It turns out this heated seat cushion is the solution to my chilly home office woes – and it won’t send my energy bills soaring

Whenever the temperature starts to dip, my focus always goes to how I can ensure my energy bills remain as low as possible.

Sometimes that means digging out an electric heater or a heated blanket to warm myself up while I'm working from home, rather than popping my central heating on longer than necessary, and heating parts of my home that I don't tend to use during the day.

As part of my mission to save energy while I work from home, I tried the Stoov Big Hug3, a heated seat pad, on my home office chair (and beyond) to see whether it was my solution to staying warm throughout the day, without reaching for my thermostat.

In a nutshell

Stoov's Big Hug3 is a cordless heated chair cover that uses infrared heating technology to warm the body rather than the air.

Ideal for those working from home, the Big Hug3 is designed to cover the chair seat and back, offering three different heat levels to keep you toasty. Available in two different sizes and colourways (a dark grey and a beige), as well as different fabrics, including a very cosy woolly texture.

As well as the variety of options for the Big Hug3 itself, you can choose different battery options depending on how much you plan to use your chair cover, from Base which offers the lowest run time and is best if you only plan on using your BigHug3 for short periods. Flex offers the middle run time, while Pro offers the longest and was the one I chose, which offers between 2-5 hours run time.

It's part of a range of cordless infrared heating products, which also includes cushions, blankets and electric hot water bottles.

Specification

• Sizes available: 45x115cm | 47x135cm
• RRP: from £119.99
• Type: Chair pad
• Wattage: n/a
• Temperature settings: 3
• Auto shut-off timer: Yes
• Dual controls: No
• Machine washable: Yes at 30°C

Unboxing, set up and first impressions

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The Stoov Big Hug arrived in a surprisingly compact cardboard box, with the brand's mission clearly stated 'We warm people, not the planet.' Its largely card packaging, with the exception of the bag the cover itself comes in which is made from 100% recycled plastic.

In the box you get the cover, a battery pack, a charging cable and plug, as well as a Getting Started Guide.

Unrolling the Big Hug, I instantly liked the soft material and luxe beige and burgundy colourway. There's also a cable to securely attach it to a chair, which I thought was a very nice touch, although in practicality, this didn't actually work that well on my style office chair, which has arms. Fortunately, it's not essential in order to use it.

A huge bonus for me is that it's cordless – I already have multiple cables streaming across the corner of my desk, and I was very thankful not to have yet another. Not being constrained by proximity to a plug socket gives a whole sense of freedom about when and where I can use it.

When it comes to other features, I especially liked that the charging cable and battery pack match the burgundy accent on the Big Hug3 – all thoughtful design elements which I feel warrant the £100+ price tag.

There's really not much involved in terms of set up. All I needed to do was connect the battery and slot it into the handy pocket, which took less than a minute, and then plug the charger into the smart label and leave it for a couple of hours to charge.

What's it like to use?

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The Stoov Big Hug3 is really simple to operate via the smart label, the burgundy tag that is located on the edge of the cover, about half way down the back. There's a small, discreet switch that you need to flick first (there's a little green sticker to look out for that will tell you it's on). Then you just long press the Stoov logo, and you'll see a light come up. That shows it's on the lowest heat setting. Press it again, for the two lights and the middle heat setting, and again for the third light and highest heat setting.

After laying it on my office chair, I popped it on the highest power setting, which should heat up to a very toasty 58°C. The warmth is nice, not as hot as I was expecting, but it's very pleasant and it effectively warms the body, without creating a stuffy environment that I find can happen if I use an electric heater for too long.

I was expecting the whole pad to warm up, but rather than that, there are two distinct heat zones, one on the back and one on the seat, with a narrow heat zone connecting the two. Initially, I was a bit disappointed by this, but as I was using it, it didn't actually feel that problematic. I could feel warmth exactly where I wanted it and where my body had the most contact with the Big Hug3. However, while that works for a heated chair pad, it means this wouldn't be my first choice to double up as a heated blanket. The dimensions and thicker material don't drape as well over the body, and are far better to sit on rather than be covered with.

On the highest heat setting I got just under two hours heat time, but even after the heat turned off, the woolly texture was so cosy, I felt really quick snuggly still. On the lower heat setting, I got closer to five hours before it needed recharging.

It also held its shape well, with no wrinkles forming, even by the end of a long work day.

While there were a lot of positives, I did have one main gripe with the user experience of the Big Hug3. Despite the back of the BigHug3 being almost 10cm longer than my chair back, whenever I leaned forward on my chair, the weight of the battery pack would cause it to slump down, which was rather frustrating after the third or fourth time. In hindsight, I should have opted for the BigHug XL, which is longer than the Big Hug, and would be better suited to my higher back (67cm) chair. However, when I used the Big Hug on a lower backed chair, this definitely wasn't a problem, I could drape enough of the non-heated part over the back so that the weight of the battery actually helped keep it in place.

I also tried it as a heat pad while sitting on the sofa. While the weight of the battery did cause it to slump down, I found that if I popped a pillow behind my back, and tucked the battery pack behind it, I could keep it in place, still benefit from the heat zones, and it was remarkably comfortable.

When it comes to charging, Stoov advises to charge it via the smart label, which I did, but this does mean that you need a decent amount of counter space to sit the rolled up Big Hug as it charges. I would position it with the smart label facing outwards so I could easily tell the charging progress (the heat level lights flash until you have three solid lights that mean it is fully charged).

Whenever it's not in use, I love how neatly it rolls up – it takes up a fraction of the space of one of my sherpa fleece blankets I tend to use in winter.

Running costs

While you will need to charge it regularly, the Stoov Big Hug3 is cordless so it doesn't run directly off electricity, and depending on the battery you choose and the heat setting, you can get up to five hours of use on a single charge.

Maintenance and cleaning

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Apart from regular charging, there's not much the Stoov Big Hug3 needs in terms of maintenance. Should you spill anything on the cover, the good news is it can be washed, but you need to make sure you remove the heating element from the inside first.

I found this quite easy to do. There is a large zip on the back where the base and the back meet, and there is another mat on the inside, which houses the heating element. I found it easiest to slip the base out of the woolly cover first, then detach the smart label (which is attached to the outer cover with Velcro), and finally remove the battery connector through a whole in the fabric at the base of the fabric pocket before sliding the rest of the heating element mat out.

Once the two are completely separated, you can wash the outer cover in the washing machine, according to the care instructions.

I found it just as easy to slip it back together again.

Who should buy the Stoov BigHug3?

If you work from home, have a lower back desk chair (say that comes up to just below your shoulder blades) and don't want to be limited by proximity to a plug socket, then the Stoov Big Hug3 may be exactly what you're looking for. Not only is it comfortable and effective, but it holds it shape well and it both looks and feels cosy and luxurious.

If, like me, you have a higher back office chair, or want to use it on the sofa, I'd definitely recommend the XL version instead, to avoid having it slump down whenever you move.

However, if you want something more blanket like to keep you warm on chilly evenings, I think a heated throw, like the Dreamland Luxury Heated Throw, would be a better option. You will need to be near a plug-socket, but that may be more doable as you chill on the sofa.

Looking to heat a room itself? That's where an electric heater will be most useful for a quick burst of heat when you need it. The Dreo Atom 316 is the best we've tried and it's small enough to fit neatly on a desk. For more prolonged heating, one of the best oil-filled radiators will be more economical to run.