Electric Blankets

Electric Blankets - A Better Way to Keep Warm

Here at Reduction Revolution, we like cost-effective electric heaters. Like our foot warmer mat heater that uses up to 90% less energy than a standard room heater.

Despite that significant energy-saving - you can sometimes do even better. One such example is with the humble electric blanket.

Many people leave a portable electric heater switched on overnight in their bedroom. These oil column heaters, panel heaters, or fans heaters can chew through up to 2,400 watts of power.

It turns out you are much better off using an electric blanket.

Most double, queen and king-sized electric blankets now have two controllers - one for each side of the bed.

Electric Blanket Power Usage (Wattage)

Over the years, we have tested several electric blankets using our power consumption meters. Electric blankets tested include:

• Dimplex Single, Queen, and King Size Electric Blankets.
• ALDI / Lumina Electric Blankets.
• Dreamaker & Sunbeam Electric Blankets.

We have found that most electric blankets on the market use a similar amount of power. All units tested top out at a maximum of around 70 watts of electricity consumption per controller.

Some premium models with more heat settings can drop to a lower power draw on the lower settings (down to around 5 watts). And they give you more options between levels compared to the standard three setting units.

Here is a summary of our results:

Note: If you have a Dual Control Queen Blanket or King Blanket and both sides are in use, total power usage will be double the amount shown above.

Typical electric blanket power usage by setting. 

In summary, the power consumption varies from around 15 watts on low to 70 watts on high.

To put those numbers in perspective: you would struggle to sleep with an electric blanket on the high setting. Even the low setting can become 'too hot' if used overnight in a mild climate (eg. Sydney).

All this means that the most power drawn by electric blankets is 140 watts when both sides are on the highest setting. The lowest power draw is when just one side is on low (~15 watts).

Example of How Using an Electric Blanket Can Save You Money

What all this means in practical terms is that using an electric blanket can save you money.

Here's a real-world example showing how a fan heater compares to an electric blanket. In this scenario, both heaters are used for a short period of 30 minutes to 'pre-heat the room (or bed).

• 1,800 watt fan heater for half an hour = 0.9 kWh
• 140 watt electric blanket for half an hour = 0.07 kWh
• That's a reduction of over 90% in energy usage and cost!

Our Dimplex Queen Bed Electric Blanket - one side on medium uses just 32 watts of power. That's about half the electricity usage of an old fashioned 60 watt light bulb!

Electric Blanket Running Cost

In the above table, we showed the typical cost per hour at three common heat settings. To make your own calculations use our online electricity cost calculator. You can use this free calculator to check the cost to run just about any appliance.

The tests shown on this page were completed using a plug-in power meter.

Want to see how else you can save energy? See our complete range of energy efficient heaters.

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