How much does an electric blanket cost to run?

An electric blanket draws around 100 watts on a high setting and much less on low, so an hour to warm the bed costs a penny or two. It's one of the cheapest ways to stay warm, which is why it's the standard advice for anyone struggling with heating bills.

How we work it out

A typical electric blanket uses about 0.1kWh for about 100w for an hour to warm the bed, taking around 1 hour. Electricity on a standard variable tariff costs about 26p a unit across Great Britain at the moment (it varies a little by region), so one run comes to about 2.6p. Your own model may use more or less: the energy label, or a plug-in energy monitor, will tell you.

If you're on a tariff where the price changes through the day, such as Agile Octopus, Economy 7 or an electric car tariff, the same run can cost much less at the right time. The Cheap Watts tool finds that time for you on your own tariff.

How to spend less

• Switch it on half an hour before bed and off when you get in, rather than running it all night.
• Use the lowest setting that's comfortable.
• Check it for wear every year and replace it if the flex or the heating elements look damaged.