A CONSERVATIVE peer has sparked outrage after suggesting the government should encourage people to use electric blankets to keep warm this winter.
Baroness Rawlings, a former government whip, said that it would not only save money but would also be good for the environment and "reduce the need for so much heating in the home".
Lady Rawlings, 74, called for a campaign extolling the benefits of electric blankets as "the answer to many of the government's aims".
The SNP's Westminster energy spokesman Mike Weir MP said: "These comments speak volumes about how out of touch Westminster is.
"Encouraging older people to heat their homes less is dangerous and is completely the wrong message to be sending to vulnerable people this winter.
"As the cold weather sets in, what is needed is greater help for older people in fuel poverty - not ludicrous advice like this from senior Tories."
Doug Anthoney, of Age Scotland, said that it was a "crass message to put out".
He added: "Some older people would consider these remarks as flippant. Electric blankets can be helpful but they are far, far short of a substitute for the massive investment required in insulation and making homes energy efficient."
Lady Rawlings, who lives in the Georgian 13-bedroom, 12-bathroom Burnham Westgate Hall in Norfolk, first brought up the issue of electric blankets in a House of Lords energy statement, arguing they offered a simple, practical alternative to the government's complex negotiations with energy companies.
She said: "I use an electric blanket. Because heating is very expensive I try not to use much heating. An open fire and an electric blanket."
The Government this week announced a deal to cut green measures and the Big Six energy firms agreed to pass on the reduction or freeze bills until 2015, provided wholesale costs do not rise.
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