Electric Blanket vs Space Heater Calculator
| Pennies per night at $0.17/kWh | 2 h | 4 h | 8 h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 W | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| 100 W | 3 | 7 | 14 |
| 180 W | 6 | 12 | 24 |
Set the blanket watts and how many hours it runs, the space heater watts and its hours, and your electric rate. The calculator prices one warm night and a whole season on each side of the bed.
The framing that keeps this honest: these two are not the same product. A blanket heats one body at 60 to 180 watts; a heater heats the air of a room at 750 to 1,500 watts. The calculator shows the 5-to-25-fold cost gap that follows from the watt gap - which one wins depends on whether you are going to sleep or going to sit.
How to use
- Blanket ratings: single 40-60 W, dual-control 100-180 W. Hours: 2 for a pre-heat, 8 for all night.
- Space heaters are 750 or 1,500 watts on nearly every model; hours are the evening you actually sit there.
- Rate is dollars per kWh off the bill; a season of cold nights is 90-150 depending on your winters.
- Compare roles, not just dollars: the blanket is the bed, the heater is the chair - most homes that use both cheaply pre-heat the bed and heat the room only while occupied.
Frequently asked questions
Is a heated blanket cheaper than a space heater?
By an order of magnitude, yes - a 100 W blanket over eight hours costs about 14 cents while a 1,500 W heater over four costs about a dollar. But the blanket only warms the person under it: for warming a room you sit in, the heater is the only one of the two doing the job.
How much does an electric blanket cost to run all night?
A dual-control 100 W blanket draws 0.8 kWh over eight hours - about 14 cents a night at 17 cents per kWh, roughly $16-17 across a 120-night winter. Even the 180 W queen size stays under $30 for the season, which is why blankets are the cheapest heat in the house.
Is it safe to sleep with an electric blanket on?
Modern blankets with auto-shutoff and overheat sensors are designed for all-night low settings; the risks are age (replace any blanket over 10 years old), folded or bunched wiring, and pins or pets through the cord. The calculator prices the watts; the safety manual prices the exceptions - never leave a folded blanket powered on.
Does a space heater or blanket use more electricity?
The heater, by 10-25 times per hour - 1,500 watts against 60-180. That is why the frugal pattern is layered: blanket for the bed, heater only for the occupied room, and the furnace resting through both.
Should I pre-heat the bed with a blanket or a heater?
The blanket: 30 minutes at 100 W costs about half a cent and warms the sheets directly. Pre-heating a bedroom with a 1,500 W heater costs about 8 cents to move the air a degree or two - and the moment you get under the covers, the blanket does the same job for a twentieth of the draw.