Baby, it’s cold inside!
As the country freezes and we try to keep heating costs low, Judy Yorke tests six products designed to keep you cosy
Arlierss electric heating pad, Amazon
A sort of cloak that warms your back, neck and shoulders. It’s not the most stylish item, but it really works.
It comes with six different heating levels and a timer to turn it off. You plug it in and soon a soothing warmth begins to creep up your back.
It gets quite hot so when I was warm enough, I did find myself taking it off and laying it across my lap where I would stroke it idly like a cat from time to time.
You have to sit reasonably near a plug, even though it has a long lead, and you need to remember to take it off or remove the power cord when you go put the kettle on. It’s also ideal for those with back or shoulder pain.
Cosy factor: 9/10
Staysnug fluffy hot water bottle, Lakeland
This super-soft water bottle is surprisingly versatile. You can simply use it as a traditional hot water bottle, and the furry cover makes it lovely to snuggle up to.
But the best bit about it is that there are two separate pockets, one on either side. One is designed for your hands, and the larger one for your feet (though not at the same time).
It’s a lovely gentle way of warming cold fingers and toes.
hot Cosy factor: 8/10 Selk’bag lite sleeping bag suit, berryuseful. co.uk
You know that feeling when you don’t want to get out of bed on a cold winter’s morning? Well, if you zip yourself straight into this wearable sleeping bag, you can stay cosy all day long.
Originally designed for the outdoors (it would be great for camping), more people are choosing to wear them inside now to save on heating costs.
The sleeping bag suit is available in different sizes for a snug fit and it covers practically every inch of your body, with a hood and feet (the latter can be removed).
It’s extremely warm, though I have to admit I felt a bit of a wally and made my husband open the door when the postman knocked.
Cosy factor: 9.5/10
Rechargeable hand warmer XT, lifesystems. co.uk
Hands and fingers are often the first part of your body to get cold. And when you come in from the cold, warming up your freezing hands can take a surprisingly long time.
This hand warmer is designed to solve the problem of icy digits. It’s an oval shape and you can place your hands either side of it. Smoothtextured and pleasant to hold, it heats up really quickly and you can choose from four temperatures.
It doubles up as a very efficient phone charger too.
Ideal for indoors or outside.
Cosy factor: 8/10 Russell Hobbs compact
portable plug-in heater, Amazon
Sometimes you just want to quickly heat a small area, like a spare bedroom or a workspace, rather than the whole house. A fan heater can take up quite a lot of space but this little heater avoids that problem entirely.
There’s no trailing lead to trip over, because it plugs straight into the mains.
You can choose the temperature – up to 30c if you like it really toasty – and there are high or low power settings. I put it in a plug close to where I was working and it was effective. The manufacturer says it costs just 19p an hour to heat rooms up to 10m sq.
Cosy factor: 7.5/10
Electric heated oversized hoodie blanket, onlinehomeshop.com
This big, snuggly hoodie is perfect if you’re working from home or watching TV in the evening. It’s fleecy on the outside, with a furry “sherpa” lining inside.
It is well designed, with cuffed sleeves so you can type easily while working at your desk. Its rather fabulous bonus is it heats up, thanks to a little USB port tucked inside the large central front pocket.
Connect it to a battery pack (you’ll need to supply your own) and part of the front, back and neck warm up.
There are three different heat settings too so you can choose just how hot it gets.
This comes in one size – I’m tiny so it reached my knees – and it’s machine washable too. Cosy factor:
10/10