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Energy suppliers including Octopus and OVO are giving away free electric blankets to struggling households. An electric blanket is made with thin, insulated wires embedded in the fabric, which heat up when plugged in and switched on. They are much cheaper to run that your central heating, so have become a popular way to keep energy costs down. If you're an Octopus customer, you may be eligible for a free electric blanket through its Octo Assist fund, which is a support scheme worth £40million designed to help customers facing financial hardship. Generally speaking, you would need to be struggling to pay your energy bill, or be considered to be a vulnerable customer, to qualify for support. This could include elderly people, households with very young children, or people with specific health conditions. As well as free electric blankets, you may qualify for free grants to wipe your energy debt, payment plans, or payment holidays. You can apply online through the Octopus website. OVO Energy is also offering free electric through its Extra Support Package, which is a support package worth £56million. As well as free energy saving products including electric blankets and smart sockets, you may also qualify for free home upgrades from loft insulation to a new boiler. The help is offered to households who are in financial need. In terms of bill support, OVO can offer payment plans and emergency credit for those who are struggling. You can apply online on the OVO website. Energy bills have just gone up again, with the Ofgem price cap rising from £1,720 to £1,755 for a typical dual fuel household paying by direct debit. This price cap will be in place until December 31, when it will be updated again. You will be covered by the Ofgem price cap if you are on a standard variable rate (SVR) tariff, so if you're not locked into a fixed rate deal. But there isn't actually a total cap on what you can pay for energy. Your bill is still charged based on how much gas and electricity you use. The Ofgem price cap limits what you can be charged for units of gas and electricity, as well as standing charges, which are fixed daily amounts you pay to be connected to the energy network. The price cap figure illustrates what someone with typical energy consumption can expect to pay each year. Ofgem assumes the average household consumes 2,700 kwh of electricity and 11,500 kWh of gas over 12 months.
