Electric Blanket & Heated Mattress Pad Cost Calculator
Enter the blanket's watts and hours per night, pick your state, and see the cost per night, month and winter.
Electric blanket cost
A02Scenario A
Sets the electricity rate. Pick US average if you're not sure.
From EIA for US average. Use the rate on your bill if you know it.
Rate used: 18.4¢/kWh · US average · EIA reference 2025–26 (data as of 2026-09-26) ·
Check the tag on the controller. Queen blankets draw about 60–120 W at most.
Estimated cost per month
Cost by month, in season only
The yearly cost spread across the months using a typical heating degree-day pattern from NOAA 1991–2020 normals. Months outside the season show $0.
Per year assumes the same use every day. For seasonal appliances, see the monthly curve.
Estimate. Formula and sources are under “How it works”. Change any input; the result updates as you type.
Formula
How it works
- kWh per day = watts ÷ 1,000 × hours per night
- Cost per hour = watts ÷ 1,000 × rate
- Cost per month = kWh per day × nights × rate
- Cost by month = yearly cost × that month's share of heating degree-days
A queen-size electric blanket draws about 60 to 120 W at its highest setting, and its controller cycles it on and off. That makes 100 W for 8 hours a worst case. Even so, the cost is cents per night. Among electric ways to stay warm, it's the cheapest alternative to a space heater.
Sources: EIA Electric Power Monthly table 5.6.A (residential rate, your state, latest month); NOAA CPC degree-day normals 1991–2020 for the monthly curve.
Worked example
A worked example
A 100 W blanket on for 8 hours uses 0.80 kWh a night. At the Texas rate of 15.5¢/kWh that's $0.12 a night and $3.84 for a 31-night month. In heating season only, the estimate peaks at $9.50 in December and $9.05 in January.
Reference
Reference table
Electric blanket cost per month at 18.4¢/kWh (US average)
| 4 h | 6 h | 8 h | 10 h | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 W | $1.32 | $1.99 | $2.65 | $3.31 |
| 100 W | $2.21 | $3.31 | $4.42 | $5.52 |
| 120 W | $2.65 | $3.97 | $5.30 | $6.62 |
Questions
FAQ
Is an electric blanket cheaper than a space heater?
Yes, by about ten times. At the US average rate of 18.4¢/kWh, a 100 W blanket for 8 hours a night costs an estimated $4.42 a month; a 1,500 W space heater for 6 hours a day costs $49.68. The blanket warms you, not the room.
Does a heated mattress pad use less power than a blanket?
It depends on the model, not the type. Both are low-wattage heating pads with a cycling controller. Read the watts on the controller or the manual, enter them above, and compare both in Compare mode.
How much does it cost to run an electric blanket all winter?
At the US average rate, 100 W for 8 hours a night comes to about $54 a year if used every night of the heating season. The heaviest months are December ($11.28) and January ($10.75).
Is it cheaper to leave the blanket on low all night?
Lower settings cycle the heating element less, so they use fewer watts on average. The calculator treats the watts you enter as a constant draw. Entering the maximum gives you a worst-case estimate.
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