Would You Use an Indoor Tent to Save Money on Heating Costs?

Winter camping, but indoors

It's that time of the year when we look to simple ways on how to save money on heating during the winter: putting on some woolies, snuggling under thick blankets and maybe resorting to a few do-it-yourself hacks.

In South Korea last winter, however, with the shutdown of six of their 23 nuclear reactors translating to skyrocketing heating costs, not only did Koreans don their sweaters during the frigid cold to save money, but they also set up tents -- inside their homes.

According to Business Insider, the "massive blackouts and surging energy costs" from the closed reactors prompted huge retail sales of foot warmers, heating pads and panels during the winter months, in addition to millions of specially designed "indoor tents."

Indoor tents cut heating bills in half

Some, like the Lee family shown in the BI slideshow, say that their heating bill has been cut in half, thanks to their use of the tent, whose interior measures a comfortable 26 degrees Celsius (79 Fahrenheit), while the rest of the living room remains at a relatively drafty 18 degrees Celsius (64.4 Fahrenheit), and outside temperatures in Seoul, for example, can drop to the negative twenties. Others have taken to sleeping directly in the tent, sometimes placing them right on the bed.

It's an unexpected solution to a chilling conundrum: how to save on heating costs without freezing yourself in the process, and getting some winter camping action at the same time, albeit in the great indoors.