How much does it cost to run an electric blanket in the UK?
Price updated 9 July 2026 · Q3 2026 (Jul–Sep)
A typical electric blanket (100 W) used 1 hour a day, every day costs about 79p a month (£9.53 a year) at 26.11p/kWh.
An electric blanket is one of the cheapest ways to stay warm in winter, precisely because it warms you rather than the room. At 60–150W it uses a fraction of the power of any space heater — running one for an hour costs pennies. Heating the person instead of the air is the single most effective way to cut electric heating costs, and an electric blanket or heated throw is the clearest example.
Work out your own cost
About 79p a month · £9.53 a year
Uses about 36.5 kWh a year. Prefilled with the Ofgem cap of 26.11p/kWh — edit any box for your own figures.
Cost by model power
The same electric blanket can vary a lot between models, so here is the range from a low-power to a high-power example.
| Model | Power | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low-power model | 60 W | 1.6p | 1.6p | 48p | £5.72 |
| Typical model | 100 W | 2.6p | 2.6p | 79p | £9.53 |
| High-power model | 150 W | 3.9p | 3.9p | £1.19 | £14.30 |
What changes the cost
- Very low wattage (60–150W)
- How long you leave it on
- Under-blanket vs over-blanket (throw) design
- Whether it has a timer or thermostat
Common questions
Is an electric blanket cheaper than heating the bedroom?
Dramatically. At around 100W it uses a small fraction of a 2kW heater, and it warms you directly rather than trying to heat the whole room.
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