How Much Does It Cost to Run an Electric Blanket? A Personalised Calculation

There is no single cost for running an electric blanket. Your estimate depends on the blanket’s rated wattage, how many hours it is switched on, and your electricity unit rate. Use cost = (watts ÷ 1,000) × hours × price per kWh, then multiply the daily result by the number of days you use it.

For a dated illustration, a 70-watt blanket at 27.69 pence per kilowatt-hour costs about 1.9 pence for one hour. That is an example calculation, not a universal current price or a guarantee of what every blanket uses.

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The calculation in one line

Electricity bills charge for energy in kilowatt-hours (kWh), while blanket labels normally show power in watts (W). Convert the rating to kilowatts, multiply by the time in hours, and multiply by your tariff:

Cost = (power in watts ÷ 1,000) × hours used × price per kWh

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If your tariff is quoted in pence per kWh, the result is in pence. If it is quoted in pounds per kWh, the result is in pounds. Do not mix the two units: a rate of 27.69 pence per kWh should be entered as 27.69 when calculating pence, or as £0.2769 when calculating pounds.

The same method is described in Australian Government appliance guidance, which says the input power is usually marked on the packaging or in the manufacturer’s information in watts. National Energy Action gives the hourly version as running cost (p/hour) = power rating (W) × electricity unit rate (p/kWh) ÷ 1,000.

What you need before calculating

1. The blanket’s rated wattage

Look on the product label, packaging, manual or manufacturer’s specifications for a number followed by W. Use the rating for the complete blanket or the relevant heated section. A dual-control blanket may list a rating for each side or a total rating; read the wording carefully before entering a number.

Do not substitute the blanket’s voltage for its wattage. Voltage, shown in volts (V), is not the figure used in this simple running-cost calculation. If the documentation gives only electrical details that you cannot interpret, ask the manufacturer for the input power in watts rather than guessing.

2. The number of hours it is switched on

Use the time the blanket actually operates, not automatically the time you spend in bed. A pre-heating period, a timer, a thermostat and manual switching all change the operating time. Calculate one night first, then multiply by the number of nights in a week, month or season.

3. Your electricity unit rate

Find the electricity price per kWh on your bill, tariff document or energy supplier’s account page. Rates vary by country, region, supplier and plan, and can change over time. A standing charge is a separate part of a bill and is not added to the blanket’s marginal running cost unless you are estimating your entire household bill.

Step-by-step: calculate your own cost

1. Write down the wattage. For example, use 70 W only if that is the rating printed for your blanket.
2. Convert watts to kilowatts. Divide by 1,000: 70 W ÷ 1,000 = 0.07 kW.
3. Multiply by operating hours. For an eight-hour period, 0.07 kW × 8 = 0.56 kWh at the rated power.
4. Apply your unit rate. Multiply the kWh figure by the price on your bill.
5. Scale the result. Multiply the daily cost by the number of days you use the blanket.

Keep the wattage, hours and tariff beside the answer. That makes it clear which assumptions to change when your tariff or routine changes.

Worked example using a dated UK rate

EDF’s 2026 guidance uses a 70 W blanket and an Ofgem example rate of 27.69 pence per kWh for January 2026. The calculation for one hour is:

(70 ÷ 1,000) × 1 × 27.69 = 1.9383 pence

Rounded to one decimal place, that is about 1.9 pence for one hour. The figure is tied to the 70 W rating and the stated example rate; it is not a typical-wattage claim for all electric blankets and it is not a recommendation of a current tariff.

Those rows are arithmetic from the same dated example, not measurements of a particular blanket’s thermostat cycle. If you used the eight-hour result for seven nights, the rated-power estimate would be about £1.08. Repeating it for 30 nights would be about £4.64. Both totals assume 70 W, eight switched-on hours every night and 27.69 pence per kWh throughout the period.

Why the label-based estimate may differ from your meter

Rated power is a ceiling-like input assumption, not a guaranteed average

The formula treats the appliance as if it drew its stated wattage for every hour entered. Electric blankets commonly regulate temperature. National Energy Action notes that appliances that modulate temperature can use more power while heating and less after reaching temperature. A blanket may therefore consume less than the rated-power estimate over a long period, although the exact reduction depends on its design, setting, room conditions and bedding.

EDF also notes that a lower heat setting requires less energy. Do not turn that general point into a blanket-specific percentage: the available guidance does not establish a universal duty cycle or an average overnight consumption for all models.

Timers and automatic controls change the hours

If a timer turns the blanket off after two hours, enter two hours rather than the whole night. If you turn it on to pre-heat and then switch it off, count only the pre-heating time. A control that cycles on and off can make actual energy use lower than multiplying the full rating by every clock hour.

Measuring real consumption

For a measurement rather than an estimate, an appropriately rated plug-in energy monitor can record kWh while the blanket is used. Follow the monitor and blanket instructions, and do not use a monitor that is unsuitable for the appliance or socket. Compare the measured kWh with the label-based calculation over the same period and tariff; do not present one household’s reading as a universal blanket average.

Estimating a night, week, month or season

Start with the daily equation:

daily cost = (watts ÷ 1,000) × hours per day × price per kWh

Then use:

• Weekly estimate: daily cost × number of nights used that week.
• Monthly estimate: daily cost × number of nights used that month. A 30-day multiplication is a convention, not a promise that every month has 30 uses.
• Seasonal estimate: daily cost × the number of nights you expect to use the blanket. Recalculate if your tariff changes.

If you use different settings or durations on different nights, calculate each pattern separately and add the results. For example, calculate pre-heating nights and timer-limited nights as two lines rather than averaging them without recording the assumptions.

How to compare blankets without misleading yourself

A lower wattage can reduce the rated-power estimate, but it does not by itself prove that a blanket will heat your bed adequately, use less energy in every situation or be safer. When comparing actual products, record the information that affects both usefulness and the calculation:

Use the manufacturer’s instructions to decide whether a model suits your bed and routine. The cost formula is only one comparison tool.

Common mistakes and how to correct them

Using a “typical” blanket wattage

There is no broadly representative wattage established here. Replace a guessed value with the rating on your own blanket or its official documentation.

Copying someone else’s tariff

A cost quoted for another household may use a different currency, region, supplier or date. Enter the unit rate from your own bill. The 27.69 pence figure above is explicitly a January 2026 example rate used by EDF, not a universal current price.

Forgetting the factor of 1,000

Watts must be divided by 1,000 before multiplying by hours and the kWh rate. Multiplying 70 directly by a pence-per-kWh tariff produces an answer 1,000 times too high.

Counting the whole night when a timer is active

Use the programmed operating time. If you do not know how long the blanket actually runs, label the result as an assumption instead of calling it an exact overnight cost.

Treating a rated estimate as a meter reading

Thermostatic control and heat settings can reduce average draw after warm-up. Call the result an estimate and use measured kWh if you need an appliance-specific figure.

Safety comes before the calculation

WorkSafe New Zealand advises inspecting an electric blanket for wear or damage, keeping it flat so the heating elements are not damaged, following the manufacturer’s instructions and switching it off before getting into bed. That is New Zealand regulator guidance; elsewhere, follow your local safety authority and the instructions supplied with your blanket.

• Do not use a blanket with damaged fabric, controls, plugs or visible heating elements.
• Keep it flat as instructed rather than folding or bunching it during operation.
• Use only the cleaning, storage and connection methods specified by the manufacturer.
• Do not infer that a low running cost makes unattended or overnight use safe.
• If local guidance and the product manual differ, resolve the conflict with the manufacturer or relevant safety authority before use.

A cost calculation answers an energy-price question. It does not certify a blanket, approve a sleeping arrangement or replace an inspection.

A reusable worksheet

Copy this template and fill in the values from your label and bill:

• Blanket rating: _____ W
• Hours switched on per use: _____ hours
• Electricity rate: _____ per kWh
• Energy per use: (_____ ÷ 1,000) × _____ = _____ kWh
• Cost per use: _____ kWh × _____ per kWh = _____
• Uses in the period: _____
• Estimated period cost: cost per use × uses = _____

Record whether the calculation assumes full rated power, a lower heat setting, a timer or a measured kWh reading. That single note prevents an estimate from being mistaken for a guaranteed bill.

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