How much does an electric blanket cost to run?
At the current price cap, an electric blanket costs about 1.6p per hour, or around £5.76 a year with typical use.
Electric blanket
- An hour
- 1.6p
- A day used
- 1.6p
- A week
- 11.1p
- A month
- 48p
- Energy a year
- 21.9 kWh
60 W for 1 hour a day, every day, at 26.32p per kWh.
Excludes the daily standing charge, which you pay whatever you use.
How it compares
Yearly cost with typical use, at your unit rate.
Electric blanket running costs
At 26.32p per kWh, with typical use of 1 hour a day, every day.
| Period | Energy | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Per hour | 0.06 kWh | 1.6p |
| Per week | 0.42 kWh | 11.1p |
| Per month | 1.83 kWh | 48p |
| Per year | 21.9 kWh | £5.76 |
How the cost varies
Single blankets to double dual-control blankets, for an hour.
| Energy use | Per hour | Per year (typical use) |
|---|---|---|
| Lower | 1.1p | £3.84 |
| Typical | 1.6p | £5.76 |
| Higher | 3.9p | £14.41 |
Heating appliances compared
Yearly cost with typical use, at 26.32p per kWh.
| Appliance | Per hour | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Oil-filled radiator | 26.3p | £384.27 |
| Fan heater | 52.6p | £384.27 |
| Electric blanket (this page) | 1.6p | £5.76 |
Ways to spend less
- An electric blanket costs pennies an hour, far less than heating the whole bedroom.
- Pre-warm the bed, then switch to a low setting or off.
- Check it for wear and replace it if it’s more than about 10 years old or damaged.
How we calculate this
We take a typical electric blanket at 60 watts, used 1 hour a day, every day, and multiply the energy it uses by the Ofgem price cap unit rate of 26.32p per kWh.
One hour uses about 0.06 kWh. Use the calculator above with your own appliance’s power and how you use it for a closer figure.
Questions people ask
How much does an electric blanket cost to run a year?
With typical use (1 hour a day, every day), about £5.76 a year at the current price cap, or 48p a month.
How much does an electric blanket cost to run?
Around 0.04 to 0.15 kWh an hour, so a fraction of a penny to a few pence. It is one of the cheapest ways to keep warm in bed.
Is it cheaper than the heating?
Much cheaper than heating a room overnight. Many people use one so they can turn the heating down at night.
Does this include the standing charge?
No. The standing charge (54.83p a day under the current cap, about £200.13 a year) is a fixed daily cost for being connected. It does not change with how much you use any appliance.