How we work it out
The watts on the tag are the most a blanket ever draws, at full heat before the bed warms up. Once it does, the thermostat starts cycling the element on and off to hold that temperature, so the wattage on the label overstates what it actually pulls across a night. Independent testing of these thermostat-controlled heating elements puts the real average draw at roughly half the rated maximum, and that's the factor built into every figure below. Half the rated watts, times hours on, times your state's rate.
Worked example: a queen blanket (100 W rated, so 50 W average) run for 8 hours in Victoria: 0.05 kW × 8 × 29.8¢ = about 12 cents a night, or roughly $11 across a 90-night winter. For one side of the bed.
The comparison that matters
A blanket warms you, not the room, so it's doing a different job to a heater. But priced against one, it isn't close: a 2,400 W oil column running the same hours costs 30 to 80 times more than a blanket, depending on size, since the heater is warming the whole room instead of just you. If the choice is heating the whole bedroom overnight or just the bed, the blanket wins every time on cost, and most people sleep better under one anyway once the doona's doing the rest of the work.
Common questions
Is it safe to leave an electric blanket on all night?
Most modern blankets are rated for it and switch off if they overheat or fault, but check your model's instructions. Many people prefer to pre-warm the bed for 20 to 30 minutes before climbing in and switch it off overnight instead, which uses even less power than an all-night setting.
Do bigger blankets cost proportionally more?
Roughly, yes. A king blanket rated at 150 W costs about two and a half times a single rated at 60 W for the same hours, since both are drawing a similar fraction of their rated wattage on average.
Does turning the dial down save money?
Yes. Lower settings mean the thermostat cycles the element on for less of each minute, so the average draw drops below the roughly-half figure used here. This calculator assumes a normal warm setting, not the lowest one.
What this costs, state by state
A queen electric blanket left on for 8 hours a night.
| State | Rate | Per night | Across winter |
|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 32.4¢ | 13¢ | $11.66 |
| Victoria | 29.8¢ | 12¢ | $10.73 |
| Queensland | 31.2¢ | 12¢ | $11.23 |
| South Australia | 38.1¢ | 15¢ | $13.72 |
| Western Australia | 33.6¢ | 13¢ | $12.10 |
| Tasmania | 28.9¢ | 12¢ | $10.40 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 27.4¢ | 11¢ | $9.86 |
| Northern Territory | 31.7¢ | 13¢ | $11.41 |
Reference rates for 2026–27. Your row is highlighted once you set your location.
Sources
Electricity rates: AER Default Market Offer (NSW, SA, south-east QLD), Victorian Default Offer, and each remaining state's regulated tariff, current for 2026–27. Appliance figures: the energyrating.gov.au registration database (July 2026 snapshot). Methods and assumptions are described on each page.