The best electric blankets to keep you warm at night in 2023 (and save money on heating this winter)
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As the winter cold sets in, an electric blanket could just be the friend you need. Unlike the heavy covers your grandmother used to inflict on you, the best electric blankets these days are soft and light, with wires you’ll barely notice – and thankfully much safer and affordable, too. The top brands like Silentnight, Dreamland and Slumberdown are just as comforting as a weighted blanket (the currently popular sleeping aid), but they keep you warm and, some say, can also alleviate muscle aches and joint pains.
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.
There are several types on the market – under-blankets, over-blankets, throws and duvets – but we’re going to focus on under-blankets, which fit between your mattress and bed sheet. This is because the experts we spoke to agreed they were the best option, and said a high tog duvet and a warm pillow should be sufficient to keep you snug at night. Here’s a quick glance at our top six. Scroll down for the reviews in full, and for advice on how best to use electric blankets.
Which is the best electric blanket in 2023? At a glance
- Best overall Beurer Monogram Dual Control
- Best quilted electric blanket Slumberdown Wonderfully Warm
- Best basic electric blanket Mylex Delux
- Best budget electric blanket Silentnight Comfort Control
- Best heated throw Dreamland Deluxe Velvet Herringbone
How to choose the best electric blanket for you
First, you need to decide whether you want an electric blanket, which sits between your mattress and bedsheet, or an electric throw, which can be used for sleeping under or snuggling under on the sofa. That’s the first way to narrow down your search. Other things to consider are material, which could be fleece, polyester or velvet, for example, and size meaning single, double or king.
If you sleep with a partner, look into dual controls so you can each control your own side of the bed. You might also want the option of a timer to help with energy saving (though electric blankets are pretty low cost to run all night anyway).
Best electric blankets
1. Beurer Monogram dual control
Best overall, 9/10
We like: quality feel, even warmth distribution
We don’t like: controllers are difficult to see at night
- Six temperature settings, dual control
- Fibre fleece, elasticated skirt
- Machine washable
- 3 Year Guarantee
- Also available as super kingsize (£115)
Recommended by Tomé Morrissy-Swan
I hadn’t heard of German manufacturer Beurer until we carried out our test of the best wake-up light alarm clocks, and their relatively affordable WL90 clock stood out for its build quality. This cosy, fleecy electric underblanket is another hit. It has the best balance of the important features I was looking for.
Drawing 100 Watts it costs 5p an hour to run, and you may not even need to use it for that long since it warms up super-quickly. It has a deep elasticated skirt, making it easy to fit, even to modern memory-foam mattresses, which tend to be deeper. Each side can choose from six heat settings.
The best thing is the even warmth-distribution, right down to your feet (in fact it’s slightly warmer at that end), and the softness of the machine-washable fleece. You can’t feel the wires at all. My only criticism is that the controllers don’t light up like the Homefront’s below, making them harder to use at night – but most people will pre-set the blanket before getting into bed anyway.
2. Homefront dual control premium fleece electric blanket
£74.95 for a single, Amazon (double currently unavailable)
Best thin electric blanket, 9/10
We like: Fits well under the sheet, simple to control
We didn’t like: hottest setting is too hot
- Nine body and nine feet temperature settings, 10 timer settings, dual control
- Fibre fleece, elasticated skirt
- Machine washable
- 1 Year Guarantee
- Also available as double (currently sold out), kingsize (£98.95) and super kingsize (£109.95)
Recommended by Tomé Morrissy-Swan
I found this in many ways the best blanket, mainly because the fluffy sheepskin-style fleece isn’t thick at all – and bedsheets are easier to attach and keep flat on a thinner electric blanket. It also covered my whole bed, which cannot be said for some of the cheaper options I trialled.
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.
The hottest setting was scalding; the lowest enough to just remove the sharp frosty feeling on entering a bed on a cold winter night. There’s a timer as well, between one and nine hours, so if you do want it on that little bit longer while you fall asleep, you can make sure it switches off in the early hours. Overall, I found this to be a very good product which just lost out to the Beurer on price.
3. Dreamland Luxury Cotton Mattress Warmer
£99.99 for a double, Dreamland
Best non-slip electric blanket, 9/10
We like: five-layered design adds comfort without unnecessary height
We didn’t like: no elasticated straps
- Six temperature settings, dual control
- Cotton, flat non-slip design
- Machine washable
- 3 Year Guarantee
- Also available as single (£69.99)
Recommended by Rebecca Astill
There’s something luxurious about this 100 per cent cotton Dreamland electric blanket, a far cry from the cheap polyester feeling of some brands. Unlike others on this list, there’s no elasticated skirt or straps, instead it relies on a rather effective anti-slip grip on the underside.
The electric blanket has six heat settings that cost between less than 1p and 8p per hour to use, and three timer options of one, three or nine hours. It connects to a mains plug but has dual control so you and anyone you share a bed with can control your own heat settings.
I’ve found previous electric blankets clammy, but this electric blanket was breathable. The five layers of cotton and foam meant it also added a layer of comfort to the bed. I do still think the blanket would benefit from elasticated straps for extra wriggly sleepers, though. It slipped down the mattress after a few nights. Other than that, it’s an almost perfect purchase.
4. Slumberdown Wonderfully Warm heated underblanket
£100 for a double, Slumberdown
Best quilted electric blanket, 8/10
We like: snuggly comfort (perhaps too snuggly for some)
We don’t like: it doesn’t cover the whole bed
- Nine body and nine foot temperature settings, dual control, four timer settings
- Quilted fleece, strap fittings
- Machine washable
- Two year guarantee
- Also available as a single (£75), kingsize (£120) and super kingsize (£135)
Recommended by Tomé Morrissy-Swan
A polyester electric blanket that only covered three-quarters of my bed, which I found slightly irksome but not drastically so. It’s thick and quilted, a bit like a mattress topper, which I found very cosy – although if you like a firm bed, it won’t be for you. It didn’t have an elastic skirt like some of the more expensive varieties, but of the strapped electric blankets this was the easiest to attach.
There were nine settings for feet and body, ranging from boiling-hot nine to barely noticeable one; four or five was optimal for me. The timer has four settings: one, five, eight and 12 hours.
I found that some cheaper blankets had a tendency to come lose or crease up when I moved around at night; this one was fine. I liked the feature that adds extra heat to the area around your feet: in all honesty, I found in general keeping my feet snug and warm quite nice, whereas too much heat on my body made me feel stuffy and affected my sleep.
While it doesn’t offer the bells and whistles of some pricier options, it’s perfectly fine and reasonably priced.
5. Mylek Deluxe Electric Blanket
Best basic electric blanket, 7/10
We like: unobtrusive and pleasantly simple to use
We don’t like: the chunky pads can be uncomfortable
- Three temperature settings, dual control
- Thin fleece, elasticated skirt
- Machine washable
- Also available in single (£62.60), kingsize (£82.95) and super kingsize (£87.99)
Recommended by Tomé Morrissy-Swan
A cheap option offering dual control. There’s really not much separating this and the Slumberdown, apart from a slightly annoying pad connecting the blanket to the plug that I found myself kicking a few times at night.
The blanket itself is thin, so apart from those chunky pads I didn’t feel a thing. There were only three settings, which is far less than most competitors, which means there’s less control over heat. The first setting was fine for eliminating chill, the third was quite toasty, and the second somewhere in between.
In terms of usability it was all fairly straightforward, and the elasticated skirt meant no faffing about with straps.
6. Silentnight comfort control electric blanket
Best budget electric blanket, 7/10
We like: quick to warm up and machine-washable
We don’t like: it’s slightly fiddly to set up
- Three temperature settings, single control (dual control version also unavailable)
- Terry-effect polyester, strap fitting
- Machine washable
- 3 Year Guarantee
- Also available as a single (£30) and kingsize (£69.46)
Recommended by Tomé Morrissy-Swan
Heat-wise, there wasn’t much wrong with this blanket, other than the fact it only offers three settings where others have several more. However, the straps were rather fiddly, so getting it all set up was a bit of a chore. The price is the main attraction here – I’ve deliberately reviewed the basic model, although thicker, fleecier and dual-control versions are available too.
The heat didn’t feel quite as potent as the Mylek, though depending on your preferences, that’s not necessarily a problem. Otherwise, positives include it being machine-washable (all tested are) and a very quick warm-up time of around seven minutes. And the low price, obviously.
7. Dreamland Deluxe Velvet Herringbone Heated Throw
Best heated throw, 8/10
We like: a luxurious-feeling throw for cold nights
We didn’t like: it’s not big enough to cover a double bed (it’s really for sofa sitting)
- Six temperature settings, three timer settings
- Machine washable
- Two year guarantee
Recommended by Tomé Morrissy-Swan
I’ve stuck to heated under-blankets until now but I ought to include one throw, since it’s an increasingly popular variety and this is the best-looking one I’ve found. You could of course use it to heat up your bed, but it would move around as you toss and turn, since it doesn’t have attachment straps.
In terms of material, it’s much nicer than all the others, made of a soft velvet that is machine-washable and can go in the tumble dryer. It’s very tactile and comes in three colours. I use this between me and my blanket on particularly cold nights, although the target audience to judge by the box is women who sit on the sofa under an electric blanket, nursing a steaming cup of hot chocolate and presumably watching Friends for the 30th time.
8. Lakeland Embossed Super Soft Heated Throw
Best heated throw to sleep under, 8/10
We like: the material is super soft
We didn’t like: the settings take some getting used to
- Nine temperature settings, three timer settings
- Machine washable
- Three year guarantee
Recommended by Rebecca Astill
Another heated throw, this one a little larger than the previous but still not quite double bed sized. Like the Dreamland, the material is soft, and in this case, also fleecy. I love how multifunctional it is. I’ve sat with it on my lap as I work at my desk, I’ve snuggled up underneath it on the sofa and I’ve used it as an extra layer while the nights hit the minus temperatures.
The temperature controls work with a simple one to nine scale, but the timer is a little more complicated. Again, it’s a scale of one to nine, but each number represents increments of 20 minutes. It’s quite hard to keep track of what time you’re at when you hit the higher numbers, and I found it occasionally switched off prematurely.
I wish I could get on with the settings as well as I have with other electric blankets, because take the heat out, and this is the comfiest on the list.
FAQ
How to use an electric blanket properly
According to Dr Neil Stanley, an independent sleep expert and author of How to Sleep Well, in order to get a good night’s sleep, you actually have to lose body temperature. It drops throughout the night, the lowest point being about two to four o’clock in the morning.
“My advice is that you need a cool bedroom and a warm bed. Getting into a cold bed may be perceived by your brain and body as a threat, increasing wakefulness.”
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
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.
Price-wise, you’re looking at around £40-50 for a basic option; £60-80 for something a little more high-tech; and over £100 for the best blankets. All models tested here are for a double bed, though they come in other sizes, and each is machine-washable. Safety-wise there is very little to worry about, but look out for British Electrotechnical Approvals Board (BEAB) approval.
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?
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.
Then, via the control pad (or your smart phone) you switch it on, and choose between heat settings and – on the better models – select a time.
How safe is an electric blanket?
While old electric blankets were seen as fire hazards, new models simply are not. Your blanket should have passed BEAB checks, and feature auto cut-off or overheat protection. Some are even machine-washable without damaging the product.
However, Page offers some advice on conduct: “Be careful with liquids in bed, and if your pets sleep in bed with you, that’s a bit of a question mark, just in case they chew the wires.”
Are there any health benefits?
While health benefits shouldn’t be exaggerated, you might find if you suffer from a condition like arthritis or poor circulation that an electric blanket can alleviate some of the pain.
“We have head people with arthritis or bad backs saying it alleviated those ailments,” says Page. Stanley agrees: “If you have problems with circulation, or medical problems where you are feel cold, it could be beneficial.”
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Source: telegraph.co.uk