Save on Energy Costs with these 5 Best Electric Blankets
Tired of paying high energy bills during the winter months? You can set your thermostat lower and sleep more comfortably with the aid of an electric blanket. Like space heaters, electric blankets help you keep heat only where you need it so you’ll be able to sleep soundly regardless of how cold your room is.
In this article we’ve picked out five of the best electric blankets on the market today and compared their strengths and weaknesses in the hope that one of these options will work well for you.
- Preheat + 20 heat settings offered
- Thermofine system automatically keeps heating even
- Dual controls
- 5-year limited warranty
- Polyester-brushed micro plush
- Preheat + 5 heat settings offered
- Extra long power cord
- 3-year warranty
- Dual digital controls for queen & king
- Sherpa fleece design auto-adjusts for heat
- 10-hour safety timer
- 5-year limited warranty
- 5X thinner wires for more comfort
- Easy use dual knob controls for Queen & King
- Micro-fleece design
- 5-year warranty
- Quilted channel design
- 2-millimeter plushness
- Dual controls for queen & king
- 5-year limited warranty
The first electric blanket on our list, and the first of two from Sunbeam, offers many heat settings and some great heat dissipation to provide nighttime comfort.
The Sunbeam Premium Soft Velvet Plush Heated Blanket comes in just one size (queen), but it more than makes up for it with consistent heating thanks to the thermofine system. With a dedicated preheat button and twenty heat settings, it should be a breeze to find the right temperature for you and your partner. The plush fabric is easily one of the softest on our list, and you can also choose from a wide variety of color options to best match your home and bedroom’s decor.
This blanket is a bit expensive when compared to our other blanket picks, but we find that the comfort and control from this Sunbeam blanket more than justifies the high price tag.
Pros
- Great material
- Lots of color options
- Good warranty
- Lots of heat settings
- Preheating feature
- Dual controls
Cons
- Somewhat expensive
For a warmer bed and a lower heating bill without the higher expense, Serta offers an affordable electric blanket with many of the same features as our other choices.
The Serta Heated Throw Blanket 86113 comes in a 50 X 60 size (which is comparable to a full-sized blanket) and works well both as a throw blanket as well as a covering for the bed. Six colors and a reversible design are available for the throw blanket, which uses a single controller offering five heat settings as well as a preheat feature.
While some complaints remain about how the blanket fails to get warm enough for some, the price tag remains nearly half that of many of the blankets on our list. For a low-cost option that will prove whether or not an electric blanket is right for you, this Serta offering is certainly worth considering.
Pros
- Reversible design
- Easy controls
- Preheating included
- Multiple colors included
- Affordable
Cons
- Does not get warm enough for some
- No dual controls or other features
- Only one size available
Biddeford’s electric blanket attempts to set itself apart from Sunbeam offerings, and manages to do so with a focus on comfort and a warm fleece design. The Biddeford Comfort Knit Fleece Sherpa Heated Blanket offers a comfortable, almost furlike feel that can really hold the heat during the colder months. Utilizing an ultra-thin wire, this blanket manages to heat without you feeling thick wiring running throughout your blanket.
We appreciate the three colors and three sizes offered by Biddeford as well as the two digital controls offered on the two largest sizes. Well warrantied and comfortable, the only real drawback to this product is the higher price. Still, if a sherpa electric blanket with dual capabilities sounds appealing to you, then the extra price may certainly be worth paying for a blanket that keeps as warm as this one.
Pros
- Lush design and long-piling
- Ultra-thin wiring
- Dual controls
- Great warranty
Cons
- Somewhat expensive
- No twin size
For a thin blanket that hides its wires well and keeps just as warm as the competition, this Softheat Luxury Fleece blanket certainly makes a great option for many.
Like the Biddeford blanket before it, this Softheat blanket uses wiring five times thinner than the competition and thus is nearly imperceptible to the touch. Because of this, Softheat’s blanket can remain thin while still offering ten heat settings with an easy knob control design. The only real drawback here is that the blanket seems heavier than our other picks, which may be an issue to some. Dual controls are also only offered for the largest two of the available four sizes.
Unfortunately, these features do mean that the Softheat blanket is the most expensive on our list by a considerable margin. For those who are especially sensitive to wiring in electric blankets or need a micro-fleece blanket much like those found in hotel rooms, however, this blanket may well be worth the cost.
Pros
- Thin, soft micro-fleece
- Ultra-thin imperceptible wiring
- Dual controls
- Easy knob controls
Cons
- Expensive
- Somewhat heavy
For a high-quality blanket from Sunbeam that comes in a quilted variation, the Sunbeam Quilted Fleece Electric Blanket offers many sizes to choose from at more reasonable price points. This blanket uses a quilted channel design, which pushes the wiring of the heating element against the sewing in the quilt to make the wires practically disappear. You get to choose between four standard bed sizes with this blanket, and if you choose a queen or king, you’ll also get dual controls as well.
Although there are some quality control issues with this specific item, Sunbeam’s 5-year warranty should ensure you keep warm for many winters to come.
Pros
- Quilted design
- Dual controls offered
- Lots of color options
- Good warranty
Cons
- Some quality control issues
Comparison Chart
| Features | Sunbeam Premium Soft Velvet Plush | Serta Heated Throw Blanket 861119 | Biddeford Comfort Knit | Softheat Luxury Fleece Electric | Sunbeam Quilted Fleece |
| Material | Plush Polyester | Sherpa Fleece | Fleece Polyester | Fleece Polyester | Fleece Polyester |
| # of Heat Settings | 20 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Auto Shut-Off | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Machine Washable/Dryer Safe | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dual Controls Available | ✓ | X | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sizes Available | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Weight (Queen or Standard) | 6 lbs | 2.45 lbs | 7.16 lbs | 8.6 lbs | 5.95 lbs |
Buyer’s Guide:
Electric Blankets
Final Thoughts
Electric blankets are certainly great for taking the edge off of your energy bills–but not just any blanket will work for everyone. If you need the best overall blanket at the best overall price, then it’s hard to beat the Sunbeam Premium Soft Velvet Plush blanket. The highly plush design and twenty heat settings maximize comfort no matter how hot or cold you’d like to be.
For an electric blanket that won’t break the bank, we can also highly recommend the Serta Heated Throw Blanket 86113. The single size and controls will make it easy to find a good temperature and keep warm throughout the night. Otherwise, we really enjoy the sherpa-lined Biddeford blanket for its soft exterior, the Softheat blanket for virtually undetectable wires, and the Sunbeam Quilted Fleece blanket for a great quilted option.
