Central heating OFF too expensive. Electric blanket or heated car seat cover... 8 December 2022 at 10:15PM edited 8 December 2022 at 10:17PM in Old style MoneySaving 8 replies 958 views

FlaatusGoat

So my home is too drafty and although I've got a new-ish boiler it's all just a bit too expensive and pointless to keep it on continually especially as I'm mostly at home. Two other alternative options for heading I've looked at are electric blankets and heated car seats. Let's quickly compare the two.

Double electric blanket - fantastic. 85 watts. Or was, until it suddenly stopped working. RIP after barely two weeks. I think the thermal resistor overheated and it blew. Junk. Bin. Great.

Heated car seat - This cost only £10 or 15 off ebay so I robbed my car of it and brought it in the house. Really effective, I sit on it now as I type and it's on the low setting. My room is 7-8c and with hat and coat I am perfectly toasty. Trouble is, I did have to fork out an additional £15 for a 'brick' adapter ([email protected]) so it could work on 240/3 pin plug. I'm not sure how much it costs me to run, but I presume it's broadly comparable to the double electric blanket (within the 40-50 watt range on low?) I'm just hoping it proves durable, at least it can be easily replaced unlike the electric blankets and throws which have gone up in price quite a bit, perhaps beyond inflation (it almost looks like price gouging in light of the current crisis)

Thoughts? 

MikeJXE

I'm no expert but I can't see how an electric blanket or car seat will stop your home becoming damp and mouldy 

HampshireH

MikeJXE said:

I'm no expert but I can't see how an electric blanket or car seat will stop your home becoming damp and mouldy 

OP didn't say they weren't using their boiler for heating, just not continuously.

Providing their property has the right combination of heating and ventilation they shouldn't have issues with damp and mould.

No different to someone leaving the heating off during the day when at work and setting it to a timer for mornings and evenings.

I bought one of these fleecy oversized blanket hoodie things. They are great. Very warm down to the knees and huge so go over a normal jumper etc too. 

Personally I would layer up with jumpers and fleece backed or faux fur lined leggings (cheap) under trousers over something like an electric car seat cover. That way you benefit from the warmth when moving around too and not when soley in one place

theoretica

12v x 5A = 60W so that is your maximum.

NornIronRose

If you are deciding on the heated car seat cover, I got mine in Aldi for £7.99. It gets warm in seconds. Keeping it in the car. Have a single electric blanket in the house. Have paperwork to sort out so will sit in bed and do it. Nice and cosy under the duvet and a big heavy blanket that my late friend gave me a few years ago. 

Rosa_Damascena

Neither! Thermals, sleeping blanket and fleeces do the job if you are not planning on moving around (as the OP's post would suggest). A tot of alcohol accelerates the process.

littlemoney

FlaatusGoat said:

Double electric blanket - fantastic. 85 watts. Or was, until it suddenly stopped working. RIP after barely two weeks. I think the thermal resistor overheated and it blew. Junk. Bin. Great.

If this is a new electric blanket that has failed after 2 weeks use then you should go back to the shop.

mumf

MikeJXE said:

I'm no expert but I can't see how an electric blanket or car seat will stop your home becoming damp and mouldy 

Interesting comment about damp ,that folks comment on quite often . No heating = damp. WRONG. 

WE at home ,currently,are in the position of very limited income. Therefore costs have to be taken care of. It’s not as bad as one may think,as we have always lived a very simple life to be honest. Our cottage is solid fuel in two rooms,and is superb! Been like that for the 30+ years we’ve lived here. In between,we have electric radiators  in other rooms as ‘ back up’ when we don’t want to light the stoves.And it works. 

So damp? It doesn’t happen! During the day,at night in bed,we OPEN WINDOWS. We are living in a house,but it is just a shelter! Right now,I am drinking tea ,ready to go and sort my poultry outside. I wear - and my wife ,THE flowing - air fan!) wear light layers ,and I have my thermals on,along with one of my collection of thin hats on my bald head. We are carpeted,curtained,have crocheted blankets to chuck around us or over us - works of art by the way! Right now,the living room and kitchen doors are open,so the dogs and cats can drift in. We are not cold ,and most importantly- There’s  NO damp or mould. Never was ,never is! 

Gas central heating has only been * popular * or rather Normal Heating- mainly ‘cos of the North Sea, since the very late 70’s to early 80’s. People have become wimps! 

Floss

I think whether a home can become damp from not being heated depends upon the type of building and how it is used. 

A traditional cottage built without heating & with its natural ventilation via chimneys, floorboards etc is a totally different thing to a modern insulated virtually hermetically sealed modern home, with little natural ventilation to allow moist air from day to living to escape.

Add in having showers with no window open, drying washing inside, even sleeping at night with all windows sealed, and the moisture levels will increase. 

Over the longer term, never using the heating could have an adverse effect of the fabric of the house, which may well cost more in the long term than paying to maintain a low level of heat & adding layers / thermals / blankets.