WINTER is firmly upon us and that means you should be looking for ways to keep household costs down to a minimum.
Falling temperatures and high energy prices are forcing millions to keep warm without breaking the bank.
And using certain devices such as heated airers can make a huge difference to your bills.
The gadgets are much cheaper to run than energy-guzzling tumble dryers and still do a decent job of drying your clothes.
Shoppers are often caught in a frenzy trying to bag them from discounters such as Aldi and Lidl.
But how much do they really cost to run? Here's everything you need to know.
What is a heated airer?
Heated clothes airers are like traditional ones, but you plug them in, with the bars of the dryer heating up.
You can buy covers for some as well, which speeds up the time it takes to dry your clothes.
Heated airers prove popular during the colder months as it means households don't need to put the heating on just to dry clothes.
They're also an alternative to tumble dryers which can cost a lot to buy and run.
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How much does it cost to run a heated airer?
The cost of running a heated airer will depend on a myriad of things.
You'll need to consider the specifics of the item such as the wattage, how much you use it and then how much energy you use in general.
But usually the higher the wattage, the more expensive it will be to run.
The cost is also based on the current Ofgem price cap, which currently sits at £1,928.
In case you don't know it by now, this is the equation you need to work out how much a device is costing you to run:
Cost = power (kilowatt) × time (hour) × cost of 1 kWh (pence).
When it comes to heated airers, Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said a 300-watt model will cost you around 41p to use for five hours.
This is how long it should take for a normal load to dry.
But, he said, make sure you load the device up as much as possible to maximise its efficiency.
“Save money on energy by only running these appliances when they are full.
"This will help to cut the amount of times you use them over the course of a week."
How much does it cost to run a tumble dryer?
It's worth comparing how much it costs to run a tumble dryer as well.
Like with a heated airer, the price of running a tumble dryer depends on what type of machine you buy and its wattage.
The average tumble dryer uses 2,500w so you can work out how much it'll cost from there.
Uswitch's Ben added: "A tumble dryer which uses 2.5kWh of energy per cycle would cost 67.5p a cycle.
“You could also swap from using energy intensive appliances such as tumble dryers and ovens to using alternatives like heated airers and air fryers instead.”
How you can reduce your bill
There are a number of ways you can reduce your bills for drying clothes.
The most obvious way to save money is to hang them out instead of using a tumble dryer.
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It won't cost you a penny, but with temperatures dipping as autumn hits, keep in mind that getting your load dry could take longer.
You can also save money on washing your clothes by reducing the temperature you wash them at.
You can also join our new Sun Money Facebook group to share stories and tips and engage with the consumer team and other group members.
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