Here we go again with austerity measures, this time largely due to Putin’s madness, the big financial hole we created dealing with the Pandemic, and the general turndown in business after Brexit.
Even fairly well-off families will be faced with massive increases in mortgage payments, fuel both heating bills and petrol/diesel bills, food and cooking bills.
The humble electric blanket can be a great way to stay warm, through the winter if you’re mainly sitting in one room in the evenings, watching TV, rather than heating the whole house, resulting in much-reduced heating bills. You may have heard the phrase “heat the person, not the room”.
The latest electric blankets run on tiny currents, so very cheap to run, and are machine washable. You can use them in the house as a sofa ‘throw’ or on the bed, or even in the office for occasional ’emergencies’ maybe in an unheated office overnight.
Language Differences between UK and US
In the UK and Commonwealth, the term “Electric Blanket” generally means the electric underblanket, fitted between the mattress and bed sheet.
In the US and Canada the term “electric blanket” is generally the electric overblanket, electric throw, or electric duvet and the underblanket type of device can also be referred to as a mattress pad.
What is an electric blanket or throw
With energy prices spiraling, we are looking for anything that will keep us warm, while we have to keep the central heating on low, this winter.
For older folk, not very active, maybe mainly sitting reading or watching the tv, or for parents after the kids go to bed, the electric throw can be the perfect solution.
Heat is quick to come on, as it is only heating the immediate surroundings, not the whole room.
The throw is dual-purpose, you can use it on the sofa or on the bed.
Are electric blankets safe in 2022, yes, provided of course you use them with care. It is perfectly safe for us, and the design and manufacture are very thoroughly tested. Most models are even approved for machine washing!
How Does the Electric Blanket work?
Woven within the fabric of the center layer is a resistive heater wire. In some recent models, carbon fiber is used as the heating element. It is protected by an insulating tube, which in turn is protected from damage by a thicker wire coil. Most units today, have a heat selection control, which also shuts off the blanket after a pre-set time.
Typical temperatures directly at the surface are 25 to 53°C. The blanket consumption at maximum will be typically 70 to 115watts.
Is an electric blanket expensive to run?
Lets take a typical case, in winter there may be 120 days where you could easily turn the heating down and sit on the sofa, using your blanket.
If the blanket takes 75watts on the middle setting and you use it for 5 hours for 120 days it will consume 45 kWh of energy. Currently, with the Uk price per kWh at 34 pence, that’s just £15.30 for the year. Which could be a significant saving.
What is the Realistic Cost?
To make our reviews realistic and easy to compare, I have given the price per hour cost, calculated on the wattage of the appliance on the middle setting. Since virtually nobody would need full power for more than the first hour, (I tried out our electric throw blanket on a cold day in November 2022 with no room heating on and any more than the lowest setting was just too warm).
What to Look for When Buying an Electric Blanket
One really common problem is the length of the power cable, it’s never long enough!
It takes only a small current, so an extension cable and multi-socket should be fine to use with your blanket.
To be 100% safe, several of the manufacturers recommend an RCD trip to use with your blanket. I would say they are probably perfectly safe to use without, but maybe if it is in an area used by the children, or where liquids may be spilled, well a bit extra caution is no bad thing.
Lastly, check on the reviews where the cable or controller is positioned, you usually would want it on the corner at the edge of the bed or sofa, so that it isn’t digging into your shoulder in the night.
Our Electric blanket Reviews
I have detailed descriptions of all the most popular products in the electric blanket and throw category, together with the comparison table below:
Electric Blanket Throws Comparison Table
| make | price £ | size cm | Material | color | temp range | temp set | time set | Average cost/hr | Wattage | cable | read review |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mia & Coco | 64.99 | 180x130 | Flannel | Blue | 25 to 53 | 10 | < 9 Hours | 2.55 | 150 | 2m3 | Mia & Coco |
| Mia & Coco | 64.99 | 180x130 | Flannel | Grey | 25 to 53 | 10 | < 9 Hours | 2.55 | 150 | 2m3 | Mia & Coco |
| Mia & Coco | 64.99 | 180x130 | Flannel | Khaki | 25 to 53 | 10 | < 9 Hours | 2.55 | 150 | 2m3 | Mia & Coco |
| Mia & Coco | 74.99 | 180x130 | Flannel | Khaki | 25 to 53 | 10 | < 9 Hours | 2.55 | 150 | 2m3 | Mia & Coco |
| Mia & Coco | 53.99 | 180x120 | Flannel | Grey | 25 to 53 | 10 | < 9 Hours | 2.55 | 150 | 2m3 | Mia & Coco |
| CosiHome | 76.99 | 160x130 | Microfleece | Brown | 45 to 50 | 9 | < 9 Hours | 2.04 | 120 | 1m5 | Mia & Coco |
| CosiHome | 76.99 | 160x130 | Microfleece | Grey | 45 to 50 | 9 | < 9 Hours | 2.04 | 120 | 1m5 | CosiHome |
| CosiHome | 76.99 | 160x130 | Microfleece | Cream | 45 to 50 | 9 | < 9 Hours | 2.04 | 120 | 1m5 | CosiHome |
| CosiHome | 76.99 | 160x130 | Microfleece | Brown | 45 to 50 | 9 | < 9 Hours | 2.04 | 120 | 1m5 | CosiHome |
| CosiHome | 76.99 | 160x130 | Microfleece | Navy | 45 to 50 | 9 | < 9 Hours | 2.04 | 120 | 1m5 | CosiHome |
| CosiHome | 71.99 | 160x130 | Faux Fur | Grey | 45 to 50 | 9 | < 9 Hours | 1.445 | 85 | 1m6 | CosiHome |
| CosiHome | 71.99 | 160x130 | Faux Fur | Pink | 45 to 50 | 9 | < 9 Hours | 1.445 | 85 | 1m6 | CosiHome |
| CosiHome Db(e) | 79.99 | 180x220 | Microfleece | Cream | 45 to 50 | 9 | <12 Hours | 1.53 | 90 | 1m5 | CosiHome |
| CosiHome kg(e) | 89.99 | 150x200 | Microfleece | Cream | 45 to 50 | 9 | <12 Hours | 1.53 | 90 | 1m5 | CosiHome |
| MonHouse | 69.99 | 130x160 | Flannel | Black | estimate 50 | 9 | < 9 Hours | 2.04 | 120 | 1m5 | MonHouse |
| MonHouse 2pk | 134.99 | 130x160 | Flannel | Black | estimate 50 | 9 | < 9 Hours | 2.04 | 120 | 1m5 | MonHouse |
| MonHouse | 89.99 | 150x200 | Flannel | Black | estimate 50 | 9 | < 9 Hours | 2.04 | 120 | 1m5 | MonHouse |
| MonHouse 2pk | 169.99 | 150x200 | Flannel | Black | estimate 50 | 9 | < 9 Hours | 2.04 | 120 | 1m5 | MonHouse |
| Sweet Dreams | 89.99 | 200x130 | Fleece | Grey | estimate 51 | 9 | < 9 Hours | 1.7 | 100 | 2m7 | Sweet Dreams |
| Bedsure | 59.99 | 130x160 | Flannel | Grey | 30 to 45 | 6 | < 12 Hours | 2.72 | 160 | 2m3 | Bedsure |