The best electric blankets, and what they cost to run
Prices and stock checked 4 November 2026. Running costs at the price cap for 1 October to 31 December 2026.
The electric blankets here cost about 1.8p to 3.2p an hour flat out at today's price cap, and less once the bed is warm; Which? found the hungriest blankets cost about four times the cheapest. Testers' favourite budget blanket is the Silentnight Comfort Control; for two people, the Silentnight Yours & Mine has a control for each side (from £40).
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At the published wattage, for a whole hour at full power
Blanket
Rated power
Per hour now
Eight hours
Silentnight Comfort Control (double)
70 W (Ideal Home's figure)
1.8p
15p
Beurer TS 15 (double)
100 W (Beurer's figure, 85-100 W)
2.6p
21p
Silentnight Yours & Mine (double, both sides)
120 W (2 x 60 W, Ideal Home's figure)
3.2p
25p
A dual-control blanket at 2 x 150 W, both sides
300 W (the top of the range)
7.9p
63p
Our arithmetic: rated power times 26.32p per kWh, the price cap's average electricity rate for Direct Debit, 1 October to 31 December 2026. The Comfort Control's 70 W is Ideal Home's figure for the older version; Good Housekeeping measured more than the Yours & Mine's published 2 x 60 W. So treat these as a guide. The price cap now.
Blankets don't draw their full rating all night: a thermostat switches the element on and off. Good Housekeeping ran each blanket for eight hours on its highest setting and found most used 0.1 to 0.5 kWh, about 2.6p to 13p a night at today's rate. Which?'s tests found the cheapest cost 2p an hour on the highest setting and the hungriest about four times as much, and it warns that makers' running-cost claims are usually for the lowest setting.
Are electric blankets expensive to run?
No. Warming the bed for an hour before you get in costs less than boiling a full kettle, and far less than heating the bedroom: a 2 kW heater costs about 53p an hour.
What to look for
Under or over. An underblanket lies on the mattress under the sheet; an overblanket goes on top like a duvet. Most testers' picks are underblankets.
Dual controls if two of you share a bed and like it differently.
A timer or automatic switch-off, so it turns itself off after you fall asleep.
The right size. Testers found several doubles that didn't reach the edges of a double mattress.
Washing. Most are machine washable once the control is unplugged; check the label.
The blankets
Prices from the shop named on each button. Specs from the makers' and retailers' listings.
Silentnight Comfort Control electric underblanket, doubleOur pickBest budget
A simple double underblanket that three testers chose as their budget pick. Rated 70 W, so about 2p an hour flat out. The current version has five heat settings and switches itself off; testers mostly reviewed the older three-setting one.
Size
120 x 135 cm (double)
Power
70 W (Ideal Home's figure; Silentnight doesn't publish it)
Dreamland Hunker Down Scandi Sherpa electric underblanket, doubleOur pickSofter and bigger
A thick sherpa underblanket that covers a double mattress, with six settings and a 1, 3 or 9-hour timer. It warms up in about five minutes, but Ideal Home found its corner straps came off. The Independent tested the dual-control version, which Amazon also sells.
These are findings other testers have published, credited with links.
Silentnight Comfort Control electric underblanket, doubleIdeal Home chose it as the best budget electric blanket and the cheapest to run of those tested, at 70 W, though it took 15-20 minutes to reach full heat and the warmth sat in the middle of a double mattress.September 2026
Silentnight Comfort Control electric underblanket, doubleMumsnet also named it the best budget electric blanket; it heated the bed quickly, but came up small for its stated size and the plug socket sat under the pillow.October 2026
Silentnight Comfort Control electric underblanket, doubleExpert Reviews named it the best low-cost electric blanket, warming up in around ten minutes.December 2025
Silentnight Yours & Mine dual control electric underblanket, doubleIdeal Home named it the best budget dual-control blanket, with a 15-20 minute wait to reach full temperature.September 2026
Silentnight Yours & Mine dual control electric underblanket, doubleGood Housekeeping scored it 85/100; it kept a steady temperature all night on both sides, even set differently, but took about 30 minutes to reach its highest temperature.October 2026
Dreamland Hunker Down Scandi Sherpa electric underblanket, doubleThe Independent named it the best electric blanket overall; it warmed up in as little as five minutes, covered a double bed almost completely, and cost around 1p an hour at its highest setting.August 2026
Dreamland Hunker Down Scandi Sherpa electric underblanket, doubleIdeal Home rated it on a par with its winner for warmth, but its corner straps came off the mattress and the double only just covered the bed.September 2026
In a power cut, a mains blanket stops. A portable power station keeps one going all night: see which last.