Over a year, that’s a massive £300 saving.”
The firm is now offering 10,000 of the blankets to those most in need this Christmas.
It said it wants to ‘prioritise’ the most vulnerable customers and urged anyone who is elderly or has mobility or medical issues to apply.
It added: “We know everyone’s worried about bills right now, but some people are struggling much more than others. We only have 10,000 blankets to give away, and need to prioritise customers who’ll benefit most: the elderly, and those with mobility issues or other medical conditions that mean they’re more impacted by the cold.
“Our electric blankets scheme is there to support customers most in need, particularly for people with really specific vulnerabilities and medical needs. To make sure the blankets are getting into the right hands, we’ll be prioritising those customers. Customers who apply for our Octo Assist will be assessed and offered the support that’ll be most appropriate for them.
“To start the process, create a Paylink budget to see what support is available, and to see if you qualify for financial assistance.
“If you are struggling with your bills, please do contact us, as there are other ways we can help.
“If you can, do think about buying an electric blanket yourself: they tend to cost around £60 and our research shows the typical home could save £300 by using an electric blanket to keep warm rather than always heating the whole house.”
