Please Rotate Your Device

Electric throw scheme success

April 4, 2023

Electric throw scheme success Featured Image

A scheme to provide electric throws to help keep people warm and reduce heating bills this winter has been hailed a success.

Fuel Bank Foundation, working in partnership with the Scottish and Welsh Governments, has supplied nearly 2,000 throws to vulnerable people living in Scotland and Wales since the beginning of December.

Electric throws are a more cost-effective way to keep warm as they cost very little to use. Research shows that the typical home could save around £300 per year by using an electric throw, rather than heating the whole house.

Matthew Cole, head of Fuel Bank Foundation, said the scheme has proved successful and has been well received by customers.

“With increasing energy costs making life really difficult for low income and vulnerable households, we wanted to do something over and above the fuel voucher support we already provide to prepayment meter users to make this winter a little less unbearable."
Matthew Cole, Head of Fuel Bank Foundation

“An energy-efficient electric throw is a far more cost-effective way to stay warm. This is especially true for people with mobility or medical issues that mean they feel the cold more or are more prone to illness.

“The gift of an electric throw may seem like a small gesture, but it’s one we hope has made a big difference to a lot of people’s lives. The feedback we have received from those who got one has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Due to the success of the scheme, Fuel Bank Foundation is planning to run it again next winter in Scotland and Wales.

The electric throw scheme was funded by the Welsh Government and the Scottish Government’s Fuel Insecurity Fund.

Only people who received a fuel voucher from the Fuel Bank Foundation in the last six months were eligible for the scheme. Electric throws were limited to one per home.