One thing I found spending a couple of winters in New England is that a hot water bottle can save money on heating and keep you warm at night. It's worth having a nice cover, one in fleece that is warm and easy to wash is best. If you have never tried one, it's worth it as it's just a kettle full of water and will keep the bed warm before you go to sleep. Much cheaper than an electric blanket.
Well here's the thing - using a hot water bottle instead of an electric blanket to warm the bed is actually a false economy. As from an energy saving point of view - unless of course you can heat the water by some other means than using electricity or gas - the cost of using an energy efficient electric blanket on high heat to warm the bed for two hours prior to getting into it - is equivalent to that of boiling a kettle of water for a hot water bottle. Which as that means - that instead of just warming your toes - you can warm the whole of the bed for exactly the same cost and stay warm for longer too - its seems daft to suffer the unpleasant experience of getting into an ice cold bed - when you don't need to.
We have no winter here but when we were in Beijing last January, I understand now what the cold winter means. The hotel did not provide us with an electric blanket but there was the room's heater that took care of us. With the comforter and the heater, we felt all right. I cannot imagine using a hot water bottle for that purpose. I guess it would just inconvenience me.
Living in Canada I know how cold it can get during winter. To save money we turn down our thermostat at night so when you crawl into bed it can be quite cold even with flannel sheets. Growing up my mom used to give us a hot water bottle in the bed on really cold night. It was such a treat to put your feet on a hot water bottle when you got into bed and when it had cooled off my flannels sheets were still warm.
Yes, I use a hot water bottle in the winter too. It really makes my bed comfy to get into. I like that it saves money as well. Even when I am sitting on the couch, I have one under a blanket. My feet get so cold in the winter, so I put my feet on top of the bag.
