With more wintery weather on the way, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service is warning people not to take short cuts on safety when looking to save money on household energy bills and living costs.
The Service has a new competition which embraces the idea to “Heat The Human”, based on advice from Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis which aims to help keep people warm rather than heating the whole home if times are really tough. (You can read more here: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/heat-the-human-not-the-home-save-energy/)
Up for grabs are electric blankets, reusable handwarmers and hot water bottles.
These have been chosen because it’s important to only use these items when they are in good condition and according to the instructions from the manufacturers.
Any electric blankets with signs of wear and tear or scorching should be disposed of immediately, while hot water bottles can be damaged if filled with boiling water and protective layers on handwarmers can wear thin.
How to enter
Simply sign up to the Service newsletter at www.esfrs.org before 5pm on 1st February 2024 for a chance to win one of the following:
- An electric blanket - we have 5 to give away
- Reusable handwarmers - we have 5 sets to give away
- A hot water bottle - we have 15 to give away
If you're already on our mailing list, you will automatically be entered in the competition. 25 names will be selected at random with the first 5 receiving the electric blankets, the next five the handwarmers and the final 15 the hot water bottles.
Extra help
We also want to highlight that extra help is on offer from East Sussex County Council to those who may be most in need of support: https://warmeastsussex.org.uk/services-and-support/winter-home-check-service/
Save Safely – hints and tips
- Beat the energy vampires! Did you know that a phone charger uses power even when it’s not actually charging a phone? There may be a bit of debate over exactly how much you could save by unplugging devices which you aren't using, but we're still fans of the suggestion from a safety point of view.
- Switch off at night! You may be surprised to hear that energy often isn't any cheaper at night, so you might not actually save anything by running the washing machine overnight. What we do know for sure is that if you're asleep you are much less likely to spot a small problem (smoke coming from a socket) before it becomes a fire. Before you go to bed, or go out, check the living room, the kitchen, home office, your bedroom and so on and switch off
- Close doors. It's amazing how much heat can disappear out the door, and by keeping doors shut, you also reduce the chance of fires spreading from room to room.
- Be careful with candles. We’ve seen lots of hacks on social media suggesting ways to use candles to do everything from cooking food to making heaters. Unsuprisingly we’re not fans of these ideas as they can increase the risk of fires! To prevent candle fires from starting in your home, you should make sure your candles are kept away from flammable materials like curtains and ensure candles are put out when you leave the room, even for a moment.