I woild imagine that i stead of electric blankets, that They heated up rocks or water bottles to put in their beds to heat the beds before bedtime likely. Lots of folks did that in the old days in America. And that was back before they had wall.and ceiling insulation. I was caretaker on old bison ranch that was uninsured, and the wind was brutal in that area. We stayed warm in winter with a wood furnace and by working hard, and turning in early. We didn’t have time to be cold lol. Keeping up with the wood for the furnace was a full time job in itself almost. More ings though were brutal, but we’d warm up fast enough just taking care of the feeding and watering of animals. Had to carry 5 gallon pails,of water to,the trough from the house as the water to the barn was shut off in winter because of freezing. Again, too busy to be cold. New day, same old grind.