Warming yourself costs far less than warming a room. An electric blanket or heated throw costs a few pence an hour; an electric heater costs around fifty.
Buying through our links costs you nothing extra. Some of them earn us a small commission, and that's what keeps Survival Bunker going: it pays for the time it takes to keep our picks and figures up to date. Thank you for helping. How we choose and how we earn.
The Energy Saving Trust's warm-home guide covers the measures that cost little or nothing, such as thick or thermally lined curtains closed at night and stopping draughts. Energy Saving Trust: warm home hacks.
A blanket or throw keeps you warm, but it doesn't warm the air or the rest of the home. The NHS suggests heating the rooms you use regularly to at least 18°C if you can, especially if you have a health condition, so personal warmth works best as a top-up. NHS advice on keeping warm.
| Appliance | Rated power | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Beurer TS 15 underblanket (double) | 85-100 W | 2.2p to 2.6p |
| Silentnight Comfort Control underblanket (double) | 70 W | 1.8p |
| Beurer HD 75 heated throw | 90-110 W | 2.4p to 2.9p |
| Dreamland Snuggle Up heated throw | 150 W | 3.9p |
| A 2 kW electric convector heater (Dimplex 402TSTi) | 2,000 W | 53p |
Our arithmetic: the rated power in kilowatts times 26.32p per kWh, the Ofgem price cap's average electricity unit rate for Direct Debit, 1 October to 31 December 2026 (England, Scotland and Wales). Your own tariff and region will differ. It assumes the full rated power for the whole hour; on a lower setting, or once a thermostat cuts in, it uses less. Your standing charge is paid anyway, whatever you switch on. The price cap now.
So a heated throw uses about 5% to 8% as much electricity as a 2 kW heater. An evening of four hours under the 150 W throw comes to about 16p. They do different jobs, though: the throw warms you, the heater warms the room.
A hot water bottle costs whatever it takes to heat the water. Heating 1.5 litres of cold water by 90°C takes about 0.16 kWh, roughly 4.1p a fill at the cap rate, a little more with the kettle's own losses. That's our estimate from the physics, not a measured figure.
In a power cut, mains blankets and throws stop. A portable power station can run one for hours: see which ones last a day.
For which to buy and what testers found, see the best heated throws and the best electric blankets. For heating a whole room, see the cheapest way to heat a room.
The Energy Saving Trust says thick or thermally lined curtains help keep warmth in when they're closed at night, and that curtains shouldn't cover radiators. How much they save depends on the windows and how the curtains fit.
Draught-proofing seals the gaps you don't want: around doors and windows, letterboxes, keyholes and loft hatches. Each strip suits a different gap size. Energy Saving Trust guide to draught-proofing.
Prices checked 4 November 2026, from the shop named on each button. Specs are from the makers' and retailers' listings.
These go on the mattress, under the bottom sheet, and warm the bed.
A simple double underblanket with three heat settings and straps to hold it on the mattress. Beurer publishes its rating (85-100 W), so you know what it costs to run.
Mumsnet, Ideal Home and Expert Reviews all chose it as their budget electric blanket. The current version has five heat settings and switches itself off.
A bigger, softer sherpa double with a 1, 3 or 9-hour timer, and the Independent's best electric blanket overall. It costs more, and Ideal Home found its corner straps came off.
These go over you on the sofa or in a chair.
The biggest of the three at 180 x 130 cm, rated 90-110 W, and it switches itself off after three hours. Few reviews yet on the maker's page.
Up to nine heat settings (Silentnight's own page says three) and a two-hour automatic switch-off. The Guardian measured it at 3p an hour on its highest setting.
Six heat settings and a 1, 3 or 9-hour timer, rated 150 W, about 4p an hour at full power. Ideal Home named it the best heated throw.
Rubber-free bottles marked to the British Standard for hot water bottles.
A 2-litre bottle with a removable knitted cover, marked BS 1970:2012.
A cheaper 2-litre bottle without a cover, if you already have one.
Curtain widths are usually given per panel, before gathering.
Thermal blackout eyelet curtains, £45 for a pair of 117 x 137 cm panels. Pole not included.
Brushed eyelet curtains in several sizes. The blackout thermal lining is one option; standard-lined versions are sold too.
Blackout lined pencil pleat curtains for a track or a pole with rings, about £50 to £150 by size.
Each strip suits a different gap size.
Self-adhesive foam strip for the thin gaps around window and door frames.
Self-adhesive rubber P-strip. 20 m is enough for several doors and windows.
An aluminium brush strip that fixes to the bottom of a door.