Key takeaways
- Electricity is capped at 26.11p per kWh from 1 July to 30 September 2026, so a 120W heated throw costs about 3p an hour to run.
- Four hours a night for a month on that same throw is roughly £3.75 of electricity.
- Under-blankets go on the mattress and warm the bed. Over-blankets and heated throws are the only ones meant to sit on top of you.
- Ofgem confirms the October price cap on 26 August 2026, so the running costs below change from 1 October.
Heated throws stopped being a novelty in this country the moment energy bills got serious. The July to September 2026 price cap put electricity at 26.11p per kWh, 13% up on the spring, and Ofgem sets the October figure on 26 August. That is the week UK households start pricing up ways to stay warm without switching the boiler on in September, and a throw that costs about 3p an hour is a much easier sum than a radiator.
The catch with this category is that half the listings are near identical fleece rectangles with a different brand stitched on. What separates them is size, how many heat settings you actually get, whether the controller detaches for washing, and whether the thing is designed for a sofa or a mattress. Here are six that cover the sensible range, from a £20 under-blanket to a plush flannel throw.
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How we picked these
We started from running cost. Wattage divided by 1,000, multiplied by Ofgem’s current 26.11p per kWh, gives you pence per hour. A 60W throw is about 1.6p an hour, a 70W under-blanket about 1.8p, and a 120W throw about 3.1p. Anything claiming to heat a room for that money is claiming too much, because these products warm you, not the air around you.
After that we looked for the features Electrical Safety First actually asks for: overheat protection, a timer or automatic shut-off, and a controller you can detach so the blanket goes in the machine. We ruled out anything without a UK safety mark, anything second-hand, and anything where the heated panel was clearly smaller than the bed or sofa it claims to cover. Everything below is under £50 and available on Amazon UK.
One thing worth reading before you buy: an under-blanket sits flat on the mattress under the sheet and should never go on top of you, while a throw or over-blanket does the opposite. Electrical Safety First also says not to use an under-blanket on an adjustable bed.
At a glance
| Product | Best for | Type | Size | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silentnight Comfort Control Heated Throw | Overall | Throw | 120 x 160cm | around £45 |
| Purus Heated Throw | Spending least | Throw | Single throw | around £23 |
| Emperial Luxury Heated Blanket XL | Sharing a sofa | Throw | Extra large | around £38 |
| Bedsure Ribbed Flannel Heated Throw | A throw you leave out | Throw | 130 x 160cm | around £46 |
| Silentnight Dual Control Electric Blanket | A shared bed | Under-blanket | Double | around £38 |
| Carmen Double Heated Under Blanket | Warming a bed cheaply | Under-blanket | 120 x 107cm | around £20 |
The six worth looking at
Silentnight Comfort Control Heated Throw
Best overallSilentnight is the name most people in the UK already trust for this, and the Comfort Control is the version to get. Nine heat settings give you proper control rather than the usual low, medium and hot. It warms up in a couple of minutes, the fleece is thick enough to use as a normal throw when it’s unplugged, and the whole thing goes in the machine once the controller is off.
The catch: at 120 x 160cm it’s a one-person throw. Two of you on the sofa will end up tugging at it.
120 x 160cm · 9 heat settings · safety shut-off · around £45
Check price on Amazon →Purus Heated Throw Electric Blanket
Best on a budgetJust over £20 buys you nine heat settings and a 12-hour timer, which is more than some throws twice the price offer. The micro fleece is soft on both sides and it’s machine washable. If you want to find out whether a heated throw suits you before spending £45, this is the low-risk way to do it.
The catch: the fleece is noticeably thinner than the Silentnight, so it feels more like a heated sheet than a blanket you’d curl up under.
9 heat settings · 12-hour timer · machine washable · around £23
Check price on Amazon →Emperial Luxury Heated Blanket, Extra Large
Best for two on a sofaMost heated throws are sized for one person with their knees up. This one is deliberately oversized, which makes it the obvious pick if you and someone else want to be under the same blanket in the evening. It’s also the one to choose if you’re tall and tired of your feet sticking out of the heated bit.
The catch: there’s one controller for the whole blanket, so whoever runs colder has to win the argument.
Extra large · grey fleece · around £38
Check price on Amazon →Bedsure Ribbed Flannel Heated Throw
Best one to leave on showThe reason to pay a bit more here is that it doesn’t look like an appliance. The ribbed flannel in cream reads as a normal throw over the arm of a sofa, and at 130 x 160cm it’s slightly wider than the Silentnight. Good choice if the alternative is hiding a heated blanket in a cupboard every time someone visits.
The catch: it’s the priciest throw here, and ribbed flannel is a magnet for pet hair.
130 x 160cm · ribbed flannel · cream · around £46
Check price on Amazon →Silentnight Dual Control Electric Blanket, Double
Best for a shared bedSplit controls are the whole point of this one. Each side of the bed gets its own controller and its own heat setting, which solves the most common argument about electric blankets. Elasticated straps hold it flat to the mattress so it doesn’t ruck up in the night, and you make the bed over the top of it as normal.
The catch: three heat settings only, so the step from low to medium is a big one.
Double · under-blanket · 3 heat settings · split controls · around £38
Check price on Amazon →Carmen Double Heated Under Blanket
Best cheap under-blanketAt 70W this is the one product here with its power draw printed on the box, which works out at about 1.8p an hour at the current cap rate. Overheat protection is built in, it’s a double, and it costs less than a takeaway. Switch it on twenty minutes before bed and turn it off when you get in, which is how most people should be using an under-blanket anyway.
The catch: the heated area is 120 x 107cm, so on a standard 135 x 190cm double your feet will be off the warm bit.
70W · 120 x 107cm · overheat protection · around £20
Check price on Amazon →What it costs to run
Work it out yourself with the wattage on the label. Watts divided by 1,000, times 26.11p, gives pence per hour at the current cap.
| Rating | Per hour | 4 hours a night for 30 nights |
|---|---|---|
| 60W | 1.6p | £1.88 |
| 70W | 1.8p | £2.19 |
| 100W | 2.6p | £3.13 |
| 120W | 3.1p | £3.76 |
| 180W | 4.7p | £5.64 |
Two things will move those numbers. Ofgem announces the October to December cap on 26 August 2026, and VAT on domestic electricity drops from 5% to zero on 1 October, which pulls the unit rate down on its own. We’re tracking both on our October 2026 price cap page.
FAQ
How much does a heated throw cost to run?
Around 1.6p to 3.1p an hour for most of them, based on Ofgem’s 26.11p per kWh electricity rate for July to September 2026. Use the wattage on the label rather than the marketing copy, because “energy saving” on a listing means nothing on its own.
Is a heated throw cheaper than putting the heating on?
If you’re sitting still in one room, yes, by a wide margin. A throw heats one person and a boiler heats the whole house. What a throw won’t do is keep the room above the temperature you need to stop condensation and damp, so it’s a supplement to heating rather than a replacement for it.
Can you leave an electric blanket on all night?
Only if the manufacturer says it’s designed for it. Plenty of under-blankets are meant to warm the bed and then be switched off, and using one that isn’t rated for overnight use is how people get into trouble. Check the instructions, and pick something with a timer if you’re likely to fall asleep with it on.
Over-blanket, under-blanket or heated throw?
Under-blankets sit flat on the mattress and warm the bed from below. Over-blankets lie on top of you in bed. Heated throws are the portable version and work on a sofa or a chair as well as a bed. Never use an under-blanket on top of yourself, and Electrical Safety First advises against using one on an adjustable bed.
Can you wash an electric blanket?
Most modern ones, yes, once you’ve unplugged the controller and detached the lead. Check the label first. Never put one in a tumble dryer unless it explicitly says you can, and make sure it’s completely dry before it goes anywhere near a socket.
How old is too old for an electric blanket?
Check yours every autumn before it goes back on the bed. Frayed wires, scorch marks, a controller that buzzes or smells, or any sign of rodent damage from summer storage all mean it gets replaced rather than repaired. Electrical Safety First found that accidental electric blanket fires in England hit a five-year high of 31 incidents in 2024/25, up 24% on the year before.
Sources
- Ofgem, Energy price cap unit rates and standing charges
- Electrical Safety First, Electric blanket safety advice
- Electrical Safety First, Concerns as electric blanket fires hit five year high
Prices were correct when we checked on 22 August 2026 and change often. We earn a commission on some links, which doesn’t affect what makes this list.