Wattage Used by an Electric Blanket
Electric blankets are made for king, queen, full and twin beds. King- and queen-size electric blankets have dual controls so that the comfort level on each side of the bed can be controlled separately, while twin- and full-size electric blankets have one control. The size of the blanket and the setting of the controls will determine the wattage used by the electric blanket.
Low-Voltage Electric Blankets
Low-voltage electric blankets use voltage of less than 25 volts, according to Electric Blanket.net. Twin-size low-voltage electric blankets with one control will use about 82 watts of electricity, and full-size blankets with one control use roughly 102 watts. Queen- and king-size low-voltage blankets with two controls use 82 watts per side.
Cost to Operate Low-Voltage Blankets
At a cost of 8.5 cents per kilowatt hour (a typical rate charged by utilities as of publication), the cost to run a low-voltage twin-size electric blanket for eight hours per night on high is 5.6 cents. It costs 6.9 cents per night to run a full-size low-voltage electric blanket, and 11.2 cents to run a queen- or king-size electric blanket with dual controls.
Traditional-Voltage Electric Blankets
According to the Electric Blanket, traditional electric blankets are 120 volts. A traditional dual-control blanket uses 75 to 100 watts per side, when set on high, but if the blanket controls are set at medium, the blankets use about 40 to 50 watts. Single-control blankets would use about 40 to 50 watts on high and 20 to 25 watts on medium.
Cost to Operate Traditional Blankets
At 8.5 cents per kWh, the cost to run a traditional-voltage twin- or double-size electric blanket with one control for eight hours on high is 2.7 to 3.4 cents, or 1.3 to 1.7 cents per night on medium heat. It costs 5.1 to 6.8 cents to run the dual-control traditional electric blanket for eight hours, or 2.7 to 3.4 cents per night to run the blanket on medium heat.
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