Electric Blanket vs. Space Heater: What Each Costs to Run on PG&E (Winter 2026)

A heated blanket or mattress pad costs about 25 to 36 cents a night to run on PG&E this winter, even on high for a full 8 hours. That's roughly $7 to $11 a month. A 1,500-watt space heater running the same 8 hours costs $3.21 to $4.88 a night, or about $96 to $147 a month. The difference is wattage: Sunbeam lists 100 to 110 watts for its heated blankets and mattress pads, about one-fourteenth of what a space heater on high draws.

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Key facts

• Heated bedding is low wattage. Sunbeam's spec pages list 100 watts for its Greystone microplush heated blanket (twin through king) and 110 watts for its queen fleece heated mattress pad and connected queen blanket. Check the label on yours. Lower heat settings draw less than the label.
• A space heater on high is 1,500 watts. That's 1.5 kWh every hour it runs at full power, or 0.75 kWh on a 750-watt low setting. See our space heater cost guide for the full breakdown.
• PG&E winter rates (bundled, effective June 1, 2026; winter is October 1 to May 31): E-TOU-C $0.39757 peak (4-9 p.m.) and $0.36757 off-peak, with a $0.08140 credit on usage within your baseline (Schedule E-TOU-C). EV2-A $0.41099 peak, $0.39428 part-peak (3-4 p.m. and 9 p.m.-midnight), $0.22558 off-peak (midnight-3 p.m.) (Schedule EV2). E-ELEC $0.32063 / $0.29854 / $0.28468 for the same periods (Schedule E-ELEC). E-1 $0.32561 (Tier 1) and $0.40702 (Tier 2) (Schedule E-1).
• The formula: watts ÷ 1,000 × hours × rate per kWh. A 110-watt mattress pad for 8 hours is 0.88 kWh.

Cost per night and per month, by PG&E plan

We assume 8 hours in bed, 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., at full power the whole time. That's the worst case: a blanket on a middle setting, or one that shuts off on its timer, uses less. On E-TOU-C and E-1, all 8 hours bill at one rate. On EV2-A and E-ELEC, 10 p.m. to midnight is part-peak and midnight to 6 a.m. is off-peak, so we use the weighted average: for EV2-A, (2 × $0.39428 + 6 × $0.22558) ÷ 8 = $0.26776 per kWh.

On the 750-watt low setting, the space heater costs half the figures above, still about seven times what the mattress pad costs at full heat.

These are PG&E bundled rates. If MCE, EBCE, SJCE or another community choice aggregator supplies your generation, your total will be a little different; see Community Choice Aggregation Explained. Which baseline row applies to you depends on how much the rest of your home uses; our baseline allowance guide explains how to check.

On the couch: a heated blanket vs. a space heater during peak

Evening TV time lands right in PG&E's 4-9 p.m. peak. A 100-watt heated blanket for those 5 hours on E-TOU-C is 0.5 kWh, about $0.20 a night, or $5.96 a month. A 1,500-watt space heater for the same 5 hours is 7.5 kWh, about $2.98 a night, or $89.45 a month.

Preheating is almost free

Many people only want a warm bed to get into. Running a 110-watt pad on high for 30 minutes before bed uses 0.055 kWh, about 2 cents on E-TOU-C. Preheat, then turn it down or off when you get in. It costs almost nothing, and it's what the safety groups below recommend.

Where the real savings come from

The blanket itself only saves money if it lets you turn the house heat down. Warming one bed while the furnace heats the whole house all night just adds a few dollars to your electric bill.

The U.S. Department of Energy says turning your thermostat back 7 to 10 degrees for 8 hours a day can save up to 10% a year on heating and cooling (DOE Energy Saver Guide). Overnight, while you sleep under a heated blanket, is the easiest time to do it. In most PG&E homes the furnace runs on gas, so that saving shows up on the gas side of your bill. Our explainer on why PG&E gas bills spike in winter shows what a therm costs this month.

If you heat with electric space heaters, the math is even more direct: every night you switch off a 1,500-watt bedroom heater and use a 110-watt pad instead saves about $4 on E-TOU-C, based on the table above.

Gear that does the job

Prices and ratings below were checked on Amazon on November 2, 2026, and can change.

• Heated mattress pad (queen, dual controls): the Sunbeam Restful Quilted Heated Mattress Pad ($92.50, 4.4 stars from about 8,057 ratings) has two controllers so each side sets its own heat, 12 settings, and a selectable 1-12 hour auto shut-off. A pad sits under your fitted sheet, so there's no blanket on top to bunch up or tuck in.
• Heated blanket (queen): the Sunbeam Royal Luxe Microplush Heated Blanket ($89.96, 4.0 stars from about 3,375 ratings) has 12 heat settings and a 1-12 hour selectable auto shut-off. Sunbeam doesn't publish this model's wattage on its listing, so check the label.
• Turn the furnace down automatically: a smart thermostat like the ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium ($239.99, 4.3 stars from about 4,208 ratings) can lower the heat at bedtime and warm the house before you get up. Compare options in our smart thermostat guide for PG&E.
• See what heating really uses: a whole-home monitor like the Emporia Vue 3 ($185.99, 4.6 stars from about 884 ratings) shows each circuit's usage hour by hour, so you can see what a space heater or a blanket actually costs you. Our home energy monitor guide covers setup.

Use heated bedding safely

The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) says heating pads and electric blankets cause around 500 fires a year, almost all involving electric blankets more than 10 years old (ESFI electric blanket fire prevention). Its advice:

• Don't use heating appliances unattended or while sleeping. Preheat the bed, then switch it off, or at least use the auto shut-off timer.
• Plug the blanket directly into a wall outlet, not an extension cord or power strip. (That also rules out a smart plug; use the blanket's own timer instead.)
• Never fold or tuck in an electric blanket while it's on, and don't let anything rest on top of it.
• Replace blankets or pads that are old, frayed, scorched or have cracked cords, and buy products approved by a nationally recognized testing laboratory.
• Don't use a heating pad and an electric blanket together.

Sunbeam's listings note its heated bedding is ETL certified, with overheat protection and auto shut-off.

The bottom line

Electrically, heated bedding is one of the cheapest ways to stay warm in a PG&E home: at most about $2.50 a week on any residential plan, even on high all night. A space heater doing the same job costs about 14 times as much. The bigger win comes from using the blanket as a reason to turn the thermostat down at night.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run an electric blanket all night on PG&E?

A 100-watt blanket on high for 8 hours uses 0.8 kWh. At PG&E's E-TOU-C winter off-peak rate of $0.36757 per kWh that's about 29 cents. A 110-watt mattress pad is about 32 cents. Within your baseline, or on EV2-A or E-ELEC, it's closer to 24 to 25 cents. Lower settings cost less.

Is an electric blanket cheaper than a space heater?

Yes, by a lot. A 1,500-watt space heater on high uses about 14 times the electricity of a 110-watt heated mattress pad. For 8 hours on E-TOU-C, that's about $4.41 for the heater versus 32 cents for the pad.

How many watts does an electric blanket use?

Usually about 100 watts or less at full heat. Sunbeam lists 100 watts for its Greystone microplush blanket and 110 watts for its queen fleece mattress pad and connected queen blanket. The label on your blanket or controller is the number that counts.

Does it matter what time I use an electric blanket on PG&E time-of-use?

Not much. On E-TOU-C, the winter peak (4-9 p.m.) costs $0.03 more per kWh than off-peak, which is about half a cent an hour for a 100-watt blanket. On EV2-A, hours after midnight are cheapest at $0.22558 per kWh. The bigger lever is turning your home's heat down, not when the blanket runs.

Is it safe to sleep with an electric blanket on?

The Electrical Safety Foundation International says heating appliances shouldn't be used while sleeping. The safest habit is to preheat the bed and turn the blanket off when you get in, or use its auto shut-off timer. Never tuck it in, and plug it straight into the wall.

Will a heated mattress pad lower my PG&E bill?

Only if you use it to turn down your heat. The DOE says setting your thermostat back 7 to 10 degrees for 8 hours a day can save up to 10% a year on heating and cooling. If you also switch off a bedroom space heater, you'd save roughly $4 a night on E-TOU-C.

See what heating is doing to your bill

Upload your PG&E bill to My Big Bill for a free audit. It reads your rate plan, shows how much of your usage is above baseline and in the 4-9 p.m. peak, and won't claim savings your bill doesn't support. For more ways to cut winter costs, see How to Lower Your PG&E Bill and PG&E Time-of-Use Rates Explained.