WITH the country in the grip of an Artic freeze, households are looking for ways to keep warm without cranking up the heating.
One of the most cost efficient ways to keep costs down this winter is by heating yourself instead of your home.
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Heated pillows cost just pennies to run and can be your ultimate cosy companion on chilly nights.
But they’re not as well known as other gadgets like heated blankets and throws.
Whether you’re lounging on the sofa watching a film or just using it to keep warm on work-from-home days – heated pillows are a great concept.
But are they effective? We’ve put five to the test.
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There are a few different types of heated pillows.
Some have to be plugged in and come with a controller, like those you see on heated blankets, and have different heat settings.
Others come with a rechargeable battery which makes them much more portable and some have a removable heat pad that has to be warmed in the microwave.
Most of them offer up to two hours of heat before turning themselves off for safety reasons.
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This is a super handy feature because it means you don’t need to worry too much if you forget to turn them off before you go to sleep.
The pillows I tested cost between £35 and £99.99 and can be snapped up from several big-name retailers.
Most cost less than 5p an hour to run – all the ones I tested cost between 1p and 3p.
Checkatrade estimates that the average cost of running your heating per kilowatt-hour is around 7p.
For a 24kW boiler that’s about £1.68 an hour so this is much cheaper.
I was eager to give these lesser-known devices a go, as many people have been raving about them. Here’s how I got on…
Sweet Dreams electric heated cushion
- Price: £47.99 from The Range
- Running cost: 2p for 90 minutes
- Number of heat settings: Four
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This was one of the most expensive pillows I tested, but I was impressed.
It has to be plugged into the wall and comes with a controller, similar to those that you see on a heated blanket.
It has four heat settings, ranging from 30C to 50C.
When I nestled on the sofa, I was expecting to get pretty cosy and it took just a few minutes for the heat to come through.
I cranked it right up to the highest setting, and I started to feel toasty.
It was effective, but the least attractive of all the pillows I tested.
A key part of the plastic cable is in an awkward place on the front of the pillow too, so it took a little while to figure out where to place my head.
I wouldn’t go out of my way and spend almost £50 on this pillow, as there are cheaper options available that are just as effective and better looking.
- Price: 2/5
- Performance: 4/5
- Overall: 6/10
Cuddle Cushion with Heatable Pad
- Price: £35 from Dunelm
- Running cost: Free
- Number of heat settings: Zero
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Dunelm’s cuddle cushion is a completely different design to all the other items that we tried.
It has a back rest for you to recline into and rests for you to pop your arms on.
And unlike all the other gadgets, it doesn’t need to be plugged in or charged to become toasty.
Instead, it comes with a removable heat pad, which can easily be warmed up in a few seconds in the microwave.
The heat pad was pretty sizeable and I popped it into the microwave for around 45 seconds before putting it into the pillow.
It fits into a velcro pouch on the front of the pillow and it’s perfectly positioned to keep your lower back warm.
The cushion was a bit too big to use on my sofa, but I found it was great for when I was lying in bed at night reading a book.
The heat was instant and it made me feel really snug and cosy.
It was the only product that I tried in my bed and I found that it warmed me up enough that I didn’t need to pop my heated blanket on.
A solid product at a pretty reasonable price with no running costs.
- Price: 5/5
- Performance 5/5
- Overall: 10/10
Lifemax Heated Cushion
- Price: £42.99 from Robert Dyas
- Running cost: 1p per charge
- Number of heat settings: One
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Unreliable is the the word I’d use to describe this pillow.
It is heated by a USB rechargeable battery that gives you up to two hours of heat.
Unlike the other pillows, it also has two vibration levels that you can use while it’s heated.
While it does get toasty in some spots, the whole pillow doesn’t feel uniformly insulated when you’re holding it.
Plus, it’s much smaller than the other pillows that I tested, coming in at just 40x30cm.
The vibration functions were also quite loud, so I turned them off pretty much straight away.
That said, it could be pretty handy for keeping you warm while travelling, as it’s compact and doesn’t need plugging in.
- Price: 3/5
- Performance 2/5
- Overall: 5/10
MONHOUSE Heated Pillow
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- Price: £39.99 from Amazon
- Running cost: 4p for 90 minutes
- Number of heat settings: Six
When I took this pillow out of the box, I was immediately struck with how soft and spongey it was.
As with the Sweet Dreams’ pillow, it works like an electric blanket and has to be plugged into the mains to work.
This means you don’t have as much freedom as with some of the others, but I was still impressed.
Even on the minimum heat setting, I could feel the warmth coming from it.
I found the highest setting was perfect for me and I was able to stay warm for a good couple of hours using this pillow alone.
- Price: 4/5
- Performance 5/5
- Overall: 9/10
Ploov by Stoov
- Price: £99.99 from Stoov
- Running cost: 1p per charge
- Number of heat settings: Three
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This was the most expensive I tested by far, coming in at almost double the price of some others.
The Ploov cushion, made by Stoov, is a cordless heated cushion that is powered by a rechargeable battery.
It comes with three heating levels that go up to a toasty 49C.
If you want a pillow that doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb among your other furnishings, then this is the gadget for you.
There’s no denying that’s it’s the most sleek and stylish of all the pillows I tested, and it will warm you up, but it comes at a cost.
If looks don’t matter to you, there are better value options from Dunlem and Amazon that will keep you just as warm for a fraction of the price.
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Meanwhile, we tested heated throws as an alternative to cranking up thermostat – they cost just 3p to run.
We also tried electric blankets including products from Silentnight and Dunelm.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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