How many watts does an electric blanket use?
By Tom Calder · Figures checked 4 November 2026 · Costs at 26.32p per kWh (Ofgem cap, 1 October to 31 December 2026)
Most electric blankets draw 40W to 150W, EDF says, so an hour costs about 1p to 4p at 26.32p per kWh; a typical 70W blanket is about 2p an hour. It is one of the cheapest ways to keep warm.
The numbers
- Running watts
- 40W to 150W
- Amps at 230V (most)
- 0.65A
- Energy an hour
- 0.04 to 0.15 kWh
- Rated watts for an hour at full power; the thermostat cycles, so an upper bound.
- Cost an hour
- 1p to 4p
- On a 1kWh power station
- 5 to 15 hours
- On a 2kWh power station
- 9.5 to 31 hours
Costs use 26.32p per kWh, the Ofgem price cap's average Direct Debit electricity unit rate for 1 October to 31 December 2026. Your own rate is on your bill; on a fixed or time-of-use tariff it will differ.
How it’s used, and what that costs
EDF’s figures. The blanket’s thermostat cycles once the bed is warm, so over a night it uses less than its rating. Warming the bed for an hour before you get in uses less still.
Because it warms you rather than the room, a blanket costs a small fraction of a plug-in heater: a 2kW heater uses in an hour what a 70W blanket uses in about 29.
EDF’s advice is to leave an electric blanket on overnight only if it has thermostatic controls, and to follow the maker’s instructions; our electric blankets comparison covers the safety checks.
In a power cut: how long a power station would run it
A 1kWh power station: 5 to 15 hours. A 2kWh power station: 9.5 to 31 hours. These use the same planning method as our power station pages: capacity × 90% usable depth × 85% inverter efficiency, divided by the load plus about 10W the unit uses itself (BLUETTI’s UK formula).
Output matters as much as capacity. The 7 units around 1kWh we list supply 1,500W to 2,000W continuously, and the 6 around 2kWh supply 2,200W to 3,000W, so check a unit’s rated output covers 150W before you rely on it.
It is one of the best uses of a power station in a winter cut: a small, steady load with no start-up surge. See keeping warm without heating. Never bring a barbecue, camping stove or patio heater indoors. Use a gas or paraffin heater only if it is made for indoor use, with ventilation and a working carbon monoxide alarm (NHS).
To size one for everything you’d want to keep running, use the sizer on our power stations comparison.
Common questions
How many amps does an electric blanket draw?
At the UK’s 230 volts, amps are watts divided by 230. At 40W to 150W, that is 0.17 to 0.65 amps while it runs at full power.
Compare: Fan heater (2kW) · Oil-filled radiator
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Start free →Sources (7)
- EDF: are electric blankets expensive to run?most models 40W to 150W; a typical 70W blanket about 1.84p an hour at 26.32p; only leave one on overnight if it has thermostatic controls
- NHS: carbon monoxide poisoningsources include gas or paraffin heaters; fit a CO alarm; never use a barbecue or camping stove indoors
- Ofgem: Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges, 1 October to 31 December 2026electricity 26.32p per kWh, Direct Debit; no VAT on electricity from 1 October 2026 to 31 March 2027
- BLUETTI UK — Elite 200 V2 (runtime formula: DoD 90%, η 85%, self-consumption about 10W)
- BLUETTI UK — Elite 100 V2 (self-consumption about 10W)
- Jackery UK — runtime formula (capacity × 0.85 ÷ watts)
- EcoFlow — test runtime before an emergency0.80–0.90 for AC; DC ports for routers and phones
PreparedBritain is independent and not affiliated with HM Government.
