Sales of heated blankets and portable heaters are soaring in Europe despite a record heatwave, as people try to avoid sky-high winter fuel bills

• Europeans are rushing to buy portable heaters and heated blankets ahead of energy bill hikes this winter.
• UK retailer Lakeland has sold almost 13 times more heated blankets this year compared to 2021.

Sales of electrical heaters, heated blankets, and other heater applicances have skyrocketed in Europe despite the current heatwave, as people prepare for expensive winter energy bills.

Russia has tightened gas flows to Europe over the past few months in a backlash to the West implementing sanctions because of Moscow's attack on Ukraine.

The reduced gas supply has sent energy prices soaring and some Europeans are looking for ways to keep warm this winter without switching on heating systems in their homes.

The sales come as record heatwaves hits Europe, with temperatures reaching around 40 degrees in some areas, according to media reports.

Shoppers in Germany have purchased 35% more heaters in the first half of this year compared with the same period last year, according to data from market intelligence firm GFK, cited by Euronews. At least 600,000 heaters have been sold in Germany in the first half of this year, per the reported data.

British home appliances store Lakeland said it has sold nearly 13 times the amount of its electric heated blankets in the year to date compared with the amount sold in 2021. Some lines have already sold out, a spokesperson for the retailer told Insider.

"We are only half way through August, a month where we have seen various heatwave days, and have already sold 65% more this month of our heated throws than in the whole of January," the Lakeland spokesperson said. "We can see people are prepping for the energy price increases."

British finance expert Martin Lewis shared tips to save on energy bills earlier this year by heating "the human not the home", including wearing heated USB gloves and heated jackets.

Sales of portable electric heaters from Swiss retailers Microspot and Interdiscount are up 300% this year compared with 2021, a spokesperson told Swiss newspaper Tagesanzeige. The companies sold the most of the heaters in July, the spokesperson told Tagesanzeige.

A spokesperson for Swiss electronics store Brack.ch told Tagesanzeige it doesn't disclose exact figures but said the number of heaters sold had risen and was in the "three-digit range" per month this year.

The spokesperson confirmed this information to Insider and said two thirds of heaters are bought by consumers and a third by businesses.

The spokesperson told Insider that: "The following is speculation, but in Switzerland we are currently expecting gas shortages in winter. So probably some people and some businesses got prepared for a time when it would be necessary to switch to an alternative energy source for winter heating, just in case."

GFK, Microspot, and Interdiscount didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Russia's state-run energy giant Gazprom announced it will temporarily shut its Nord Stream 1 pipeline for three days between August 31 and September 2 for unplanned maintenance. Gazprom said the pipeline will resume again if everything is working normally. The pipeline's gas supply to Germany has already been cut to 20% of its capacity.