How Much Does It Cost to Run an Electric Blanket per Day?

Source: Planning watts of 150 and 6 hours a day, hours of use a night, including time the controller cycles off. Price: 17.23 cents per kWh, the 2025 US residential average from EIA Form EIA-861.

The monthly cost is 3% of the $150.68 average US electric bill. Because it runs only about 5 months a year, the yearly cost is 5 times the monthly figure, not twelve.

One figure cannot fit every home. These three cases show how much the answer moves with the equipment and the hours.

The lowest case costs $1 a month and the highest $8. Use the calculator above to match your own.

The same electric blanket costs different amounts depending on the state, because the price per kWh differs. Here are the three cheapest states, the US average and the three costliest, for the same 27 kWh a month.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 (final 2025 data). Price is residential revenue divided by sales and includes fixed charges.

See electricity rates in every state to find your own.

An electric blanket is a resistance heater in the form of wires in fabric. Its controller cycles the wires on and off to hold a setting, so the average draw is lower than the rating on the label, and a lower setting cuts it further.

Size and setting matter most. A twin blanket uses less than a king, and the high setting uses more than the low one. Pre-heating the bed and then turning the blanket off before you sleep uses the least.

The range for this kind of appliance runs from about 50 to 250 watts. At 6 hours a day that is $2 to $8 a month, which is why checking the label on yours is worth the minute.

• Pre-heat the bed for a short time and switch the blanket off when you get in, if the manufacturer allows it.
• Use the low setting overnight instead of the high one.
• Replace a blanket that is frayed or has damaged wires, and follow the maker’s safety instructions.

Next step: Space heater costs. For general ideas, read how to lower your electric bill.

Other appliances in the heating group: Space Heater, Electric Furnace, Baseboard Heater, Heat Pump, Electric Fireplace.

The cost is watts divided by 1,000, times hours, times your price per kWh. The 150 watts is a planning figure for this kind of appliance, set from typical product ratings, and the 6 hours is an assumed day of use. Neither is copied from a federal table. Federal guidance describes the method and warns that real wattage varies, so we publish our own typical ranges and label them as such. Prices come from EIA Form EIA-861 for 2025.

The calculation is the standard one used in the U.S. Department of Energy's consumer guidance on estimating appliance energy use. Wattage varies by product age and features, so the label on your own appliance beats any average. Read more in our methodology.