Comparison · Cost
One heats a room, the other heats a person, and the power difference between them is about fifteen to one.
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A heated blanket typically draws in the region of 50–200 W against a space heater's 1,500 W. For one person sitting still, the blanket costs roughly a tenth to a fifteenth as much per hour. It does nothing for the room, which is exactly the trade.
Heated blankets and throws are commonly rated somewhere between 50 W and 200 W depending on size and setting — check the label on yours rather than trusting a general figure, since the range is wide. Take 100 W as a representative mid-point for a full-size electric blanket.
| Appliance | Watts | Cost per hour | Cost for 4 hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heated throw (low) | 50 W | 0.9¢ | 3.7¢ |
| Heated blanket (typical) | 100 W | 1.8¢ | 7.3¢ |
| Heated blanket (large, high) | 200 W | 3.7¢ | 14.7¢ |
| Space heater (low setting) | 750 W | 13.8¢ | 55.0¢ |
| Space heater (full output) | 1,500 W | 27.5¢ | $1.10 |
Computed at 18.34¢/kWh (EIA, June 2026). Blanket wattages are typical ranges — check your own label.
An evening on the sofa is the clearest case. Four hours of a heated throw is about four cents. Four hours of a 1,500 W heater is about a dollar ten. Over a 90-day heating season that is roughly $3.30 against $99 — and for a single stationary person, the comfort outcome is genuinely comparable.
It is not efficiency; both are essentially 100%. It is the size of the thing being heated. A space heater raises the temperature of every cubic foot of air in the room, and the room keeps losing that heat to the outdoors. A blanket puts a small amount of heat directly against a person, inside an insulating layer, and almost none of it escapes anywhere useless.
That is the same principle behind radiant heating — heat the person, not the volume — taken to its logical end. A blanket is the most efficient personal heating device in the house precisely because it has the smallest possible thing to heat.
Ranked for fit, not for hype. Coverage and current draw are computed from each unit’s published wattage. Tap a row for the full write-up, or go straight to the listing.
| # | Product | Best for | Covers | Draw | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | De'LonghiNo photo De'Longhi TRD40615TNo fan, so no noise and no moving dust — and the sealed oil keeps radiating after the element cuts out, which is why an oil-filled unit feels steadier than a ceramic one at the same wattage. | Silence, and a bedroom | 150 sq ft | 12.5 A | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | LaskoNo photo Lasko 754200The 900 W low setting is the whole point: it is the rare listing that publishes both settings, so you can compute what the cheap mode actually costs instead of guessing. | One person at one desk | 150 sq ft | 12.5 A | Check price on Amazon |
Coverage computed at 10 W/sq ft, average insulation, 8 ft ceiling. Draw computed as watts ÷ volts. Neither figure is a manufacturer claim.
Top pick · Silence, and a bedroom
No fan, so no noise and no moving dust — and the sealed oil keeps radiating after the element cuts out, which is why an oil-filled unit feels steadier than a ceramic one at the same wattage.
| Published specification | |
|---|---|
| Rated power | 1,500 W at 120 V |
| Controls | Mechanical, with a programmable 24-hour timer |
| Fluid | Permanently sealed diathermic oil — never needs refilling |
| Maker's claim | Up to 75% more radiant surface area |
| Mobility | Front and rear handles, snap-on wheels |
| Heat type | Oil-filled |
| Maker’s coverage claim | None published — the coverage figure above is ours |
| Safety listing | No listing mark published in the listing text; verify the UL or ETL mark on the rating plate. |
Who it is for
A bedroom, a nursery at a safe distance, or anywhere the fan noise of a ceramic heater is the actual problem you are trying to solve.
What it is not for
Fast heat, and not a room you only occupy for twenty minutes. It also should never be tucked beside a bed or curtain — hot surface, 3-foot rule.
2 · One person at one desk
The 900 W low setting is the whole point: it is the rare listing that publishes both settings, so you can compute what the cheap mode actually costs instead of guessing.
| Published specification | |
|---|---|
| Rated power | 1,500 W high / 900 W low, at 120 V |
| Maker's coverage claim | None published — sold as a desktop heater |
| Thermostat | Adjustable, 11 settings |
| Size | 9.2" tall |
| Other modes | Fan-only |
| Heat type | Ceramic (PTC) |
| Maker’s coverage claim | None published — the coverage figure above is ours |
| Safety listing | No listing mark published in the listing text; check the rating plate for UL or ETL. |
Who it is for
A desk, a small office, a dorm room — somewhere you want heat on a person rather than in a room.
What it is not for
Overnight or unattended use, and not a nursery. Without a published tip-over cutoff it does not belong on carpet next to a bed.
Sources for this entry
Much cheaper. A typical heated blanket draws around 100 W against a space heater's 1,500 W, so it costs roughly a fifteenth as much per hour — about 1.8 cents against 27.5 cents at the U.S. average rate.
Commonly between 50 and 200 W depending on size and setting. Check the label on your own, since the range is wide and the wattage is the entire cost story.
For one stationary person in a room that is merely cool, often yes. It cannot make a cold room habitable, it does not help anyone not under it, and it does nothing for pipes or possessions.
Heat the person rather than the space where you can: a heated blanket or throw for stationary time, a lower room setpoint, and a space heater only in the room you are actually using.
A correction, not a product pick: equal wattage means equal cost, and here is what actually varies.
Heating the air versus heating the things in it — the distinction under every other comparison.
Cost per hour for any wattage at any rate — the calculator, the formula and the full grid.
All electric heaters are 100% efficient. These are picked on the three things that actually cut the bill.
Silent, timed and safe overnight — the units that solve the bedroom's three actual problems.
The monthly figure at 4, 8, 12 and 24 hours a day — including the 24/7 case, computed.