The $46 hack keeping me warm all winter while slashing hundreds off my power bill

There’s no doubt using a heater or an air conditioner to warm you up in winter adds hundreds to your power bill.

And if you don’t have one or can’t afford to get a heater, the cold season can be extremely difficult and unpleasant.

But there is one heating solution that really works to warm you up while adding very little to your power bill, and I swear by it so much I’m buying another.

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That item is the humble electric blanket, and while it won’t warm up the whole house it will warm you up brilliantly – as the saying goes, ‘heat the person, not the home’.

I started using one in my home office last year when my heater stopped working.

I’d been thinking about ditching the heater anyway given the hundreds of dollars it added to my power bill in previous winters just to heat a little room, and not very effectively, I might add.

The heater dying gave me the push I needed to buy an electric blanket and gosh, it really warmed me up quickly and kept me warm – I wished I’d thought about them sooner.

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I’m still using it this year and it’s not officially winter yet.

When it gets too warm I just lower the temperature and even turn it off, with the blanket enough to keep me warm at times.

They’re affordable to buy as well with options as low as $35 and as much as $300.

10 hacks to keep your home warm on a budget this winter

You can get throws to pop over you while working at a desk or relaxing on the sofa, blankets for the bed and even fitted sheet electric blankets to warm up your bed under the sheets on chilly nights.

Now for the cost to use them, according to CHOICE running an electric blanket all winter shouldn’t cost any more than $46.

Meanwhile, Finder estimates that electric blankets cost just 4 cents a day to run, making it the cheapest heating option there is.

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So that’s incredibly cheap compared to the hundreds of dollars heaters can add to your winter electricity bill.

It’s worth considering whether a heated throw or electric blanket would work for you to help take the pressure off your power bill, as many Aussies are still relying on their heaters to keep them warm this winter.

An exclusive Nine.com.au reader survey shows 77 per cent of survey participants say the heater is their go-to home heating solution.

The next popular option is blankets with 20 per cent of people survey using them, though whether they are the regular kind or electric wasn’t specified.

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One person surveyed said they are using an electric blanket to beat the chill for now and so far that’s all they need.

“I have just bought my partner an electric throw rug as he feels the cold, and I don’t so much. I will put the heater on to take the chill from the room but at the moment this is working for us,” they said.

For 18 per cent, piles of warm clothing is how they stay warm in winter. This is a brilliant budget heating solution and always the first thing to do before turning on anything involving power.

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A further 18 per cent said they use another heating solution but didn’t specify what, while the rest went old school with four per cent using the fireplace and three per cent a hot water bottle.

But as someone who has tried all of the above to get warm, you really can’t beat the affordability and the warmth of an electric throw or blanket.

Combine it with layers of warm clothing and, unless you live in Australia’s coldest locations, you might find that’s all you need to keep warm for most of winter.

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