AN ENERGY company has told families facing record heating bills to send their children to bed clutching “microwaveable rice cloth bags”.

Npower has published advice telling parents that they could keep their children “snug as a bug” by “getting them to wear socks and a hat in bed during the coldest nights, and taking a hot water bottle or microwaveable rice cloth bag to bed”.

It also suggests that children could be kept warm by tucking them into a sleeping bag.

The company, which has raised its prices for domestic customers three times this year, said that it wanted to help vulnerable families with young children to save on their bills.

The consumer watchdog Energywatch said it was glad that Npower had made the connection between cold homes and poor health, but added that it was not as impressed that it had not made the link between higher energy prices and cold homes.

Robert Whelan, of Civitas, an independent think-tank, said: “We don’t expect Sainsbury’s to tell us how to put children to bed hungry so I don’t know why an energy company is suggesting that we put children to bed with hats on.”

Sarah Miller, of Citizens Advice, said: “There should be better and more permanent ways of addressing the issue of spiralling energy prices.”

A spokesman for Npower said the advice was meant to be helpful.

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