Octopus Energy has offered vulnerable customers electric blankets as a cheaper way of keeping warm as heating prices soar.
The big six energy firm is providing 5,000 blankets that cost 28p an hour to run, according to Uswitch.
Octopus' move was in response to an increase in the energy price cap by roughly 50% to £2,000 from the start of April.
Those in most financial need will be given priority subject to availability, it added.
Greg Jackson, chief executive, said: “Where people do their very best, companies like ours will work with them to get payment plans in place, to provide some assistance, to work with them on their whole income and expenditure.”
One customer wrote on social media: “A big thank you for the electric blanket.
“Being in a power wheelchair 24/7 - I feel the cold more with little room for exercise to warm up, and this useful gift will warm me up.”
Meanwhile, industry experts anticipated that rising prices would continue into the winter months.
“What we do know is that the next energy price cap period is being set by the prices we're seeing now because there's a sort of lag in the system.
“So, unless there's a very rapid fall in the global prices, energy costs for people in the UK will stay high over the winter.
“They could even be higher,” Jackson commented.
This was confirmed by government economists who expect the Ukraine crisis coupled with the surging cost of wholesale energy to increase the price cap by 42% to £2,800 in October.
“Families need to be aware that the worst is very much still to come,” Scott Byrom, Comparison site The Energy Shop chief executive, said.