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Yes, as long as you follow the manufacturer's instructions for use. Make sure that the electric blanket you buy has the BEAB safety mark and be sure to read the manufacturer's guidance before you use the blanket and follow any safety precautions. For reasons of hygiene and safety, personal grooming products, cosmetics or items of intimate clothing cannot be returned. There are several reasons an electric under blanket may not be for you, in which case you can still get (nearly) all the benefits of a toasty bed by opting for an over blanket instead.
Quilting or padding–basic electric blankets are formed from two thin polyester layers with electrical wires secured in the middle which can mean you'll feel the wires as you sleep. Look out for options that have quilted or padded upper layers for optimal comfort.Adding an electric blanket between your body and the mattress top will prevent the memory foam from being able to mould around your body, so it can impact how comfortable you find your mattress. The blanket also offers an auto shut-off timer with 4 options to choose from – 1, 5, 8 and 12 hours – so you can drift off without having to worry about turning off the blanket first if you don't want it running all night, and making for more economical use of energy. And, last but not least, is the blanket's quilted fleece upper layer, which adds an extra layer of comfort and can be unzipped and washed separately for easier regular washing. As well as the obvious benefits of warming up your bed on a cold winter’s night, electric blankets can also be really useful for those with health conditions affected by heat. Symptoms of arthritis as well as many other chronic illnesses can be helped by warmth, and the relaxing effect of a heated blanket can also help to ease sore muscles after exercise. If you want a heated throw that's going to add a touch of luxe to the living room, whether it's keeping you warm or just draped over the sofa, then this faux fur heated blanket could be the one for you –just don't delay as it's selling out fast.
To calculate how much it will cost to run an electric blanket you need to understand the cost per unit of electricity. From July 2023, the cost per pence/kWh of electricity will be approximately 30p. This electric heated poncho from Lakeland is made from super cosy fleece which adds a welcome layer of insulation all by itself, but turn on the heat and you have 9 temperature settings to toggle between to find your perfect warmth setting.This blanket is attached to the mattress with wide elastic straps that slip easily over each corner, but sadly, unlike the top two options in this edit, it does scrimp on size a little, with the blanket not fully covering the whole mattress. That means the heat is concentrated in the centre of the mattress rather than the edges, so it may be best for a single sleeper. If you're looking for a heated throw to stay cosy while you snuggle up on the couch then this super-soft velvety heated blanket from Dreamland could be for you. High-resistance wires – these days often made of carbon fibre – heat up as an electrical current passes through them. The heat is transferred via fireproof plastic coating to the bedlinen itself. Your blanket will come with a plug (or two if it’s dual-control), which usually extends to around a metre or so. Attach it to your mattress via its straps or elastic skirt, place your sheet over it, and then make your bed as usual. Make sure your duvet fully covers the bed so as not to dissipate the heat.
Better blankets have elastic skirting but cheaper models use straps, which can be fiddly. More timing options and heat settings can also make a difference. The best electric blankets let you set different temperatures for your upper and lower body (since feet tend to get colder). If you sleep with a partner, look out for the dual control function, which allows one side of the bed to heat up independently to another. Dr Stanley says switching on an electric blanket around half an hour before bed should make it perfectly cosy to get into, letting you drift to sleep naturally, but you should set it to turn off some time after you nod off. All the blankets I tested were able to warm up the bed in 30 minutes or less, costing less than 3p at today’s prices. What makes a good electric blanket The head section of the heated mattress topper isn't wired, but the rest of the cover is, meaning this is one of the few under blankets that heats every inch of your bed, including the very bottom section of the mattress which makes for warmer feet. The full coverage also makes for an even sleeping surface, without the lumps and bumps that can occur with quilted electric blankets that only partially cover the mattress.Compared to Dreamland's 'Boutique Heated Underblanket' at the top of this list, this cheaper dual-operated electric blanket does feel a lot more basic, with no quilted padding and far fewer control options, however, it's also a lot less money. Although often harder to find, an over blanket is the ideal solution if you have an adjustable bed where an under blanket's wires could get compressed, a heat-sensitive memory foam mattress that's designed to react to your body temperature and mould to your body shape – the electric blanket's extra heat will confuse things here – or you struggle to do the heavy lifting that strapping an under blanket on to your mattress can require. Rather than strapping onto the mattress like most heated under blankets (and being sized far smaller than the mattress surface area) this option works like a fitted sheet, with a skirt that attaches to your mattress and a quilted upper that covers the whole of the mattress surface, whether you opt for the single, double, king, or super king. The Homefront offers dual control, which helps save on energy. The LCD control pad was simple to use and, on top of choosing which side you want to heat, you can also differentiate between body and legs, with nine different temperature settings for each. And, this is one of the few electric blankets on the market that also enables you to independently control the temperature of the body and feet zones of the blanket, so if you suffer from cold feet you can just switch on the lower portion of the blanket, or increase the heat setting in this area alone –genius!
Admittedly more of an investment than other heated blankets, this option is one of the most stylish we've come across, and its super soft feel and on-trend hygge aesthetics are matched by strong performance. There are only 3 temperature settings compared to the 6 settings Dreamland's 'Boutique Heated Underblanket' offers, and although we found this blanket to be plenty warm enough on its highest setting, it doesn't achieve the same high temperatures that the Dreamland option can. It also takes longer to heat up, with a 15-20 minute wait before it hit full temperature in our tests. Although, that does make it more cost-effective, with each side of the blanket using a maximum of 60W compared to the Dreamland blanket's 150W per side. This newer version of the blanket also features organic cotton –a nod towards sustainability not found in any of the other blankets we've tested –and whilst it might be one of the most expensive heated blankets in our round-up, if you're looking to invest in a toasty night's sleep this winter, this is an option well worth considering. All electric blankets contain thin electrical heating wires cushioned between layers of fabric. On thinner under blankets you may be able to feel the wires a little underneath your body, but many modern designs offer quilting to add more cushioning. Smart functionality –some heated blankets allow you to hook them up to a smart app or Alexa to control when they come on so that your bed is always warm when you’re ready for bedtime, although you’ll generally pay more for this feature. Our top tip is to pair an ‘ordinary’ electric blanket with a smart plug so you can get all the convenience of remote control at a lower cost!But perhaps the biggest incentive is the high cost of electricity. At the time of writing, a typical 2000W electric heater in your bedroom could cost 68p an hour to run. By contrast, a 100W electric blanket would cost less than 4p. On testing we also found that the over blanket was far preferred by our night-sweat suffering reviewers. Every electric blanket we've tested uses polyester wadding to soften and protect the cables, which our hot sleepers found could make them overheat compared to their usual natural material-filled mattress toppers. In comparison to a strapped-on under blanket, the over blanket could be positioned between the duvet and bed sheet to warm up the bed and get things toasty, and then whipped off once the chill had gone from the bed, making for a better night's sleep. After all, is there anything cosier than taking the chill off those cold sheets before you get under the duvet at night? And do you really need to turn on the central heating when you can get toasty with a heated blanket on the sofa instead? Plus, with the cost of running an electric blanket on full power coming in at well under 5p per hour, an electric blanket could well be a sound financial investment that will help you to save money whilst staying warm. Here’s what I found after several nights testing the best electric blankets, starting with my favourite. (And if you’re looking for other ways to improve your sleep this winter, you could consider upgrading your pillow next). How does an electric blanket work?
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